Add a glow

Blur a bright copy and screen it back for a neon glow.

Neon glow

Make hand-painted art or lettering glow, the trick behind neon and light effects: blur a copy of it and lay that back over the sharp original.

1. Paint something bright#

Add an Image node and paint a shape or some lettering in a vivid color on a dark background. Bright on dark glows best.

2. Blur a copy#

Add a Blur node and wire your canvas into it. Turn Radius up until the shape becomes a soft halo.

3. Screen it back over the original#

Add a Blend node. Wire your original canvas into input A and the blurred copy into input B, then set the mode to Screen. Screen only ever lightens, so the soft halo adds light around your sharp art without dimming it. Raise the opacity for a stronger glow.

Image  ->  Blur  ->  Blend (B)
Image  ------------>  Blend (A),  mode: Screen

4. Export#

Wire the Blend node into an Export node and save.

Take it further#

  • Bigger bloom: stack a second Blur and Screen with a wider radius.
  • Colored halo: tint the blurred branch with a Color Adjust node before the Blend.
  • Paint into it live: keep painting on the original canvas and the glow follows.

Where to next#