Blue Lightning

Our first videos about Audio AI are in the works. There is some amazingly cool tech out there!

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 20

Blue Lightning

There has been a lot of discussion around the channel lately, especially with our recent focus on AI. We want you to know that we hear you. The creative world is going through a major transformation, and it brings up a range of emotions. Excitement. Curiosity. Skepticism. Fear. Distrust. All of it is valid.

We know that AI presents real challenges for creatives. The pace of change can be overwhelming, and the risks are real. Some of you have even shared that you are hesitant to voice your support for AI publicly, concerned about how others might respond. That is something we take seriously.

This should be a space where everyone feels safe to explore, question, and learn. Whether you are enthusiastic about AI, unsure about where it is headed, or completely opposed, your voice matters here. Healthy, constructive and respectful debate is not only welcome, it is essential. It helps us all grow.

At the same time, we are seeing a surge in interest. Just yesterday, we hit our highest daily view count in over a year 😲🙌. Our most recent AI videos are performing well above average, which tells us that many of you are hungry to learn and experiment with what is possible.

We remain committed to helping creatives discover new tools and provide tutorials that expand their potential.

Thank you for being part of this community. Thank you for your comments, your questions, and your curiosity. Let’s keep this conversation open and respectful as we move forward together.

💙⚡

2 months ago | [YT] | 46

Blue Lightning

Got stubborn acne in your photos? In our upcoming tutorial, dropping next week, learn how to use #Photoshop to remove even the worst blemishes. We’ll cover Neural Filters, High Pass methods, and spot healing for smooth, natural-looking skin—no over-editing needed. Want early access? It’s available now for our members!

3 months ago | [YT] | 2

Blue Lightning

Got old, faded photos? 🖼✨ We’re about to drop a tutorial showing you how to bring them back to life. One method using just Photoshop, and another with the help of free AI tools. 🛠️⚡

📅 Releasing next week for everyone, but… want early access? 👀 Become a supporter today and start restoring memories right now! 💙

3 months ago | [YT] | 1

Blue Lightning

We would love to hear what type of tutorials you all would like to see in upcoming episodes. Please let us know if there is something you are interested in.

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 18

Blue Lightning

Exciting changes are here. We’ve refreshed our logo and brand to reflect the future of creativity. While Photoshop tutorials will always be at our core, we’re expanding into AI-powered design, digital art, and the full Adobe Creative Suite, helping you grow your creative skills with tools like Firefly, Midjourney, and Runway.

We believe AI isn’t a replacement, it’s a creative superpower. Our mission is to help you harness its potential while keeping your unique vision at the heart of everything you create.

The world of creativity is evolving fast and we’re embracing the future together. Thank you for being part of this journey. We can’t wait to see what you create 💙⚡

4 months ago | [YT] | 75

Blue Lightning

My "Supporter" channel members and above receive transcripts of my new tutorials - basically, everything I say in them. Thank you! ~ Marty 💙

Hi. This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV. I'm going to show you how to create stunning, retro, portrait posters. Open a photo of someone or something that you'd like to use for this project. I downloaded this one from Shutterstock. Before we begin, to ensure your results will look similar to mine, let's check its size and resolution by going to Image and Image Size. Make sure your image is 150 pixels per inch. If your document's aspect ratio isn't in a vertical portrait mode, open your Crop Tool and open the list of crop resets. Click "Width, Height, and Resolution". Type into the resolution field: 150 for the pixels per inc. Leave the width and height empty. Drag the corners or the edges of the crop's bounding box in or out. I'll cancel the cropping since I already cropped it earlier. Next, we'll separate our subject from its background. There are many ways to do this, but for this example, click any of the selection tools and click "Select and Mask". I did an in-depth tutorial on Select and Mask, so if you'd like to watch it, I provided the link in this video's description. Choose the “Color Aware" if your subject is on a simple background or "Object Aware" if your subject is on a complex background. Click "Select Subject" and check “Decontaminate Colors” which will essentially prevent the background colors from leaching into the edges of our subject. Output it to a “New Layer with Layer Mask” and click OK. We'll convert our visible subject into a Smart Object so we can modify it non-destructively and replace it with a different image without having to redo all the effects. To do this, click the icon at the upper, right and click "Convert to Smart Object". Go to Filter, Artistic, and "Poster Edges". The Edge Thickness is 0, the Edge Intensity is 2, and the Posterization is 1. Go back to Filter, Artistic, and "Cutout". The Number of Levels is 8, the Edge Simplicity is 5, and the Edge Fidelity is 2. Double-click the icon next to "Cutout" to open its Blending Mode. Change it from Normal to Lighten. Next, we'll place a black background behind our subject. We'll make a new layer below it by Ctrl or Cmd-clicking the New Layer icon. Collapse the Smart Filters to save a little space in the Layers panel. Ctrl or Cmd-click the New Layer icon to make a new layer below the subject. We'll fill the empty layer with black, but before we do, let's check our foreground and background colors. If they aren't black and white, press "D". If they're reversed, press "x". To fill our empty layer with black, press Alt or Option + Delete. Next, we'll add a thin, white line surrounding the inner perimeter of our poster. Double-click anywhere on the black layer to open its Layer Style window. Click "Stroke". If the color box isn't black, click it and when the Color Picker opens, pick black. The size is 21 pixels and the Position is Inside. The Blend Mode is Normal, and the Opacity is 100%. Click "Inner Glow". The color is white, the Blend Mode is Normal, and the opacity is 100%. The Source is Edge, the Choke is 100%, and the Size is also 21 pixels. If you want a thicker outline, make the size: 22. The Contour is linear, and the Range is 50%. Next, we'll add a large, circular shape of color behind our subject. First, let's save some more space. Make a new layer. Open the Ellipse Tool and at the top, choose "Shape". Click the Fill box and click the Color Picker icon. Pick a bright color for your circular shape. Click the Stroke box. If the "No Stroke" symbol isn't there, click its icon here. Place your cursor in the center and drag the tool out to approximately this size. If you want to adjust its size, go to a corner and press and hold Alt or Option + Shift as you drag it in or out. To center it, open your Move Tool and press Ctrl or Cmd + A to select the entire document and at the top, click the "Align Vertical Centers" icon. Then, deselect it by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + D. Hide the path by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + H. Next, we'll add a retro, bar gradient. Make a new layer and open The Gradient Tool. Press "D" to default the colors to black and white respectively. Choose "Gradient" and open your list of gradient presets. Click the Black to white preset and make sure the Linear gradient icon is active. Place your cursor at the bottom and press and hold the Shift key as you drag it to the top. Then, release. Pressing Shift kept the gradient perfectly vertical. Convert it into a Smart Object. Go to Filter, Sketch, and Halftone Pattern. The Pattern Type is Line, the Contrast is 50, and I'll make the size 8. Feel free to make the size whatever you like. Hover your cursor between the gradient layer and the circle layer. Press and hold Alt or Option. When your cursor change into a clipping mask icon, click it. This restricts the gradient to the inside shape of the circle. Another way to clip it is to go to Layer and "Create Clipping Mask". Change the Blend Mode to "Darken". I'll reduce the gradient's opacity to 30%, but feel free to adjust its opacity to whatever looks good to you. Next, we'll add text. Make the top layer active and make a new layer above it. Open your Horizontal Type Tool. Press "x" to invert your foreground and background colors so our text will be white. Open your Type Picker and pick a font for your poster. We'll adjust its size in a moment. I'll make its aliasing "Sharp" and center alignment. Click above the circle and type out your text. To adjust its size as well as the amount of space between all the characters, known as "tracking", highlight your text and click the Character/Paragraph icon. You could also go to Window and Character. Place your cursor over the size icon and drag it to the right or left. To adjust its tracking, place your cursor over the tracking icon and drag it. Then, at the top, click the checkmark. To center it, again, press Ctrl or Cmd + A to select the document, open your Move Tool, and click the "Align Vertical Centers" icon. Then, deselect it. To raise it up or down, press and hold the Shift key as your press the Up or Down arrow on your keyboard to move it 10 pixels at a time. To add the bottom text, press Ctrl or Cmd + J to make a copy of the top text and make the bottom text active. Before we drag it to the bottom of the poster, make sure "Auto-Select" isn't checked. This will prevent other layers from becoming active when we click on our document. Press and hold the Shift key as you drag the text to the bottom. Double-click the bottom text layer to highlight it and type out your new text. If the bottom of your subject’s colors and/or contrast makes the text difficult to see, I’ll show you how to resolve it, but before I do, let’s add a drop shadow to our subject. Make your subject active and make a copy of it. Double-click an empty area of the copy’s layer to open its Layer Style window. Click “Drop Shadow”. Copy these settings. Notice the drop shadow is overlapping the white border which we don’t want. To resolve this, convert the subject with the drop shadow into a Smart Object and scroll down to the circle. Ctrl or Cmd-click the thumbnail to select it. Click the Layer Mask icon to make a layer mask of the circle next to the active layer. As I mentioned, in this example, since the bottom is making the subject is making the text difficult to see, I’ll show you how to resolve it. Double-click the bottom text layer to open its Layer Styel window. Click Drop Shadow. The Blend Mode is Normal or Multiply, the color is black and the Opacity is 100%. "Use Global Light" is unchecked. For this image, I'll make the angle 50 degrees to match the drop shadow of my subject. I'll make the Distance 6 pixels since the text I'm using is very thin. Feel free to increase this amount. The size is 0 pixels which keeps the sharpness of the drop shadow. Double-click the thumbnail of the subject to open its source. Make a new layer and open the Gradient Tool. Open the Gradient presets and click the Black to Transparent thumbnail. Place your cursor below the document and press and hold the Shift key as you drag it up approximately this much. Go to the layer mask next to your subject and press and hold Alt or Option as you drag a copy of it up over the gradient's layer mask. If you see this message, click "Yes" to replace the layer mask. Double-click the gradient layer to open the Gradient Fill window. Adjust the scale to tighten up the gradient and drag down the gradient. I'll reduce its opacity to 50%, but you can make yours whatever you want. Close the Smart Object's source file and when you see this message, click "Yes" to save the changes. This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV. Thanks for watching!

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5 months ago | [YT] | 49