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How do I create a Background Glow?

This tutorial will show you how I give my images a glow along it's edges. I always love using this effect as a finishing touch. It can add an extra "umph" to any graphic. This tutorial depends on a moderate knowledge of layers.

Requirements:
1.Paint Shop Pro
2.Transparent PNG

Step #1: Open your image

Open your image in Paint Shop Pro. For this demonstration, I'll be using this CG.

This image is a Transparent PNG, that means that the background is already erased (as indicated by the gray checkered boxes). This tutorial only works for images with a transparent background. Either download one of the free Transparent PNGs found at NQD or extract your own image to get rid of the background. Click here for a tutorial on how to extract images.

Step #2: Add a new Raster Layer

Add a new Raster Layer beneath the current layer. To do so open your Layers Palette if it isn't already (Go to View > Palettes > Layers or press F8) and then click on the New Raster Layer button

. Make sure that this new raster layer is not overlapping the original image by adjusting the layer palette so that the new raster layer is beneath the original layer like so...

Step #3: Select the image

To work on individual layers, you must have that layer highlighted in blue on the layers Palette or else who knows what layer you are working on. To highlight a layer and activate it simply click on it's name. Highlight the layer with the orginal image. That layer for me is called CG Girl. Now choose the Magic Wand tool

and click anywhere within the background of the image. The following will occur.

What just happened? The Magic Wand tool just selected the entire background. But we don't want to select the background, we want to select the image. In order to accomplish that, go to Selections > Invert. Now instead of selecting the background, it will now invert that operation and instead select and outline everything else, the image!

Step #4: Expand and Feather the Selection

Now would be a good time to highlight the invisible raster layer beneath the image layer as we will now be working on this layer. Highlight it NOW before you forget later. Go to Selections > Modify > Expand... A dialog box like the one shown below will pop open.

This expansion tool will do just that, expand or "widen" the selection to the number of pixels you specify in this dialog box... By typing in 5 for the Number of pixels you are telling this operation to make the current selection 5 pixels bigger.

Now we want to feather the selection or make the edges of the selection "fluffier" or "semi-transparent". To do so, now go to Selections > Modify > Feather... Another dialog box similar to the Expand Operation's dialog box will pop open now. Type in 5 again for the Number of Pixels. This will expand and feather the selection up to that number of pixels. Click ok. Here is the result after the selection has been expanded 5 pixels and feathered 5 pixels: