Creating a halo effect

[CheatMtn]

What is the best way to create an angelic halo effect around a person's head.  Any differences if you would want to make it look a little bit like the sun? (but more like a halo)?

[Roly Poly Goblinoli]

Here is how I'd make a simple halo.  Open a new file and create a new layer so that the background is transparent.  It helps to be working on a transparent layer, but have an opaque layer under it so that you can easily distinguish what you are doing.

 

1) Click ellipse, set its brush width appropriately, set a warm yellow to yellow-red color for the halo, and draw the halo.  The brush width affects how thick/thin the halo will be.

 

2) If you don't want the halo to be fully consistent, you may add noise.  Use a very subtle amount with glow and medium amount with fragment.

 

3) Use Effects -> Photo -> Glow or Effects -> Blur -> Fragment.  For fragment, use a lower distance for thin halos and a larger distance for thick, 3-D looking halos.  The main differences are that glow will keep the color of the halo consistent, while fragment keeps a central, more vivid band of color running through the halo.

 

4) Apply very subtle noise to break up banding if you like.  Apply final textures or effects as you like.

 

Image example (does not link to website) http://www.filetolink.com/cfd802883f.  (It just asks you to open/save the image, nothing to worry over.  It would be embedded, but I lack the required priviledges.)

[Ego Eram Reputo]

This tutorial should be all you need: http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/12215-how-to-wrapped-glowy-line-from-my-joker-sig/

[doughty]

Why can't we just view the image? Why a zip file?

[Ego Eram Reputo]

I omitted to say that @Cookies plugin Lightning can be used to create a halo.

[Roly Poly Goblinoli]

Any differences if you would want to make it look a little bit like the sun? (but more like a halo)?

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that, so I cannot help you there.  Basically, though, the things mainly used to make glowing effects are the effects which increase the brightness, contrast, and color bleeding.  That's really all there is to it; it's almost trivial.  It's just how you go about doing it.  'More like a sun' sounds like you just want a really fat and bright line, which would follow the same methods as what I outlined earlier.

 

Why can't we just view the image? Why a zip file?

Doughty, The site says word-for-word:

You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community.

I tried to upload .jpg and .png.  I don't know why it hates me.  Regardless, I did link to the image directly (meaning that I did not link to a zip file).  Some browsers insist on using .zip files for everything, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the issue.  I tried my own link, too.

[barbieq25]

You need to upload the image to something like Photobucket or ImageShack & then post a thumbnail of it. http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/12193-how-to-use-images-in-your-posts-signatures-and-avatars/'> Explanation here