There is a hand tool in Photoshop which I have pretty much ignored till now. I have found a use for it however in adding highlights to "oil paintings." This post has an example of what it does, so take a look first, then read the next post to see how to do it. The sample picture is mini-challenge #75, Winter Farm.

Phyllis

Now compare that pic with this one, which has NOT had the highlighting treatment:

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=41801

Here is how to achieve this sparkling look - the first step is common to both sample pics.

1. Overlay a brushstroke texture by means of a pattern adjustment layer set to overlay or soft light blend mode.

2. Choose the "sharpen" hand tool (found in the same place as blur and smudge tools) and set the brush mode to lighten with opacity at about 30-40%. Go over the areas you want to make glisten, sparkle, shimmer, or where you just want the brushstroke texture to show up better on light areas of the picture.

As you can see, in this pic it added snow to tree branches as well as bringing out texture in the white areas of the clouds, which are less visible in the untreated pic.

I also applied this technique in the moonlight pic in mini-challenge #71, Red Barn, to bring out the brush texture around the moon and put highlights on the trees:

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=41895

And to bring out the too-subtle stroke texture on the paler areas of the sky in this rainy version:

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=41891

Hope you find this tip useful.

Phyllis

Good Spy Phyllis. It gives the pic a 3D effect just like a real oil painting.

Nice Tip;