How to Make a Lightsaber Light Up
The lightsaber is one of the enduring images from the Star Wars movies. The glowing, lit-up effect of the lightsaber is partly what has made it so popular, but it can be difficult to re-create on your own. However, using the image editor Paint.net, it is possible to create that effect using your own computer and a few of the program's features.
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Instructions
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Start with a basic image of someone holding something that resembles a stick. You will be using this stick as the model for your saber as you go. Ideally, you want to start with the lightsaber's "handle" or hilt already made.
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Create the core. The core is the white blade that serves as the base for the lightsaber's glow. It is easiest to make this using the "line" tool, after having selected "white" from the color wheel at the bottom left of the screen. Once you select the line tool, a few buttons will appear at the top of the screen that will let you select the width of the line. Once you have selected your width and your white color, use the line tool to draw the thick white line that will serve as the core for your lightsaber.
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Create the glow effect. The best way to do this is to make three copies of your white core and drag them on top of each other. At this point, you will see three different "core" objects in the "layers" window on the left. Go to the Edit menu and select "Edit Layering Options." In the menu that appears, select "Screen" under the Blending drop-down menu, and then hit "OK."
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Enhance the glow. Go back to the Layers menu and click on one of the copies of your white core. Go to the Effects menu and select "Blur," then "Gaussian." In the ensuing window, enter 10 pixels for the blur and hit "OK." Repeat for the other copies of the core, but with 20 and 30 pixels of blur.
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Merge the layers. While holding the Ctrl button, click on each of your three layers (or copies) of the core and then right-click that group and select "Merge" from the pop-up window. You know have drawn a light saber that appears to be lit up and glowing.
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