How to Create a Light Leak Photoshop Action

What You’ll Be Creating

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a light leak Photoshop action to add light leaks to your photos and create amazing photo effects. I will explain everything in so much detail that everyone can create it, even those who have just opened Photoshop for the first time.

For more light leak Photoshop actions, don’t forget to check our list of 10 light leak Photoshop actions at the end of this article.

What You’ll Need

To recreate the design above, you will need the following resources:

• Stock Image 

1. How to Start Creating an Action

Step 1

First, open the photo that you want to work with. To open your photo, go to File > Open, choose your photo, and click Open. Now, before we get started, just check a couple of things:

1. Your photo should be in RGB Color mode, 8 Bits/Channel. To check this, go to Image > Mode.
2. Your photo should be the Background layer. If it is not, go to Layer > New > Background from Layer.

Step 2

Now go to Window > Actions, and in the Actions panel click on the menu icon in the top right-hand corner, choose New Set to create a new set, and name it Light Leak. Then, click on the same menu icon again, choose New Action to create a new action, and name it Light Leak as shown below:

2. How to Create a Light Leak

Step 1

In this section, we are going to create a light leak. Go to Layer > New > Layer to create a new layer and name it Temp.

Step 2

Now press D on your keyboard to reset the swatches. Then, go to Edit > Fill and set Contents to Foreground Color, Mode to Normal, and Opacity to 100%, as shown below:

Step 3

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient Fill to create a new gradient fill layer, name it Gradient_Fill_1, and use the settings below:

Step 4

Now Double-click on this layer thumbnail, and using the Move Tool (V), click and drag inside the canvas to position the gradient fill as shown below:

Step 5

Select the Temp layer, go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient Fill to create a new gradient fill layer, name it Gradient_Fill_2, and use the settings below:

Step 6

Now Double-click on this layer thumbnail, and using the Move Tool (V), click and drag inside the canvas to position the gradient fill as shown below:

Step 7

Select the Temp layer, go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient Fill to create a new gradient fill layer, name it Gradient_Fill_3, and use the settings below:

Step 8

Now Double-click on this layer thumbnail, and using the Move Tool (V), click and drag inside the canvas to position the gradient fill as shown below:

Step 9

Select the Gradient_Fill_1 layer and change the Blending Mode of this layer to Color Dodge.

Step 10

Now Shift-click on the Temp layer to select all layers between at the same time. Then, press Control-E on your keyboard to merge them into one layer.

Step 11

Change the Blending Mode of this layer to Screen. Then, name this layer Light Leak.

3. How to Make the Final Adjustments

Step 1

In this section, we are going to make some final adjustments. Select the Background layer, go to Layer > New > Levels to create a new levels adjustment layer, and name it Photo Brightness.

Step 2

Now Double-click on this layer thumbnail and, in the Properties panel, enter the settings below:

Step 3

Select the Light Leak layer, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves to create a new curves adjustment layer, and name it Color Look.

Step 4

Now Double-click on this layer thumbnail and in the Properties panel enter the settings below:

You Made It!

Congratulations, you have succeeded! Here is our final result: