Creating Sunbeams Effect
Such effect works wonders if you choose the right photo (meaning a photo where seeing beams of light coming through clouds, trees or window would make sense). For instance, you can use this effect in order to draw attention to the newly married couple captured on the photo. It will make the image look more realistic and interesting and draw the viewer’s eye.
Working with this effect you should take into account highlight/shadow balance of the picture and try to make light spots on the objects look like those caused by our drawn beams.
As an example, I will take this photo (you can use some similar photo).The sunlight falls on the couple from above. All I should do is just to add beams and make them more distinct.
1. Although the photo lacks such important things like the sun and clouds, it has beautiful blue sky that is easy to cut. Firstly, add the Sun and clouds to the picture, as they will be your source of light beams. For that, find photos with fluffy cumulus clouds and grey cloud veiling captured. We require them to create an illusion of sunbeams breaking through the clouds. Here are three photos with lowering grey clouds I will use as a basis for my sky.
Then clean the photo a little bit. You can see the shadow in left corner, which is quite superfluous; remove it with the help of Clone Stamp (S) Tool.
2. To create the illusion of dull day select the sky and create new adjustment level Gradient Map with the following options: blue “dull” colors, opacity fixed at 55% and the blending mode changed to Normal. Your selection is automatically applied as a mask layer, i.e. all changes will be made only in the selected area. So, because of those actions, your photo looks now much “cloudier”. Then, in that layer mask, take soft black brush and paint on the parts of the picture where the couple is standing, as you do not want them to be affected by the layer. As a result, they will look brighter as being sunbeams illuminated.
3. Now it is turn to create the appropriate sky. Let us make it grey with clouds. As a basis, take the picture with solid clouds and lay it with some cut cumulus clouds patches you like most. For that purpose, select unclouded blue sky and invert the selection. Over the adjustment layer, paste your clouds cut from other pictures and using selection borders, delete clouds everywhere except of your sky by pressing Del.
Then, add a sun shining effect to your cloudy sky: Filter->Render->Lens Flare. Leave values of brightness as 100%, fix Lens Flare as 105 mm Prime. In preview window, point out the place where your sun will be by means of the mouse.
Further, in blending mode Overlay, we lay our light source with cumulus clouds patches. It is like in real nature when we get that beautiful effect because of sunbeams breaking through the fluffy clouds. One more little detail. Please note that clouds near the horizon get lighter and scarcely distinguishable. That is why we paint a little on the part of our photo where clouds are skimming the skyline with soft semitransparent brush of Eraser Tool.
Then we paint a little bit our clouds making them greyer and duller; by means of Color Balance adjust bright and dark areas of the sky.
Here is the sky I got.
4. Then draw your beams. Remember that beams should take the begging from your light source and fall down on the chosen object. With the Polygonal Lasso Tool, select areas where you want beams to be and fill them with white in new layer. Direct the largest and widest beam on our couple ‘cause the sun is shining only for them :). Then soften beams edges with Gaussian Blur filter with 3-4 pixels radius. Layer opacity should be 10%. Then add a layer mask and click for the Gradient tool. Changing Fade Gradient make your beams look like they almost disappear at the bottom. Then create new layer and duplicate there the beam that falls on your object (in my case it is newly married couple); this beam will be much brighter that others. Go back to the layer with all beams and with Eraser tool delete all unnecessary parts of beams that lie between your light source and clouds patches.
In order to get realistic view, duplicate the layer with beams twice by means of Free Transform (Ctrl + T) and rotate those layer’s copies 5-10 degree round your “Sun”. The group those copies and set the opacity at 50%. After that find the layer with the main beam and apply the Gaussian Blur filter with 6-pixel radius to it.
That’s all!
Here is the screenshot of Layers Palette
One more variant of sunbeams effect usage
This photo is perfect for such effect usage. Let us make it look more romantic and gorgeous.
1. The sun is not seen at this picture but it is obviously situated at top left corner. Draw your “Sun” there by Filter-> Render-> Lens Flare. Leave brightness values at 100% and fix Lens Flare at 35 mm Prime. In preview window by means of the mouse, we point out the place where your sun will be.
2. By means of rulers fix the center of your drawn Sun. With Polygonal Lasso draw your beams on the picture and fill those areas with white. Remember that wide beams should illuminate only your main object. I think my newly married couple will like it :).
Create new layer and pure it white. Then create one more layer and draw there beams one more time but now they should be thin and overlay on the beams we already have. Fill it with white. After that delete beams edges on both layers and soften beams applying Gaussian Blur filter with 2-3 pixels radius. Adjusting opacity values, you will make your beams lighter like the air.
One more variant of sunbeams effect usage
In addition, you can use this effect working with pictures where light is coming through the window. Look what I’ve got.
Spotlight effect usage
It happens that some photographs made during banquets in restaurants or dances are very similar to each other. They often lack events diversity, backgrounds change, etc. Sometimes we want to draw viewer’s attention to some object that is not distinct on some unpleasant for eyes background etc. In my case, dancing newly married couple looks very simple and ordinary on this photo. I tried to make it more romantic and fabulous by means of spotlight effect. Here is what I got. And now I’ll show you how to do it.
So, this photo captured married couple dancing their first dance together. It’s very important event in their life. Therefore, let us make it one of the unforgettable moments in their life 
1. It’s clearly seen that couple is illuminated by two spots. Switch on your imagination and decide where those spots are located. Regarding light areas at the flour, I determined my spots (look at arrows on the illustration below). With Polygonal Lasso Tool draw your beams and fill them with white in new layer fixing the opacity values at 15-25%.
2. To make this effect more realistic, select areas in each beam, soften selection and process it with Eraser Tool (E) (opacity values should be 50-60%)
3. Soften beams outlines with Gaussian Blur filter with 5-pixel radius and a little bit erase the edges of beams with Eraser Tool setting opacity values at 30-40%. Paint your beams with Hue/Saturation (Ctrl + U) in red and yellow colors.
4. Add some stars or curves to create an unforgettable atmosphere at your dance flour.
Written by Alex Fisher, photo album designer from HundredPics studio
