Date: Oct 13, 2019

I just learn a very neat trick. Don’t even have to use that super complicated Photoshop. Just use Lightroom CC (Classic, Old Desktop version) will do. And it is very handy.

What do you think the following picture looks like before the editing??

This is the original photo. I am using the Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 lens. Behind got a bit of bokeh, not much. Jay is holding a ball, and his left hand holding a Harry Potter spell book.

So, it would be fun if you can make the crystal ball (actually my lens ball) glow. And the glow light actually correctly shined onto the book and face and body.

Let summarize the thing that I have done.

Background and surrounding

1. Make the room/everything darker. Use Exposure to make it darker. Lower the Highlights a bit too (not too much). Open the Shadows. (You don’t want to have so much darkness in the shadow)

2. Change the Color Temp (temperature). Make it less warmer (to the left). I.e. 3200K.

Brighten Up the Crystal Ball

3. Use the Radial Filter. To make a oval shape over the crystal ball (with partial fingers inside).

4. Since you are changing the crystal ball only, so, you need to Invert it. And open up the Feather to the right. (May be to maximum value).

5. So, you make the Temp Of this crystal ball (the oval shape) warmer to the right. Open a little bit of Highlight (to the right by a bit).

Brighten Up the Face

6. Make another Radial Filter, an oval shape and cover the face area. Remember to Invert it, and open up full Feather mode.

7. Make it a little bit Warmer. Temp to right slightly.

8. Because Jay’s face is a bit further from the Crystal ball, so, the Temp is warmer a bit only, not full maximum warm.

9. You can move the oval Radial Filter, so that the left side of Jay’s face is brighter than the right side of his face.

10. You can press the Radial Filter to get out from the Radial Filter menu. You can press back slash to see the before and after too.

Adjustment Brush to paint other places for light

11. Select and press the Adjustment Brush.

12. Make Exposure a bit brighter.

13. Make Temp a bit warmer too.

14. Make Feather 100%. So that the transition is smoother.

15. Make the Flow lower like 10-20%. This control the paint flow. You don’t want to paint so much paint right away, so, you lower the Flow. Set Density slightly lower too.

16. Next, based on your common sense and experience, you paint the area that you think the crystal ball glows will shine onto. Like the left of the book, the left of Jay’s head and hair, His fingers holding the crystal ball, his left shoulder, his left side of the T-shirt closer to the crystal ball. You paint it like using a very very light paint brush. You can see the effect immediately… you are painting the light on it.

17. You can check the effect on and off (just beside the Density bar).

Make the Crystal Ball Red!

18. Create another Radial Filter. This time overlay on the first radial filter over the Crystal Ball. Invert it and 100% Feather. This time you want to play with the color.

19. Add Red color. (By pressing the color rectangle box)

20. High Exposure, make it brighter. Make Color Temp warmer. Boost the Highlight a bit. Open up the Shadow too. Open up some Clarity.

Brush with Red Color again

21. Add a Brush. Add Red Color. 100% Feather. Make Color Temp Warmer.

22. Then, you start painting the around the crystal ball, the face, the T-shirt too. Wherever you think you need to add in some brightness red. Make sure you lower the Flow.

Zoom into the Eyes and make it brighter.

23. Zoom in the face. Make the eye visually bigger.

24. Add a Brush, make the brush size small, and make it a bit brighter. You want to paint the eyes to be brighter because of the glowing crystal ball. You can also play with the color temperature to the left more blue.

That’s it. (This blog entry is for myself to remember what I have done to the photos so that just in case I forgot all about it, I can come and search this enter to re-learn again.)

This is my lens ball. It will be the one I used to glow it.

So, you can make photos like this.

It is magic!

Or like this. I have lots of practice. And my son’s love what I have done to the photos.