Glow Brushes in ACR and LR?  How???

I have long been a fan of the Orton Effect.   So much so, that I built my variation of it for the Zone System Express called “Radiance 2.0”.  The glowing effect makes an amazing atmosphere for your photo, regardless of the genre, but I wanted it in some Glow Brushes too!

The other day I was experimenting with the Radiance 2.0, and I thought, “What I wouldn’t  give to have this kind of glow, but in a brush!”  Of course, your first thought is to just mask the effect in Photoshop, there’s a brush, right?

Sure, but I want even MORE control than that.

So I started experimenting with the Local Adjustment settings in Adobe Camera Raw, and I found some fascinating results with just three sliders!

Example of Heavy Hitters with Glow Brushes

As it turns out, it didn’t take that much experimentation to find the effect I wanted.  I just had to deconstruct the Orton effect,  document exactly what it was doing to my photo, and reproduce it with the Local Adjustment Brush.  Here are my findings:

1.  The Big three for Glowing Brushes are: a Highlights Increase, an optional Contrast Increase, and a Clarity Decrease.
2.  If you want more umph, you can reduce the Dehaze (but only slightly)
3.  You can use Tint, Temperature,  or Color to add some warmth or coolness to your glow
4.  The Radial Filter, Graduated Filter, and Brush can share the preset!
5.  Regardless of what you shoot, these Glow Brushes are fantastic for drawing attention to the focal point of the photo.

I would love for you to make your own as well.  However, I am going to get you started today with a free 9 Brush pack and a video tutorial to boot.   Please, before you download them, watch the video in its entirety so you understand exactly how they work.

Enjoy the Glow Brushes!

Blake Rudis
f.64 Academy and f.64 Elite are the brainchildren of Blake Rudis. While he is a landscape photographer, he is most passionate about post-processing images in Photoshop and mentoring others.

For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!
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