20+ Best Photoshop Lighting & Glowing Effects (+ How to Add Glow)

Today we’re bringing you a collection of Photoshop lighting and glowing effects that you can apply to your photos and graphics with just a few clicks.

Whether you want to add a neon glowing effect to text or add a unique double-lighting effect to a portrait, this collection has many creative Photoshop effects that you’ll surely find useful and fun.

Check out our handpicked Photoshop actions and effects collection below. There are a few free items in there, as well as some really powerful premium choices that can take your effects to a new level.

Double Light Photoshop Action

The double light effect is one of the most commonly used effects in poster and flyer design. It offers a great way to highlight your portraits and graphics in a modern and attractive way. This Photoshop action allows you to create an amazing double light effect without effort. It’s very easy to use and the effect is customizable as well.

Neon Glowing Effect Photoshop Action

Another popular effect used in various graphic designs is the neon glowing effect. Of course, not everyone can get this effect right and it usually takes a lot of work to create the glowing effect. With this PS action, you’ll be able to recreate the effect in just a few steps. It even works with Photoshop CS3 and all the way to the latest CC versions.

Light & Flares Photoshop Actions

If you want to add authentic light rays effects or lens flares to your photos to make them look more creative, this collection of Photoshop actions will come in handy. It includes 4 lens flare effects and 12 light leak effects. You can apply them all with just one click and compare the effects to find the one you like.

FilterGrade Light Leaks Photoshop Effects

This is a big bundle of light leaks and light rays effects for Photoshop. It includes more than 40 different Photoshop actions featuring colorful and creative styles. All effects are non-destructive so you can easily adjust the effects to your preference. As a bonus, there are 8 film effects included in the bundle.

Bokeh Effect Photoshop Action

A well-designed bokeh effect can make your photoshoots and portraits look more amazing than they actually are. This effect works quite well, especially with wedding photography. This Photoshop action allows you to add that same effect to your photos with various styles and shapes. It includes the effect in 15 color presets and 5 different shapes.

Free Double Light Photoshop Effect

This is a free Photoshop PSD template that you can use to easily add a double light effect to your graphics and photos. You can simply edit the template to paste your own images to apply the effect.

Free Duotone Photo Effect PSD Template

This free template also lets you add an attractive duotone effect to your photos by simply customizing the PSD file. It’s easy to use and comes with 10 pre-made duotone color presets to choose from.

50 Vintage Light Leak Photo Overlays

This is a big bundle full of light leak effects for Photoshop. It includes 50 different lighting effects with subtle vintage vibes. The effects come as photo overlays. Using overlays in Photoshop is easy. Simply drag and drop an overlay onto your photo to apply it. These overlays work with Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Affinity Photo, Gimp, and many other software as well.

Aurora Light Rays Photoshop Actions

Adding an aurora light ray to your nature and landscape photos will surely make them look quite amazing. This Photoshop actions pack lets you easily add such Aurora-style lighting effects to your photos and graphic designs. It includes 16 different actions.

Glowing Smoke Effect Photoshop Action

With this Photoshop action, you can create a trendy glowing smoke effect in Photoshop. It’s perfect for highlighting shapes, images, and objects in various graphic designs. The effect is fully customizable and includes accompanying smoke brushes.

Editable Neon Signboard PSD Template

Use this PSD template to easily make your titles and headings look like retro neon signs. It includes 6 templates that can be edited to paste your own text. It also comes with 6 backgrounds you can use with your designs as well.

Dual Lighting (Gel) Effect Photoshop Action

Another creative dual lighting effect for Photoshop. This PS action features a more attractive and customizable dual lighting effect. The effect is available in 3 different color combinations and 16 bokeh color overlays. You can customize and change the effect however you like.

Free Prism Lens Photo Effect

This free Photoshop effect allows you to apply a unique prism lens lighting effect to your photos. It’s perfect for creating unique designs with your photos and graphic designs.

Free Neon Sign Photoshop Effect

Use this free Photoshop template to add a neon sign effect to your text. The effect comes as an easily editable PSD file where you can type your own text to apply the neon sign effect.

Legendary – Light Effects Photoshop Actions

Photographers and graphic designers will surely find this set of Photoshop actions quite useful as it features various styles of lighting effects you can apply to your designs. The effects are available as PS actions and they are compatible with Photoshop CS3 and higher.

Glowing Outline Photo Effect Photoshop Template

Just as the name suggests, this template allows you to easily add a glowing outline effect to your graphics, shapes, and objects quite easily. It comes as a PSD template and you can edit it using smart objects to place your own graphics.

20 Glowing Effect Photo Overlays

Another collection of photo overlays. This collection has 20 different glowing effects you can easily drag and drop onto your photos and graphics. You’ll find overlays in many different styles of lights and colors as well.

Thriller Lights Photoshop Actions

This collection of Photoshop actions include a set of unique lighting effects you can use to easily highlight people, objects, and products in your designs. It adds an effect that looks just like flashing a spotlight onto the stage. The effect is easily customizable as well.

NEON PRO – Neon Lights Photoshop Actions

You can give your nightlife and street photography a Cyberpunk look and feel using this set of Photoshop actions. The action creates a duo-tone lighting effect to add neon lights to your designs and photos.

Electrum – Lightning Photoshop Action

If you want to add a lightning effect to your design, this Photoshop action will be quite useful. It works with just one click and comes in 10 different color presets for creating attractive lightning effects.

Free Lens Flare Photoshop Effects

A collection of simple lens flare lighting effects for Photoshop. You can use these effects to add realistic lens flares and light rays by simply customizing the PSD file and placing your own images.

Free Summer Haze Photoshop Action

Use this free Photoshop action to add a bright summer haze lighting effect to your outdoor photos. A sample of this action pack is free to download and use with your personal designs.

How to Add Glow Effect in Photoshop (Tutorials)

If you’d rather do the work by yourself than using a Photoshop action, there are a few different ways you can create a glowing effect in Photoshop. We picked a few easy tutorials for you to follow. Check them out below.