Create a Speed Lighting Photo Manipulation

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a speed lighting photo manipulation using different Photoshop techniques, brushes, blending modes and adjustments layers to get realistic motion effect in your photo manipulation. So let’s start!

Final Image Preview

Create a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop with the size 1200px by 675px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 72 pixels/inch. Select then the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill the new background layer with black color.

Find a photo of a car, I used Dodge Challenger photo.

Remove the background using your favorite tools like Pen Tool (P), Magic Wand Tool (W), Magnetic Lasso (L) or even a simple Filter>Extract and insert it on a new layer.

Using the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M), make a selection of the car’s wheels:

Go to Filter menu and select Filter>Blur>Radial blur

Apply this operation for both wheels:

Click on Add a layer style icon from bottom part of the Layers panel and select Inner Shadow:

We’ve got the next shadow on the car:

Create a new layer and press CTRL button while selecting it both with the car’s layer and finally press CTRL+E toMerge Down. Make a copy of the new rasterized layer, applying on it Filter>Blur>Motion blur

We’ve got the next motion blur effect on the car:

Click on the bottom part of the Layers panel on Add a Mask icon and choose a Soft Round brush of black color from Brush Tool (B):

Clean out the car’s wheels using Soft Round brush

Find a picture with a city in the night like the next one:

Insert it on our document, place this layer under the layer containing the car. Using the Free Transform (Ctrl+T), it’s possible to resize it a little and then stretch out the picture with the nocturnal city:

Go to Filter menu and apply Filter>Blur>Motion blur for the layer of the nocturnal city

We’ve got the next motion blur effect on the nocturnal city layer:

Create a new layer and select Soft Round brush from Brush Tool (B)

Using Soft Round brush, represent the road under the wheels. The brush’s color is #1F393A

Merge Down road layer and layer containing the car (press CTRL button to select the layers and then CTRL+E). Next we’ll create a reflection of the car. Make a copy of the rasterized layer. Use then the Free Transform(Ctrl+T) option to turn around the copy, placing it as below:

Click on the bottom part of the Layers panel on Add a Mask icon and select Soft Round brush of black color (Opacity 20%)

paint on the mask using Soft Round brush to clean out the reflection on bottom part.

Next we’ll represent three new layers (Create new layer) and select Hard Round brush from Brush Tool (B)

Represent several lines with Hard Round brush of white color. Each line in a separate layer

Select Add a layer style from bottom part of the Layers panel and click on Outer Glow. Select the next Outer Glow settings on each layer containing the lines. The Outer Glow settings for first layer’s:

The Outer Glow settings for the second layer.

The Outer Glow settings for the third layer.

We’ve got the next glow on the lines:

Combine in a group all the layers containing the lightning lines (press CTRL button to select the corresponding layers and then hold on the left mouse’s button while dragging these selected layers on Create a new group icon from bottom part of the Layers panel). Put together the group into a rasterized layer (press CTRL button, select the group and finally press CTRL+E to Merge Down). Go to Filter menu and select for this layerFilter>Blur>Gaussian blur

We’ve got the next blur on the lines:

Choose the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) to re-size a little the layer containing the lines by vertical position, placing it as below:

Make a copy of the last made lightning lines’ layer and choose again the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) to re-size the copies’ layer into a thin line (by vertical position). Place it as below:

Select Create new fill or adjustment layer from bottom part of the Layers panel and click to Curves to adjust the curve shape as shown to add more contrast on image:

We’ve got the next color correction:

Click again on the bottom part of the layers’ panel on Create new fill or adjustment layer>Curves to add more brightness on image

We’ve got the next color correction on image:

Click on the same layer on the bottom part of the layers’ panel on Add a Mask and choose aSoft Round brush of black color to clean out the car’s wheels:

We’ve got the next effect on image:

On the next new layer (Create new layer) we’ll apply a Hard Round brush

to represent a line of white color (Opacity 10%).

Next we’ll draw the trains coming out of the car’s lights. Firstly we need to represent the primary elements, using the Pen Tool (P) in Shape Mode with color #FF9900

Then create a new layer, press CTRL button to select this layers with the layer containing the orange elements, finally press CTRL+E to Merge Down. Apply on it Filter>Blur>Motion blur

Select the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) to place the layer exactly like on the image below:

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Pin Light

Do the same operation for the back car lights by representing firstly the primary elements with the Pen Tool (P)in Shape Mode with color #FF000C

Rasterize the layer the same way we did earlier with the front lights, applying on the layer the sameFilter>Blur>Motion blur filter:

We’ve got the next effect on car:

Create a new layer again, using here the Soft Round brush of blue color (Opacity 15%)

paint the top part of the car:

Set the Blending mode to Color Dodge for this layer

Next we’ll draw the lines coming from the car’s lights. Firstly draw the line’s paths using the Pen Tool (P) in Path Mode

Create new layer, select Soft Round brush with the color mentioned below (Diameter 3, Hardness 100%). Use then the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select the line and then pass on the Pen Tool (P), right click on the selected line and choose Stroke Path (Brush mode). Do this operation for each line.

Combine in a group all the layers containing the lights’ lines (press CTRL button, select the necessary layers and hold on the left mouse’s button while dragging the selected layers on Create a new group icon from bottom part of the Layers panel). Merge Down the group to get a rasterized layer (in this case select the group and pressCTRL+E).

Click on the same layer on the bottom part of the layers’ panel on Add a Mask and apply a Soft Round brush of black color to clean out the lines, only in those places marked with arrow.

Make a copy of the last made layer with the lightning lines and apply the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) to re-size it vertically and stretch out these lightning lines. Place them exactly like on the next indicated picture:

Create a new layer again and use here a Soft Round brush of red color (Opacity 10%)

to represent a line coming out of the front car lights. Blur it out a little on the left side, using the Smudge Tool (R).

On the next new layer we’ll increase the luminescence of the cars lights, applying a Soft Round brush of red color (Opacity 20%).

Create a new layer and apply here a Hard Round brush of white color to draw two parallel lines.

Blur out the lines’ edges, using the Smudge Tool (R).

Set the Blending mode for this layer to Overlay

Make a copy of the last made layer and select the Free Transform (Ctrl+T) to place the copy on the back car’s lights. The Blending mode - Overlay shouldn’t be applied:

Next we’ll create a new layer and use here a Soft Round brush to represent the reflection on the road coming out of the car’s lights. Choose the red and orange colors:

Set the Fill for this layer to 86%

Raise the contrast of the top car’s part. In this case we’ll create a new layer and apply here a Soft Round brush of white color.

Set the layer Blending mode to Overlay

The final result!