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Frequently Asked Questions - Starburst Effect

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Using Photoshop to create a Starburst effect

The following assumes White to be default background color (bottom of toolbox the two squares, one white,one black: The white should be to the right and slightly lower than the black)

- Open GlobeShots image (e.g. Americas Black) - it should be RGB
- Create TWO new channels.
- Name one 'Halo', for example
- Name other 'Circle Mask' or ...(users preference)
- Select Circle Mask as both VISIBLE (eye clicked in) and WORKING CHANNEL (Name area greyed)
- Make RGB channels visible as well (click eye in)
- Select elipse marquee tool (Top left of toolbox, double click tool icon to change parameters) NO feather, NO anti alias.
- Postion cross hair cursor and draw circle where you desire the halo to be.
- As you can see the RGB channels this is easy BUT draw the circle SMALLER than the final desired outer halo 'edge of feather' area.
- Fill this newly drawn circle (which should be on the channel Circle Mask) with BLACK. (Should be Option, Delete if the default background is white... and to fill with WHITE is just Delete)
- De-select (Command, D)
- Change WORKING channel to 'Halo' and also make 'Halo' visible. Make 'Circle Mask' channel invisible (click eye off). If desired make RGB 's invisible, its a matter of choice.
- Into 'Halo' channel load selection 'Circle Mask'
- Then menu: select > feather > (say 50, this user variable to suit)
- Fill with BLACK (You may need to repeat this, try filling twice)
- De-select
- Re-load 'Circle Mask'
- Menu: select > modify > contract (Note maximum contract is 16 pixels in Photo 3 so go with this and contract by 16 pixels.)
- Fill with WHITE. DO NOT DE-SELECT
- Menu: edit > stroke > ....(this part users choice but suggest 2 pixels, Centre, 100% Opacity and Normal Mode)
- De-Select
- Load 'Circle Mask' again
- Menu: select > modify > contract... and contract in steps of 16 pixels until a much smaller inner circle is described (suggest you do this about six times)
- Then select > feather... (user choice but try 50)
- Fill with BLACK... you do this until desired effect achieved, we did this 5 - 6 times AND voila this gives you a basic Double-Halo mask ready to load into the RGB channels and the either Hue, Saturation etc or Lightness, Contrast etc

Now to get the 'Cross Hair' "lens streak"' !!

This is just one way:

- Make a new channel, called, say, 'Cross Hair'.
- In this draw a Cross Hair anywhere but make sure it is large enough for your purpose.
- Try using the brush tool set to second size up from smallest.(Shift key keeps lines straight)
- Select elipse marquee tool
- Now define a circle, using the marquee tool, so that the cross centre is at circle centre.
- Select inverse and delete (to get rid of unwanted bits of cross hair)
- Select inverse (yes again) and rotate as desired. Try 45·
- NOW WITHOUT DESELECTING Cross Hair selection make 'halo' channel VISIBLE. Keep the new cross hair channel as working channel.
- You can now move and position the cross hair as desired. When satisfied (with position of cross hair that is) De-Select.
- FINALLY make 'Halo' channel working one and load 'cross hair' channel selection.
- Then treat via Hue, Saturation etc
- You can, if desired, soften/fade out the tips of the Cross Hair with, say, the paint brush tool.
- And there it is, a double halo mask as in some of the GlobeShots images. - Use mask to add to other masks (you may need to offset it, but this entirely up to user and effect required.
- There are other ways to do this, using layers etc.

If your question or issue was not resolved, commmunicate by email with a technical specialist:

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