Add headlights to a car photo in Photoshop

Add headlights to a car photo in Photoshop

This video tutorial by Aaron Nace from PHLEARN demonstrates how to add realistic headlights to a car image in Photoshop. Aaron guides viewers through the process of creating the illusion of headlights, starting with sketching the desired light beams and selecting the headlight area using the lasso tool.

He then fills the selection with white, adds a blur filter, and uses a layer mask to create a natural light falloff. The tutorial continues with adding a glow effect, creating light streaks, and masking out unwanted areas. To enhance realism, Aaron shows how to illuminate the ground with an elliptical selection and adjusts blending modes and opacity.

The tutorial concludes with adding a lens flare for extra style, providing a comprehensive guide to achieving realistic headlights in car images.

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

Create a Liquid Gel Logo Effect in Photoshop

Liquid gel effects transform flat logos into dimensional, glossy designs that appear to bubble and flow. This technique uses multiple layer styles and strategic duplication to build depth, creating surfaces that catch light like thick, viscous liquid. The method combines gradient overlays, bevel effects, and inner glows across several duplicated...

How to Use Photoshop's AI Sharpen Filter and When It's Worth the Cost

Photoshop's new AI Sharpen filter promises one-click sharpening powered by advanced algorithms. This tool uses technology from Topaz Labs to enhance image details without manual adjustments, but it comes with a significant cost in credits. Understanding when to use this automated approach versus traditional methods like the High...

How to Use Harmonize and Generative Upscale Tools in Photoshop

Creating realistic photo composites requires matching lighting and color between different images—a traditionally time-consuming process. Two new AI-powered tools in Photoshop solve these challenges: Harmonize automatically adjusts lighting and shadows to blend subjects seamlessly into backgrounds, while Generative Upscale enlarges small images without losing detail. These tools work together...

How to Create Convincing Scale Effects in Photoshop Composites

Creating believable scale effects requires more than simply resizing objects—it demands understanding how light, perspective, and atmospheric conditions change with distance. When tiny subjects appear massive or giant objects seem miniature, viewers should feel the illusion is completely natural. This technique combines careful attention to lighting consistency, depth cues,...

How to Flip Images Horizontally and Vertically in Photoshop

Flipping images is a fundamental technique that can dramatically change the composition and impact of your photos. Whether you need to correct the orientation of a subject, create mirror effects, or simply improve the visual flow of your design, knowing how to quickly flip images both horizontally and vertically gives...

How to Use Nano Banana Pro in Photoshop for Background Replacement and Scene Changes

Nano Banana Pro transforms how you place subjects into new environments in Photoshop. This advanced AI model maintains perfect subject likeness while seamlessly integrating them into any background you can imagine. The tool excels at matching lighting, preserving facial features, and even adapting clothing to complement new scenes, all through...

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.