Add Stylish Lighting Effects to a Photo in Photoshop

Add Stylish Lighting Effects to a Photo in Photoshop

Applying lighting effects to model shots is a classic application of Photoshop, but through poor practice and overuse of the same tricks, it’s become something of a cliché. In this tutorial, Fabio Sasso shows you how to put a fresh, stylish spin on lighting effects.

The secret here is to keep it simple and tap a 1980s look without overdoing it. You’re aiming for a sophisticated feel, not retro pastiche. Of course, something that looks simple isn’t necessarily easy to create, but here Fabio guides you step by step through the filters, gradients and blending modes that will bring a classy edge to your art.

Get tutorials & freebies delivered to you.

Subscribe to the Photoshop Roadmap newsletter, a weekly roundup of new tutorials, insights and quality downloads, trusted by 6500+ readers.

You might also like

How to Sharpen Skin Texture Using Frequency Separation in Photoshop

Retouched skin can look great up close but lose all its natural texture the moment you zoom out. Rather than relying on standard sharpening filters, you can recover that texture by duplicating the high-frequency layer inside a frequency separation setup — a method that works whether or not you'...

How to Remove Distractions, Expand Borders, and Polish a Portrait in Photoshop

A cluttered background, tight framing, and flat lighting can undermine an otherwise strong portrait. This workflow covers the full process of cleaning up a photo using Photoshop's AI-powered Remove Tool, extending the canvas with Generative Expand, replacing the sky, and finishing with Camera Raw adjustments for grain,...

You’ve successfully subscribed to Photoshop Roadmap
Welcome back! You’ve successfully signed in.
Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Success! Your email is updated.
Your link has expired
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.