Description
"Beams of Light" is one of my most popular actions of all time! This dramatic effect simulates the appearance of heavily backlit text with the light busting at the seams around the letters creating beams which expand in all directions.
I must say, however, that I was by no means the person who pioneered the technique used in this action, as many who came before used similar techniques to achieve similar results. However, I tried to make this action unique from any other one out there by focusing not only on the beams, but also the text itself. Not only do the letters have an interesting style applied, but if you look closely you will notice that the beams actually come out from under the edge of the text, with a border running outside of them. This gives the appearance of something akin to a backlit sign around which light is able to escape from the edges.
In the preview image, you'll notice that the beams are blue with a faded blue-gray text. This is another example of the built-in customization options of the action. Default values will produce a saturated medium-blue text with bright yellow beams exploding from around it. In this preveiw, I simply adjusted a couple of values at the stops inserted in the action. Enjoy!
Instructions
This action requires that your extra set of contours which came with Photoshop be loaded into the Preset Manager. Instructions are given on this within the action. For detailed instructions on this relatively simple process, see the "Loading Extra Contours" section on the F.A.Q. page. A couple of stops have been inserted which allow you to customize the color and saturation of both the text and the beams. Overall, it is pretty easy to run this action.
Requirements
Photoshop CS or higher.
Download
Beams of Light