This recipe is best used for laser blasts coming from a gun or some other sci-fi weapon. How about a spaceship cannon? It's quite easy to do, so let's get started!
The following recipe will walk us through the steps of creating a laser blast:
- Go to Figure(U) | Direct draw | Straight line. Select a color for the laser blast.
- On an empty raster layer, draw a straight line with the line tool. As shown in the following screenshot, I've chosen a bright red color. I have also made the paper color black so that the laser effect is easier to see.
- Lock the transparency of the layer with the straight line. For directions on how to do this, see steps 1 and 2 of the Making colored line work recipe.
- Make white the active color.
- Select the Gradient(G) tool. Then select the Foreground to transparent subtool.
- Open the Sub Tool Detail palette.
- At the top of the Sub Tool Detail palette, you will see a slider with the current gradient displayed. Drag the triangle below the white section into the center of the slider.
- Click on the transparent color swatch below the foreground and background colors in the toolbar, as shown in this screenshot:
- Move the cursor over the bottom of the gradient preview slider in the Sub Tool Detail palette. The cursor will show a + sign next to it. Click on the far left of the slider to add a transparent stop, and leave the white gradation just in the center. The following screenshot shows what the Sub Tool Detail palette should look like after this change:
- Close the Sub Tool Detail palette.
- With the Gradient(G) tool still selected, click at the top of the straight line made in step 2 and hold down the mouse. Drag to the bottom of the straight line and release the mouse button. This will leave us with a colored line that has a white gradient center, as shown here:
- Copy the layer and then select the bottom copy in the Layer palette. This is shown in the following screenshot:
- Navigate to Filter | Blur | Gaussian blur and set Area to blur(G) to a number that is large enough for the laser blast to get a halo effect around it. Click on OK.
- Now the laser blast will have a blurred outline. Make a layer below the one you just blurred. Ensure that white is still the active color.
- Select the Airbrush(B) tool and the Soft subtool. Add white around the colored edges of the laser beam to increase the glow.
- As shown in the following screenshot, I have also used the Soft subtool of the Eraser(E) tool on the edges of the original line to blend everything together. This step is optional.
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