Soft Glow effect

The highlights diffused a touch and wrapped in a wide, soft glow of their own color.

Made with the Glow Up filterWorks in

Soft glow effect on a portrait of a person with goggles looking up, made with the Glow Up filter in Filter Archive (Warm preset)

BeforeAfter

Glow Up gives your photo the editorial magic glow. It softens only the highlights, then wraps every light in a wide glow of its own color that fades out without an edge, so an orange sign glows orange and a blue one blue. It is subtle by default; push it to a halo or a neon bloom, or paint where it may land.

5presets
9settings
3apps

Same effect, different presets.

8 photos, each with its own preset. Try it on yours

Soft glow effect on a portrait of a woman in white sunglasses with a lollipop, made with the Glow Up filter in Filter Archive (Halo preset) — Halo

Soft glow effect on a portrait of a man in black sunglasses, made with the Glow Up filter in Filter Archive (Halo preset) — Halo

Soft glow effect on a portrait of a woman with black hair, hands on her head, made with the Glow Up filter in Filter Archive (Warm preset) — Warm

Soft glow effect on a portrait of a laughing woman with pink curly hair, made with the Glow Up filter in Filter Archive (Cool preset) — Cool

Soft glow effect on a portrait of a woman in headphones holding a CD, made with the Glow Up filter in Filter Archive (Neon preset) — Neon

Soft glow effect on a portrait of a man with spiky red hair on a blue background, made with the Glow Up filter in Filter Archive (Neon preset) — Neon

Soft glow effect on a portrait of a woman with red hair in a studded beanie, made with the Glow Up filter in Filter Archive (Subtle preset) — Subtle

Use the soft glow effect in Photoshop, Affinity or Figma.

One licence covers all three: $59.99, paid once. See pricing

Photoshop

Open Filter Archive from the Plugins menu, pick Glow Up and press Apply. The result lands on a new layer above your original.

Mac & Windows · Photoshop 2024+

Affinity

Choose Filters, Plugins, Filter Archive on a pixel layer, pick Glow Up and apply it to that layer.

Mac & Windows · Affinity 3

Figma

Select an image, frame or shape, run Filter Archive and apply Glow Up as a new layer or in place.

Figma Community

Settings worth touching.

ThresholdHighlights: How much of the picture glows. The lights and speculars go first, then skin, then the whole picture blooms.
RadiusGlow: The size of the glow's bright core. Its soft skirt reaches about ten times further and never ends in an edge.
ColorGlow: Left white, every light glows in its own color. Pick a color and the whole glow takes it.

Plus 6 more in the panel, all editable after you pick a preset.

Soft Glow Effect questions.

What is a soft glow effect?

A soft glow effect makes the bright parts of a photo bloom with light, the dreamy look of a diffusion filter. It lifts skin, lights and highlights without blurring the whole picture.

How do I make a soft glow effect in Photoshop?

Open Filter Archive from the Plugins menu and choose Glow Up. Start from a preset such as Subtle or Halo, adjust the settings while the preview updates, then press Apply. The result goes on a new layer and your original stays untouched.

Can I use it in Affinity or Figma?

Yes. The same Glow Up filter runs in Affinity 3 on Mac and Windows, from Filters, then Plugins, then Filter Archive on a pixel layer, and in Figma on an image, frame or shape. One licence covers Photoshop, Affinity and Figma.