In this tutorial I'm going to be showing you guys how to make the images used for the lighting effect in the LightingEffect.capx example. I will be using paint.NET
and have no knowledge of any other programs. If you haven't used anything else before I highly suggest it.
There is going to be 2 parts to this tutorial:
A) Make a light from scratch
B) Use a stamp to make a light.
Making A Light From Scratch
We're going to make a small circle similar to the one in the Lighting Effect example.
1. Make a new file and set the size to whatever you want. I'll be making mine 128 x 128
2. Set colour 1 to what ever colour you want your light to be. Make sure it's alpha is at 255.
3. Use the Ellipse tool and set the Brush Width at 1, Draw Filled to Shape, Antialiasing disabled, and fill to Solid Colour.
4. Create a circle starting at 0,0 and fill the desired area (The entire canvas in my case)
5. OPTIONAL: This isn't necessary but I like to do it so I can see the gradient better later on.
Create a new layer below your circle and fill it with a colour that does not mix with your circles colour (Usually black)
6. Select the Gradient tool and set it to Transparency Mode. Also choose Radial since we are doing a circle.
7. Make sure you have the layer with the circle selected and then place your mouse in the exact center of the canvas (This should also be the center of the circle assuming you placed it correctly)
8. Click and hold, then drag outwards until you get the desired effect.
Note: You can set the alpha level in colour 1 to a lower level for a less powerful gradient. (The above screenshot had the alpha level at 150
9. Delete the black layer and save it, then you're good to go! (MAKE SURE TO SET BIT DEPTH TO AUTO-DETECT WHEN SAVING)