Warning, this tut is fairly LONG, but I was really pleased with the results :). It's actually kind of 2 combined, as you can stop halfway if you like OR skip to STEP 14 and see what it does for your image :). I'm not sure if it would turn out the same though, so if you want the full effect you'll have to do the whole thing, sorry :P )

I decided to make a tut for
which recently won 1st placein a competition.

1.) I started with my base:
2.) Duplicated the base layer and changed the mode to Soft Light, 100%
3.) I took this texture and set it to Multiply 100%. I think I modified someone else's texture, if you have any idea let me know and I'll credit!
4.) It's all dark and stuff at this point, so I duplicated the base once more, dragged it to the top and set it Color Dodge 25%.
5.) I then decided it's time to whip out that old friend, Selective Color! I used the following settings:
Red: Cyan-100, Magenta + 23, Yellow + 39, Black -1
Yellows: Cyan -100, Magenta + 88, Yellow-12, Black -31
Cyans: Cyan + 100, Magena -26, Yellow -8, Black +13
Neutrals: Cyan + 36, Magenta -7, Yellow -17, Black + 3
Blacks: Cyan + 100, Magenta + 25, Yellow + 8, Black +4

This makes images darker usually, so if you ever have a light image you can use this to darken it ^^. (Colors for this are made by me, for once XD)
6.) Well now it's dark, and that's cool ish...but I like sparkle !!!** So I used one of my favorite selective color ( Layer--> New Adjustment Layer---> Selective Color) settings.
Settings are: Reds: Cyan -100, Magenta +30, Yellow +100
Yellows: Cyan -15, Magenta +30, Yellow +100, Black -30
Cyans: Cyan +100, Yellow -100
Neutrals: Cyan -15, Magenta -10, Yellow -35, Black -10
7.) It's now more shiny and stuff! But not shiny enough for me, I'm afraid :P. So I took what is perhaps the greatest accidental find ever, THIS image! On screen 35% on top of all the other layers. Position the image as you see fit, for me I erased the middle and the top and only left the corners. It adds sparkle :).
8.) My image looked like this: at this point (hope yours will be somewhat similar!)
9.) Okay shh, here's another secret. I made a new layer (on the top of course) and filled it with #99b53a set on luminosity 25%. (You can do WONDERS with luminosity! )
10.) Now the image is a bit faded out, so duplicate the base and drag it up to the top, and set it soft light 100%. I Copy Merged'd (shift+ctrl+c) my base dragged it to the top and Radial Blurred it (Filter-->Blur--> Radial Blur) with amount = 30, spin = zoom) rotated it a bit, and erased the middle of it leaving the edges and set it overlay 100%.
13.) I then repeated step 12, rotated it more, erased the middle yet again but set it normal 64 %. At this step, I had: at this point.
YOU CAN STOP HERE IF YOU LIKE!
Really, I debated stopping here. But then I went in a different direction.

14.) I know, I know. At this point you're like " BUT THIS LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE FINAL PROJECT!!!" well, you're right. So here goes nothing. I opened a new window, made a new layer and filled it with Black 100%. I then took this texture (once again I suck at this, lemme know who's it is) inverted it (Ctrl + I) and dragged it to the left.
15.) I took the image from 13 (copy merged so it's on one layer), cropped it so the side of the texture was showing. Mine looked like this: (just in case my directions suck >.>).
16.) Surely at this point you've noticed that the color currently resembles NOTHING of the finished project right? So let's fix that. It's time for....CHANNEL MIXER ! (bet you thought it was selective color). (NOT MY NUMBERS AGAIN, I FAIL AT WHOSE THESE WERE :_;)
Settings are: Red: Red+85, Green -10, Blue +10
Green: -15, Green +50, Blue +55.
Blue: Red-50, Green +75, Blue +60

For emphasis here is my image now::


17.) But now it's a bit too dark for my liking, so let's make a hue/saturation layer (Layers--> New Adjustment Layer--> hue/sat) +40 sat, lightness-2 (adjust as you see fit)
18.) That's nice and all, but I think it lacks some softness :P. So let's do a Color Balance layer ( Layers--> New Adjustment Layer--> Color Balance)
Midtones: -6, +6, +62
I erased a little bit on the lower right side of the icon, so it had a faded effect, with a soft brush.

Then since I felt the left needed more, I took a thin line brush and went over on the left side in white (where the tiny text is) and then took THIS texture and went to town with it. (basically, I erased everything but the left side side and set it to screen).

WE'RE DONE.

Credits: Thanks to inquisitory, reichu and pamparumpum of Live Journal for for some of the textures and ideas for selective color/channel mixer settings.

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