How to Create a Sparkle Effect Photoshop Action

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a sparkle overlay effect Photoshop action. I will explain everything in so much detail that everyone can create it, even those who have just opened Photoshop for the first time. 

The effect shown above is the one I will show you how to create in this tutorial. If you would like to create the even more advanced magic dust effects below, using just a single click and in only a few minutes, then check out my Magic Dust 2 Photoshop Action.

Follow along with us over on our Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel:

What You'll Need

To recreate the design above, you will need the following resources:

• 
  Stock Image 
  
  

1. Let's Get Started

First, open the photo that you want to work with. To open your photo, go to File > Open, choose your photo, and click Open. Now, before we get started, just check a couple of things:

1. Your photo should be in RGB Color mode, 8 Bits/Channel. To check this, go to Image > Mode.


2. For best results, your photo size should be 2000–3000 px wide/high. To check this, go to Image > Image Size.


3. Your photo should be the Background layer. If it is not, go to Layer > New > Background from Layer.

2. How to Create the Sparkles Brush

Step 1

In this section, we are going to create the brush that we will need for this effect. Choose the Brush Tool (B) and pick a soft brush. Then, go to Window > Brush and in the Brush window use the settings below:

Step 2

Now to define this brush with new settings as a new brush, click on the top right icon in the bottom right corner of the Brush panel, and name it Sparkles.

3. How to Create the Sparkles

Step 1

In this section we are going to create the sparkles. Go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer and name it Sparkles_Small_1.

Step 2

Now choose the Brush Tool (B), select the Sparkles brush, and set the Diameter of the brush to around 10 px. Then, set the foreground color to #ffffff and brush as shown below (decrease the Diameter of the brush as you brush from the edges of the photo towards the center):

Step 3

Go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer and name it Sparkles_Small_2. Then, drag this layer just below the Sparkles_Small_1 layer in the Layers panel.

Step 4

Now choose the Brush Tool (B), select the Sparkles brush, and set the Diameter of the brush to around 10 px. Then, set the foreground color to #ffffff and brush as shown below (decrease the Diameter of the brush as you brush from the edges of the photo towards the center):

Step 5

Go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer and name it Sparkles_Medium_1. Then, drag this layer just below the Sparkles_Small_2 layer in the Layers panel.

Step 6

Now choose the Brush Tool (B), select the Sparkles brush, and set the Diameter of the brush to around 35 px. Then, set the foreground color to #ffffff and brush as shown below (decrease the Diameter of the brush as you brush from the edges of the photo towards the center):

Step 7

Go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer and name it Sparkles_Medium_2. Then, drag this layer just below the Sparkles_Medium_1 layer in the Layers panel.

Step 8

Now choose the Brush Tool (B), select the Sparkles brush, and set the Diameter of the brush to around 35 px. Then, set the foreground color to #ffffff and brush as shown below (decrease the Diameter of the brush as you brush from the edges of the photo towards the center):

Step 9

Go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer and name it Sparkles_Large_1. Then, drag this layer just below the Sparkles_Medium_2 layer in the Layers panel.

Step 10

Now choose the Brush Tool (B), select the Sparkles brush, and set the Diameter of the brush to around 50 px. Then, set the foreground color to #ffffff and brush as shown below (decrease the Diameter of the brush as you brush from the edges of the photo towards the center):

Step 11

Go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer and name it Sparkles_Large_1. Then, drag this layer just below the Sparkles_Large_1 layer in the Layers panel.

Step 12

Now choose the Brush Tool (B), select the Sparkles brush, and set the Diameter of the brush to around 75 px. Then, set the foreground color to #ffffff and brush as shown below (decrease the Diameter of the brush as you brush from the edges of the photo towards the center):

Step 13

Select the Sparkles_Small_1 layer, go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color to create a new solid color fill layer, name it SS_1_Color, and choose the color #eea815 as shown below:

Step 14

Now press Control-Alt-G on your keyboard to create a clipping mask. Then, select the Sparkles_Small_1 layer and change the Blending Mode of this layer to Linear Dodge (Add).

Step 15

Select the SS_1_Color layer and press Control-J on your keyboard to duplicate it. Then, drag this layer just above the Sparkles_Medium_1 layer in the Layers panel. After that, press Control-Alt-G on your keyboard to create a clipping mask.

Step 16

Now name this layer SM_1_Color. Then, select the Sparkles_Medium_1 layer and change the Blending Mode of this layer to Linear Dodge (Add).

Step 17

Select the SM_1_Color layer and press Control-J on your keyboard to duplicate it. Then, drag this layer just above the Sparkles_Large_1 layer in the Layers panel. After that, press Control-Alt-G on your keyboard to create a clipping mask.

Step 18

Now name this layer SL_1_Color. Then, select the Sparkles_Large_1 layer
and change the Blending Mode of this layer to Linear Dodge (Add).

Step 19

Select the SS_1_Color layer and Shift-click on the Sparkles_Large_2 layer to select all layers between. Then, go to Layer > New > Group from Layers to create a new group from the selected layers and name it Sparkles.

4. How to Create the Focus

Step 1

In this section, we are going to create the focus. Select the Background layer, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels to create a new levels adjustment layer, and name it Focus_1.

Step 2

Now Double-click on this layer thumbnail and, in the Properties panel, use the settings below:

Step 3

Choose the Brush Tool (B), pick a soft brush, set the foreground color to #000000, and brush as shown below:

Step 4

Now select the Background layer and press Control-J on your keyboard to duplicate it. Then, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to 10 px.

Step 5

Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All to add a layer mask that reveals the whole layer.

Step 6

Choose the Brush Tool (B), pick a soft brush, set the foreground color to #000000, and brush as shown below:

Step 7

Now name this layer Focus_2.

5. How to Make the Final Adjustments

Step 1

In this section, we are going to make final adjustments to the design. Select the Sparkles folder, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves to create a new curves adjustment layer, and name it Color Look.

Step 2

Now Double-click on this layer thumbnail and in the Properties panel enter the settings below:

Step 3

Press D on your keyboard to reset the swatches. Then, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map to create a new gradient map adjustment layer and name it Overall Contrast.

Step 4

Now change the Blending Mode of this layer to Overlay and set the Opacity to 10%.

Step 5

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Vibrance to create a new vibrance adjustment layer and name it Overall Vibrance/Saturation.

Step 6

Now Double-click on this layer thumbnail and in the Properties panel, set the Vibrance to +10 and the Saturation to +5.

Step 7

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels to create a new levels adjustment layer and name it Overall Brightness.

Step 8

Now Double-click on this layer thumbnail and in the Properties panel enter the settings below:

Step 9

Press Control-Alt-Shift-E on your keyboard to make a screenshot, and then press Control-Shift-U to desaturate this layer. Then, go to Filter > Other > High Pass and set the Radius to 2 px.

Step 10

Change the Blending Mode of this layer to Vivid Light and set the Opacity to 50%. Then, name this layer Overall Sharpening.

You Made It!

Congratulations, you have succeeded! Here is our final result:

If you would like to create the even more advanced magic dust effects
below, using just a single click and in only a few minutes, then check
out my Magic Dust 2 Photoshop Action.

The
action works so you simply draw a path over your photo where you want the effect to appear and just
play the action. It's really that simple! The sparkles remain fully layered, and you have full control over them to customize them—you can move, scale, or rotate them, remove them, or
duplicate them to create even more sparkles! The action
will also create 15 preset color looks that you can choose from.

The action comes with a detailed video tutorial that demonstrates how to use the action and customize the results to get the most out of the effect.

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