Add sparkles to your images

Tutorial

Click on thumbnailed images to enlarge

Note: This tutorial is for people with some Photoshop knowledge....Beginners can try it too, but you must know your way around Photoshop and ImageReady!

Before :

After :

Let's start! :D

First, you need a plug-in called VM Natural Sparkle plug-in. Download here OR here.

Extract the file to your Plugins > Filters folder.

I'm using Photoshop 6.0 so it will usually have this address :
C:/Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop 6.0/Plug-Ins/Filters

And make sure you have your Photoshop closed while you do that.

Now open up Photoshop.

Step 1: Open up the image you want to add sparkles to. I'm using this cute picture I got from Photobucket. Duplicate your image layer two times and rename these three layers as Layer 1, 2, and 3.

Step 2: Click on Layer 1 and go to Filters > VM Natural > Sparkle. And apply these settings :

Step 3: Click on Layer 2 and apply these settings for the sparkles :

Step 4: Click on Layer 3 and apply these settings for the sparkles :

You need not necessarily apply these settings, just play around and get different sparkles for each layer. :D

Step 5: Click on the Jump to ImageReady button OR for CS3 users, click on Window > Animation

Now make 2 new frames by clicking on the little arrow button in the Animation
window :

Step 6: On the first frame, make all the layers invisible (by clicking on the eye) except Layer 1.

On the second frame, make all layers invisible except Layer 2.

On the third frame, make all layers invisible except Layer 3.

Step 7: Now you're done! Press the play button and if you like the animation, save it! :D

It wasn't that hard, was it ? :D

Remember to save it like this : File > Save as Optimised

For CS3 : File > Save for Web Devices.

My Finished Product:

This same process can be done to text or any images you want.

Another image I did with this process :