Need help adding basic lightsaber effect to images (asap!)

This is an eleventh hour plea, as I'd wanted to post something in time for May the Fourth (tomorrow/today, depending on your location). I had thought it would be a simple matter of finding a suitable app but nothing is working properly on my crappy devices. I even purchaseda more expensive app but no luck. If anyone feels up to helping me out, please let me know. All I need is a basic blue lightsaber added to some pics....

I always forget how to do it and try to google it every time I need to.

It usually involves selecting the saber and copying it into two layers, applying Gaussian blur to them with different settings (one smaller, one larger) and playing with color balance until it looks right.

Something like this:



Or this: https://www.instructables.com/Lightsaber-in-Gimp/

Thank you for the info, that's good to know. I'll see if I have time to do it in morning...

Sky, it would have helped if you had specified the applications you use or are up to using. I use CorelDraw (and sometimes Corel PhotoPaint). My approach has been to download a transparent background png of the lightsaber blade I want, corp out the actual hardware part, then superimpose over the actual photographed sixth-scale lightsaber blade, scaling/stretching as needed, and making it slightly transparent. Also, if needed, applying some degree of Gaussian blur.

That also sounds like a good method, GF.

The problem ultimately is me..... I have very limited (almost zero) photoshop/photo-editing skills. I can do basic stuff like play with exposure and colours, but that's about it. I've just never really learned how to do the other things, and trying to teach myself at the last minute wasn't really working.

To the mods, this thread can be deleted if you wish, since it's no longer relevant...

I can’t remember what it’s called but there was an app a few years ago that could be used to for still photos and videos to make lightsaber effects. (I had asked about still photos, that’s how I know they said it worked), but I never got around to downloading it, and it’s been about 5 years. Google could very well be your friend here, S.

What method did you use in the end, Sky? It looks very good, but I didn't see it explained (maybe I missed it).

Oh, sorry, I guess I should have mentioned how I finally managed it. I took visisonar's advice and downloaded that GIMP program which is similar to photoshop. I tried the method explained but it was too confusing for the little time I had, so I just went with more of the method GF mentioned and did superimposition of an existing lightsaber pic.

It worked for this photoshoot because the angle of the lightsaber was all very similar since it was just a static pose. But once I get around to my upcoming 'action' photoshoots, I will probably need a quicker/easier method, hence why I need to track down a new app. The previous app I'd used years ago for the RotS anniversary post has since been taken down (those kinds of apps sometimes don't last long for obvious reasons).

skywalkersaga wrote:Oh, sorry, I guess I should have mentioned how I finally managed it. I took visisonar's advice and downloaded that GIMP program which is similar to photoshop. I tried the method explained but it was too confusing for the little time I had, so I just went with more of the method GF mentioned and did superimposition of an existing lightsaber pic.

It worked for this photoshoot because the angle of the lightsaber was all very similar since it was just a static pose. But once I get around to my upcoming 'action' photoshoots, I will probably need a quicker/easier method, hence why I need to track down a new app. The previous app I'd used years ago for the RotS anniversary post has since been taken down (those kinds of apps sometimes don't last long for obvious reasons).

Thanks for explaining, Sky. It worked very well.