Neon Portrait Effect in Affinity Photo

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a neon portrait effect in Affinity Photo.

Before you begin the neon portrait effect, go to the following link to download the image used in the tutorial.

Portrait of man

Step 1

First, go to File > Open and select the image you downloaded.

Step 2

Grab the Crop Tool from the Tools Panel. Take the left node and extend it to the left. Then, take the right node and extend it to the right. Once you’ve done that, hit Apply.

Step 3

Now, grab the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the Tools Panel. Take the tool and make a selection of the left side of the image. Then, press CTRL + J to copy the selection. Press CTRL + D to deselect. After that, take the Move Tool and stretch the duplicated layer to the left to fill the transparent part.

Step 4

Next, take the Rectangular Marquee Tool again. Make a selection of part of the right side of the image. Press CTRL + J to place copy of the selection onto a new layer. Then, press CTRL + D to deselect. Once you’ve done that, take the Move Tool and stretch the duplicated layer to cover up the transparent part.

Step 5

In the Layers Panel, select all 3 layers. Right-click and select Merge Visible. Then, select the layers we previously selected and delete them.

Step 6

Go to the Layers Panel. Click the Adjustments icon and select the Curves adjustment. Click the point on the left and drag it slightly to the right. Next, place a point in the middle of the curve and drag the point down and slightly to the right. Then, click the point on the right and drag it slightly down.

Step 7

Grab the Ellipse Tool from the Tools Panel. Go to the Swatches Panel and turn off the fill color. Now, set the stroke color to white. After that, go to the Context Toolbar. Select the stroke area and set the Width to 30 pt. Then, take the Ellipse Tool and draw an ellipse around the neck area of the man.

Step 8

With the ellipse still selected, grab the Perspective Tool from the Tools Panel. Select the top-left node and move it down. Then, select the top-right node and move it down. Now, select the bottom-left node and drag it up. After that, grab the bottom right node and drag it up too. Then, hit Apply. Move the ellipse back to the neck area if it’s out of place.

Step 9

Select the ellipse layer. Click the fx (layers effect) icon in the Layers Panel. Check the Color Overlay box and select it. Change the color to a neon color of your choosing. Click and select the RGB Hex Sliders. The hex code for the color I chose is #06E5E5.

Step 10

Now, check the Inner Glow box and select it. Set the Radius to 10 px and select Center.

Step 11

Next, select Outer Glow. Change the Blend Mode to Color Dodge. Then, go to Color and set the color to the same neon color you previously used (#06E5E5). Next, set the Radius to 70 px. Lower the Opacity to 85%.

Step 12

Once you’ve done that, select Outer Shadow. Change the Blend Mode to Linear Burn. Next, go to Color and set it to the neon color. Next, set the Radius to the max (100 px). Increase the Opacity to 60%. Set the Offset to 30 px and set the Intensity to 10%. Leave the Angle as it is.

Step 13

Select the ellipse layer. Then, press CTRL + J to duplicate the layer. Label the original ellipse 1 and the duplicated ellipse 2.

Step 14

Click the fx on the 2 ellipse layer. Go to the Outer Shadow. Change the Blend Mode to Linear Light. Set the Offset to 40 px and the Intensity to 25%. In the Layers Panel, lower the Opacity to 80%.

Step 15

Select both neon ellipse layers. Then, press CTRL + G to group them together.

Step 16

With the neon group selected, click the Mask Layer icon in the Layers Panel. Make sure the mask is inside the neon group.

Step 17

Grab the Paintbrush Tool from the Tools Panel. Next, go to the Brushes Panel. Go to the Basic brushes and select a Round Light brush. In the Context Toolbar, set the Opacity to 50%, Flow to 25%, and the Hardness to 0%. Make sure you have the mask layer selected. Now, go to the Swatches Panel and set the fill to black. Then, take the brush and go over the neon part that’s along the man’s chin and hair area to mask it. If you need to increase the brush size, press the right bracket key. Press the left bracket key to decrease the brush size.

Step 18

Select the original image. Then, click the Add Pixel Layer icon in the Layers Panel, Grab the Paintbrush Tool from the Tools Panel. In the Swatches Panel, set the color to the neon color. Make sure the pixel layer we added is selected. Take the brush and draw a line on both shoulders of the mand and on his shirt area beneath the neon ellipse.

Step 19

After that, go to the Filters menu. Then, go to Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to 60 px. Lower the Opacity of this layer to about 70%.

Step 20

In the Layers Panel, click the Adjustments icon. Select the HSL adjustment Go to the Cyan Channel. Set the Hue Shift to -5 degrees, the Saturation Shift to 17%, and the Luminosity Shift to 20%.

Step 21

Now, go to the Green Channel, set the Hue Shift to 8 degrees, the Saturation Shift to 21%, and the Luminosity Shift to 10%.

Step 22

Next, click the Adjustments icon in the Layers Panel. This time, select the Recolor adjustment. Set the Hue to 180 degrees. Saturation to 60%, and the Lightness to -10%. You want to set this to the color that closely matches the neon color you used.

Step 23

Select the neon group in the Layers Panel. Then, click the Add Pixel Layer icon. Grab the Paintbrush Tool from the Tools Panel. In the Swatches Panel, Set the color to the neon color we’ve been using.

Step 24

Now, go to the Context Toolbar and set the Opacity to 100%.

Step 25

Increase the size of the brush by pressing the right bracket key. Take the brush and paint over the whole image.

Step 26

In the Layers Panel, click the Mask Layer icon. Go to the Swatches Panel and set the color to black. Select the mask layer. Then, take the brush and go back over the painted area.

Step 27

Select the painted layer. Now, set the Blend Mode of the layer to Linear Light. Then, lower the Opacity to 40%.

Congratulations, this tutorial is complete! You know now how to create a neon portrait effect in Affinity Photo. For more tutorials on Affinity Photo, check out this article on how to create fog and smoke.