Day → Night

Hi!

Well, I am with serious problems of memory, created this effect and, the next day, don’t remembered how to do it. Sometimes this happens with me, I use my own tutorials to recreate things I already done. But enough of my problems, the tutorial is very interesting, today we’ll turn the day into night. Thus:

First Step

Before all, as I’m very cool, I’ll give the image of today’s tutorial, here she is. The first thing to do is a copy of the image to be able to make changes. It is important to have the original because it will be necessary twice, more forward.

With the copy selected, bring down the saturation to about -40. The reason for this is that if there is no light, there is no Color. Hit "Ctrl + M" to open the Curves window. Now change in the various channels, the curves to make it be like this:

When we made these changes, attach a tone blue-green, typical environments night.

Second Step

Duplicate the changed layer. Then, adjust the saturation to this:

Then again with the settings of curves, set this way:

After this, use the levels adjustment to make it slightly darken. Note in flashes of light, in the reflection of chrome. As it will be dark, that will help to take a shape to the car.

Third Step

You may have noticed that the headlamp also dark. This is interesting, we can use the sunlight that reflects on the headlamp of the original picture as if it were the light of the lantern itself. To do this we will exclude the headlamps regarding space of this layer. It must be like this:

Fourth Step

The atmosphere seems good, as to the Night effect, but the car still seems bright. Let’s make it darkest, and for that we’ll double the darker layer, which took the headlights cut. Then we delete the part referring to the car, like this:

Done that, we’ll create a layer between these two layers, then paint it with black and bring down the opacity to about 77%. Change the Blend mode to “Darken”. It will be necessary to delete some parts to make a clear silhouette in some others. You should delete the part referring to the glass front also, later you’ll know why.

Fifth Step

It is night, all dark, but where are the stars? Here. Create a new layer above all others. Press “Shift + F5” to open the Fill window and fill the layer with black. Then use the filter "Noise" with an intensity of 33%.

Then load the Levels (Ctrl + L) window and pull the central arrow completely to right:



Now we have stars, but they dominate the full screen and its background is black. To change this change the Blend Mode to “Screen”. That removed the black part, but the stars still filling the all area of the screen. Now, with the Erase tool (E) delete the parties that are unnecessary, but leave the part that this in front of the car, cut and paste it on another layer. Leave it invisible for now. Finally, down the opacity to 70%:

Sixth Step

Now we’re just finishing, still left, precisely, the headlights. Before make them let me say something, we will use the “Color Dodge". For the projection of the headlamp not be too much unreal and very blue we will duplicate the darker layer, created in the Second Step. Then we’re going to desature it, using "Ctrl + U (Hue / Saturation)", and by pulling the bar of Saturation totally to the left. The image is black and white. Now erase everything that is not in front of the car, and use the Erase tool with fade borders to make the fusion with the original image. This will allow a projection more white than bluish.

Seventh Step

Using the Brush tool, open the tab settings on the side of the navigation palette, and change it this way:

Then paint the two "bulbs" of headlights. After this you must increase slightly the blur and paint again. Then increase further the blur and paint again. Mix all in a single layer and apply the Gaussian Blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) with a radius of 3 or 4 pixels.

Eight Step

Now is getting more real, but still lack the projection, the dust and light that outlines where will be the dust. First let's make the trace of light.

For this use the Polygonal Lasso tool (L) to create a selection where the trace of light will be and use the Brush tool (B) to fill it. Thus:



After this, put a little bit of color using Hue / Saturation (Ctrl + U) in these settings. I like the idea of a headlight that does not have a yellow light, tungsten. I used to know the names of all the cars and accessories, but now I know the name of all the programs and plug-ins and just forgot the first. I think this type of headlight is called xenon.



After coloring we should use the Gaussian Blur again to get a little spread to this light. Use a radius of 30 pixels. Press "Ctrl + T" and select Distort option to adjust to the shape and size desired. Finally, apply one more time a blue color and bring down the opacity to about 35%. Repeat the process on the other headlight.

Ninth Step

Missing only the projection on the floor. To do this we will create that elliptical shape brush, as we done before. In a new layer, create a selection of the format of this elliptical brush by clicking on the layer in which it is painted, while holding the "Ctrl" key. Then choose a color of blue type very clear, that seems highly with white. Then paint this way:

Done this you can press "Ctrl + T" to select the transform mode, click the right button and go on "Distort" and adjust the tips for staying like this:



Duplicate and adjust to the other headlight. Then both double and pull slightly to the side. The why we are doing this is that there are two lamps by headlamp, and we have two headlamps. Then we will use Hue / Saturation to give a light bluish touch and change Blend mode to "Color Dodge”.

To end this projection, duplicate again these two headlamps and bring down the saturation, leaving in shades of gray and put under the layers of "Color Dodge". Adjust the opacity until it is well, with bluish edges:



Finally create a new layer above all, and with the brush tool, in white, paint the junction of lights:

Tenth Step

Every car has a rear lamp, and the Touareg is no different. To create it will have to go back to the layer which was the part referring to the car deleted. With the Brush tool (B) selected, choose a shade of red (like this # cf0000) and paint slightly where the headlamp must be. Thus:

Tenth First Step

Do you remember that the stars had in front of the car? Now you’ll understand why they are there. Leave it again visible and delete what is not in the trace of light from the headlamp. Why are we doing this? Well, you know how I am fanatic for details, this is just one more of them: the car is in the desert, the desert is made of sand, the sand is light enough to let particles be carried by wind, particles that when illuminated by headlights of a Touareg running at 125 Mph in the middle of the desert looks like this:

I applied the "Motion Blur", to indicate the speed of the car, it lengthened a bit the particles, creating small traces.




Tenth Second Step

Do you remember that I asked to delete the part on the front window of a few layers? This is for the Gran Finale. The most modern cars come with many features integrated, some of them are the GPS panel, the camera on the rear of the car and a LCD screen, which is in place of the pointers of the car. This all creates a source of light inside the car, which is not emphasized as should.

Let's duplicate the original layer, the piece that capture the shirt and "casing" of the door, where the light should focus. Make the appropriate cuts and adjustments, put this layer beneath the dark we use to the car, on which the Blend mode is "Darken”. Now change the Blend Mode of the newest and final layer of this tutorial to "Color Dodge”. That's the difference:

Final

Several interesting things in this tutorial, such as the stars. I like the small details, they give the realism. In future I will make a rain stuff but, by now I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. I see you soon.