Photoshop Plug-In for Creating Glowing Line Effects
Review by Gilmar Smith
AKVIS Neon 5 is easy-to-use software for adding glowing line effects to an image to make it look like a drawing made with luminescent ink. It’s available for Mac and Windows as a standalone program or as a plug-in to various photo editors, including Photoshop.
AKVIS Neon has two interface modes, Express and Advanced. It also has a series of Presets from which you can choose. The Express mode is very straightforward with five sliders: Detail, Color Variety, Glow Intensity, Image Blur, and Darken. The Advanced mode offers more options. Besides the sliders mentioned above in the Express mode, you get access to Extra Detail, Extra Glow Intensity, Extra Image Blur, and Extra Sharpen Detail. Adjusting the sliders can create effects from sharp glowing contours to blurry glows.
The Advanced mode also has a Decoration tab where you can add and modify Text, Canvas textures, and Frames, plus it has an Adjustment tab for further creative tweaking. The image above was created using the Advanced features.
AKVIS offers four different license types: Home Plugin, Home Standalone, Home Deluxe, and Business. The Home licenses are for personal use only and cost $39 for the Plugin and Standalone versions. For $49, you can get the Home Deluxe version, which gives you both the Photoshop plug-in and standalone versions, but they’re still only for personal use. If you plan to use it for commercial purposes, you’ll need to get the Business version, which goes for $72.
AKVIS Neon does everything it claims on its website, and it’s easy to use. It’s a matter of taste whether you like or don’t like the effect it adds to images. For what it does, I found it to be a little pricey for the Business version. ■
