I'm using Adobe Photoshop 6.1 for this tutorial, although I've done this effect with Photoshop versions 5.0 through 6.1, so don't worry if you have a different version of the software.

One good thing to remember about these effects is not to over-do it. I had a problem with this the first few times I used these tricks, and it really can detract from your image.

Step 1: Ok, you've already colored your image. Make sure you've colored your image. Did you color your image? Anyway, make sure you only apply these effects to the "hottest" parts of your metal or magic energy-field thingies (the white parts on the spear, sword, and hair in the image below are the "hot" parts).

Step 2: Make a new layer on the very top and name it "fx" or "effects." Set this layer to "Screen" in the Blending Options (next to "Opacity") on the Layers Palette.

Step 3: Using the brightest red-orange for gold metal, the brightest cyan blue for silver metal, and any other bright colors for other things like purple (for purple hair) or green (for green slime), Airbrush splotches of color over the "hot" parts of the image where you want the highlights to be. Once you do this, pick a white-yellow color and paint inside the red-orange, and pick white to paint inside the cyan, and so on and so forth. Your effects will look like this:

And if you set this layer to "Normal" for a second and look at the colors you REALLY used, it'll look like this:

AAAGH!! MY EYES!! QUICK! Change it back, change it back!! IT BURNS!!

Whew. That was close.

This tutorial is COPYRIGHT ©2001 Stephanie Lostimolo.

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