# How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect >[!info]- Timelapse Video >(Apologies, I only started recording when I started rendering) >![[night vision tut.mp4]] >[!hint|noicon]   > >A super quick guide that assumes you already know at least the basics of rendering and shading based off of a strong light source. > >> [!grid|col-2] > >>[!cite]+ 1. Preparation > >>Take whatever sketch or line art you want to use, and colour it using a very neutral/mid-tone grey. > >> > >>Set the background to a dark, desaturated colour, or even just black. > >> > >>Don't stress too much about anything being neat or perfect, a lot of the detail is going to be quickly lost. > > > >>[!caption] **Brushes used:** _[[Artemus Pencil]]_ (Line art) > >>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772169606935.webp]] > > >[!cite]+ 2. Adding Colour > >One one layer, using the default soft airbrush tool and a light, desaturated colour, paint a circular shape around the focal point; this is where the 'light' is strongest. Set this layer to __Vivid Light__, and play around with the opacity. > > > >Then, on a new layer and using a darker, more saturated colour, paint around the circle created, to create an almost 'gradient' effect of light as it disperses away from the focal point. Set this layer to __Multiply__, and play around with the opacity. > > > >The key to picking colours here, is _the darker the colour, the more saturated_ it should be, and _the lighter the colour, the less saturated_ it should be. > > > >You can also just do all these steps instead in black and white, and just apply a gradient map overlay towards the end. > > > >An optional step is adding the circle of the light in the background (see the 2nd image), if there is a solid wall or a similar object behind the character. >> >>> [!grid|col-2] > >>>[!caption] Without Background > >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772169788430.webp]] > >> > >>>[!caption] With Background > >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772170110003.webp]] > >> [!grid|col-2] > >![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772170323382.webp]] > > > >>[!cite]+ 3. Colouring Line Art > >> Locking the opacity of the line art layer, lighten the overall layer, and doing more so to the areas where the light is the strongest. > >> > >> You can do this bit manually, or, you can do what I did, where I merged the colour layers made in the previous step, duplicated that layer, and then clipped the duplicated layer above my line art layer, and set that duplicated layer to **Soft Light**. > >> [!grid|col-2] > >>[!cite]+ 4. Adding Shadows > >>Using a mix of the hard and soft airbrush tools, paint in the shadows with a dark, saturated colour. > >> > >>It is important to remember that the light source here is a bit unconventional; imagine that the light source is coming from **the camera** (ie. your POV). > > > >![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772170651319.webp]] > > >[!seealso]+ Tip > >Night vision cameras have a 'light' beam directly from the lens to the subject. > > > >This means that a lot of objects, especially in the brightest area, will have _very thin and dark hard shadows._ Shadows that move away from this big circle of light tend to elongate, and become a bit more visible, as the light source becomes slightly angles as opposed to being head on. > > > >_Soft shadows tend to be almost entirely non-existent_, with the ones that are visible typically being very light and a lost less noticeable compared to the hard shadows. > > > >This is a good stage to look at references online, and get a better idea on what the shadows look like, and how the light source impacts the way they are cast onto the subject. > > > >For a tutorial and learning more about hard vs soft shadows, you can check out [[Hard vs Soft Edges - Guide to Shadows]]. >> >> >[!caption] From _Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural_ >> >![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772171156073.webp]] > > > >[!cite]+ 5. Airbrush, Airbrush, Airbrush > >Merging all the colour and line art layers, and using only the default airbrush tool (I find it helps to make everything have that 'fuzzy' look, and avoids me focusing too much on details), start loosely rendering in the softer shadows. > > > >At this stage, I like taking my lighter colour (or even white) and airbrushing over areas that have far less visibility/are hit harsher with the light. Do not be afraid to add more light/white, as _detail here is not your friend_. > > > >**Remember**, that the closer to the light source/camera that the subject is, the more it is going to be washed out by this intense light. The further away it gets, the more detail is seen, but the darker it gets. > > > >Again, _reference images are your best friend_, and will help guide you through this stage (arguably the most difficult one). > > >>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772171561163.webp]] > >>[!cite]+ 6. Adjustments >>After doing a majority or all of the rendering, I go in and adjust certain parts with the liquify tool, airbrushing lightly over some areas with white, and using colour adjustment layers to tweak the colours. >> >>Here, I just liquified the face slightly, as well as use a adjustment/colour correction layer to give it a more accurate 'night vision' colour scheme. >> >>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772171943238.webp]] >> >>Here, I added on top just a greenish gradient map that I liked, and adjusted the opacity. I also, on a separate layer set to **Add (Glow)**, I added a bit of a white, glowing reflection in the eyes, since a lot of photographs with people close to the camera showed a similar effect. >> >>You can also add a grainy texture to the art by doing the following (Clip Studio Paint): >>1. create a new layer above your art >>2. go to _Filter > Render > Perlin Noise_ (on the task bar at the top of the window) >>3. set the '**scale**' adjustment slider to a low number >>4. Click '**OK**' >>5. Set the _Perlin Noise_ layer to **Linear Burn** >>6. Adjust the opacity of the layer to your liking >>7. Done! >> >>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172325842.webp]] > >>[!tldr]- Another Example >>>[!grid|col-2] >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172695877.webp]] >>> >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172726072.webp]] >>> >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172746280.webp]] >>> >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172763503.webp]] >>> >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172790163.webp]] >>> >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172802966.webp]] >>> >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172879838.webp]] >>> >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172903212.webp]] >>> >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172959147.webp]] >>> >>>![[How To Create a 'Night Vision' Effect-1772172975178.webp]] --- >[!todo|noicon] Have a question to ask? Check out the [[Contact Me]] page to see where you can ask :)