Alright, let's dive in! As a fellow artist, I'm always on the lookout for ways to add that extra "wow" factor to my illustrations. And what better way to do that than with a dramatic backlight? I've spent countless hours experimenting in Clip Studio Paint to master this technique, and I'm thrilled to share my process with you.

 

In this tutorial titled:

 

Common things you should know about rendering backlight ☞CSP.

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We'll illuminate the secrets of creating stunning backlighting effects. We'll cover everything from setting up your canvas to adding those final, dazzling highlights. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, we'll all be able to learn how to make your characters truly shine by harnessing the power of light and shadow.

 

Get ready to take your character illustrations to the next level! Let's make some magic happen! ✨

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◾ What do we understand by backlight [?]

When a light source creates a backlight, the subject is illuminated from behind, causing the edges of the subject to appear bright while the front side is often darker.

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This can create a halo effect, separate the subject from the background, and add depth and drama to the image. However, it can also lead to silhouettes if the subject obscures the light source and the exposure is set for the background.

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◾ Detailed breakdown of backlight expression

This statement highlights key factors that influence how the backlight's expression varies. Understanding these elements can enhance the effectiveness and adaptability of backlighting in various contexts.

 

 

(1) Edge Lighting/Rim Lighting:

Backlighting creates a glowing effect on the edges of the subject as light scatters around and some of the time through it. This can make the subject appear to glow or have a halo-like effect, especially noticeable on hair or translucent objects like say a leaves.

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(2) Intensity

Backlight intensity, or brightness, greatly impacts how colors and details are perceived. For instance, High intensity creates a bright, sharp outline (a "hard edge light effect"),

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Meanwhile, Low backlight intensity creates a softer effect with less defined outlines ("soft edges light effect"), contrasting with a less sharper outlines to that of a high intensity. The amount of light from behind directly influences the final image's appearance.

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Take, for example, the below:

 

Scene 1: A Sunset Serenade

 

Two identical characters, the twins, are shown in a scene lit by a setting sun. The light creates a warm, vibrant scene with sharp shadows, rich colors, and a strong sense of drama due to the hard edges of light and shadow.

 

Meanwhile, for that of the Scene 2: Moonlight Mystery

 

The twins are under soft, diffused moonlight. The light creates consistent skin tones, soft shadows, and an ethereal, mysterious atmosphere. The scene is calm,

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The images demonstrate how backlighting transforms a subject. The contrast between the vibrant sunset and soft moonlight highlights how backlighting shapes mood, color, and visual impact.

 

You can obtain the CSP background materials mentioned above by using the provided links.

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(3) Nature and environment

The nature or characteristics of a light source and its environment affect how light interacts with objects, influencing a scene's mood and realism. To demonstrate this, three scenes were created using backlighting:

 

⁠☞ a sunset beach with a warm glow,

⁠☞ a city street with harsh sunlight, and

⁠☞ a photography studio with a stylized, neon-like effect.

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Essentially, the light source and its interaction with the environment directly impacts the color, saturation, and overall "feel" of the backlighting on the characters.

 

Like, take In the beach scene (warm light), the characters have a warm, slightly hazy glow. In the city scene (cooler, more diffused light), the characters appear less saturated and more realistically lit. In the studio scene (artificial, highly saturated light), the characters have a vibrant, almost artificial glow with strong color fringing.

 

It was really interesting to see how the same characters looked so different depending on the backlighting.

 

The provided CSP background materials used above are available via the links below.

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(4) Dramatic storytelling illuminated by add of the halftone

Backlighting enhances storytelling in illustrations by creating visually striking effects that emphasize key moments and add depth, mood, and emotion.

 

Say, for example, if I were to ask you to tell me which characters are the heroes and which are the villains in this image, could you determine them?

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If I were to guess, I believe you don't have an answer, or you may suggest the characters are heroes or villains based solely on the red/blue background and eye color in the images, which are purely speculative and not definitively answerable.

But now, in another instant with some few adjustments made to the backlighting image, take a look at the below image and tell me who the hero and the villain are [?].

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With the clear illumination of the backlighting, we can see that a dramatic effect has been added onto the character, making the one on the left look more villainous and the one on the right more heroic due to the addition of the dramatic coloration a red and orange halftones effects added to the backlight effect.

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With the above said, we can now clearly see that the adding of the halftone or the change in its color can have a drastic effect on the colors of the backlighting on our character and can highly affect the dramatic storytelling of a character.

 

For the CSP background materials I used, you can get them with the below links.

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(5) Angle

Angle pertains to the direction from which the backlight is cast, influencing shadows and highlights in the visual presentation. Altering the angle of the Backlight can dramatically change the overall appearance and depth of the Backlight illuminated on the subject.

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These illustration shows how the placement of a backlight affects its thickness around a subject.

 

Three scenarios are depicted: backlight from the left, center, and right.

 

A left-placed backlight creates a thicker effect on the left and thinner on the right; a centered backlight creates even thickness; and a right-placed backlight creates a thicker effect on the right and thinner on the left.

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(6) Silhouettes:

If the light source is strong and the subject is in front of it, the subject can be rendered as a silhouette. This can be a deliberate artistic choice to emphasize shape and form.

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(7) Depth and Separation:

By illuminating the back of the subject with the primary lights source, and the secondary and tertiary light source on the both side of the illustration, backlighting helps to separate Setting character or object from the background or the various composition in general, creating a sense of depth and dimension in the image.

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(8) Exposure:

Backlighting can make it difficult to see details on the front of the subject, especially the face in portraits. Exposure adjustments or fill light may be needed to compensate.

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When using backlighting, it's often highly necessary for artist to adjust the opacity of the added shadow layer in order to ensure the subject is properly exposed and not just a silhouette.

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◾ Bonus round 🎉 Potential Issues Faced When Adding Backlight:

In this particular aspect of the tutorial, simply focus on most of the challenges a creator like yourself and myself (be it an old or new CSP user) faces when adding a backlight. Think color choices, brightness, and even complexity. It's a "bonus round" because overcoming these issues makes the project more intriguing, nostalgic and potentially more creative!

(i) Loss of Detail:

While backlighting can highlight edges and create a dramatic effect, it can also lead to a loss of detail in the front of the subject, which is in shadow due to the harsh light on the background.

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Backlighting creates a dramatic contrast by illuminating the background while leaving the subject relatively dark, a technique often used for stylistic effect.

 

 

Notice🔹how the character in the image above has a proper blend mode, so it matches its background, but the character in the image below has no blend mode, so it doesn't match its background.

(ii) Bleeding of the Backlight:

Light can leak around the edges of the screen, causing unwanted bright areas that disrupt the viewing experience.

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◾ CLIP STUDIO PAINT Features and Hacks I used to add backlights

We'll now, in this aspect, explore Clip Studio Paint (CSP) features and hacks that can help us improve our 'ability to illustrate lighting effects and create depth. These tools allow for more dynamic and visually appealing compositions, especially when working with backlighting.

At this point in the tutorial, I'll be demonstrating the rendering process in Clip Studio Paint, using the tools you've described, and showing how they affect the image.

 

CSP features which we will looking at are as follows;

>> Blend sub tool brush ➝ Clipping ➝ Blending Modes selection sub tool brush ➝ rainbow halo sub tool brush.

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☞ Hack 1️⃣: Light and shadow Layer with aid from Blending Modes feature to adding backlight.

This hack involves enhancing images by adding layers for light and shadow effects. Using blending modes allows you to control how these layers interact with the original image, creating smooth lighting scenarios, depth, and dimension.

 

But first, before anything, let's first of all locate the Clip Studio blending mode. To do that, Look to the right of the canvas, you will see the layer dashboard on the palette bar.

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But if you did not locate the [layer] dashboard on the left of the canvas, simply go on and click on the [window] button, then [layers], the [layer] mini dashboard will appear.

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Within it, we can locate the CSP Blending Mode box at the top of the [Layer] dashboard.

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Over the years, when I use the clip studio paint Blending mode, I primarily use a (2) shadow-adding blending mode for adding shadows. However, I suggest using other modes for variety like that of (numbered 4). For adding light or glow, I typically use a (3) light-adding blending mode. I also often use a different blending mode (numbered 5) like the vivid lighting for adding uniqueness or a halftone effect.

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With the proper understanding of the function of the various CSP blending modes, how they work, and how they affect layers below them, you can then add both the light and the shadow blending modes together and get a nostalgic backlighting expression as shown in the below illustration.

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The added shadow blending mode (such as multiply, linear Burn etc) acts as a color-balancing filter to either make the illustration shadow areas cooler or warmer.

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Meanwhile, that of the added light blending mode (such as overlay, vivid light etc) acts as a light scattering effect, which we can use to either make the illustration halftone effect colder or warmer.

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☞ Hack 2️⃣: Advantages of both the clipping and masking features for adding backlight.

First, let's talk about the following two CSP features, which usually come in handy when you want to create a backlight in your illustration. And that first feature is that of the

• Clipping feature

The clip feature allows you to isolate specific areas of an image, enhancing the effect of backlighting by ensuring that only the desired sections are illuminated.

Now, I will demonstrate the clipping feature. First, I will create a new layer. Then, I will set the layer containing the character drawings as a reference.

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I will use the "refer other layer" bucket tool to fill the background and then click the clip icon.

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This precision helps us artists in creating a more dynamic and visually appealing backlighting composition.

• Border effect feature

The border effect can enhance the visual impact of a character by creating a glowing outline that simulates backlighting.

 

 

Due to the lights coming from behind we can use one of the csp feature called the borderline effect.

 

Click on the border effect icon to enable it, then set the age color to what you want the backlight to you which for this tutorial I'll be making use of the yellow color.

To create a backlight effect, I will be use the "borderline effect" feature. I will enable it by clicking the icon,

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And using the edge color we can effortlessly change the color of the Backlight,

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For this tutorial, I'll be using a yellow backlight.

 

Now, using the border effect, I can easily adjust the thickness of the backlight.

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This technique draws attention to the character and adds depth to the overall illustration.

• Masking feature

The mask feature complements the clip feature by enabling users to selectively hide or reveal portions of an image, providing even greater control over how shadows and the backlighting interacts with the overall composition.

By enabling the "Refer to editing layer only" option in the bucket tool, one can effortlessly fill in the selected area of the illustration. This ensures that only the currently edited layer is affected.

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I'm using the "Refer to editing layer only" option in the bucket tool to fill the selection, ensuring only the active layer is affected.

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I used the bucket tool with "Refer to editing layer only" selected to fill a masked area on Layer 8. The layer's blending mode is set to "Multiply". A tap on the bucket tool icon initiated the fill operation.

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Together, these tools enhance the creative possibilities for new and old users alike.

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☞ Hack 3️⃣: Usefulness of the various CSP sub tool brushes to adding backlight.

This hack highlights how different sub-tool brushes within a Clip Studio Paint (CSP) can enhance the effect of backlighting in digital art. Features like

(Selection Sub tool brush) ➜ (Gradient sub tool brush) ➜ (Soft airbrush sub tool brush) ➜ (Transformation tool).

By utilizing these brushes effectively, artists can create more dynamic and visually appealing compositions.

At this aspect of the tutorial, we will be learning how to create a unique backlight for our illustration using Clip Studio Paint (CSP)! I started by creating a female character and a beach scene and using the illustration to explain the CSP tools I often used to add my backlight, which are laid out in various stages as follows:

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1) Use of Selection Sub tool brush

Using the "Shrink Selection" tool, I select around the female character in the illustration. This allows me to separate it from the background for further editing.

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2) Use of the Bucket sub tool brush

I created a new layer with 70% opacity and "Multiply" blending mode. I enabled the layer mask and used the bucket tool (as a reference only) to add a dark blue color to the illustration.

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Due to the fact that the layer that my female character is rendered has the [refer] icon enabled,

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I can create a new layer, using the "bucket tool" known as the reference other layer which have it reference multiple layer set to [refer]. Due to the fact that my female character referenced is set to "refer". By clicking on the background, it will fill in the area while preserving the character.

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After filling in the color on the new layer, I need to click the clip icon. This will clip the filled-in color layer to the character layer below it.

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3) Use of blend sub tool brush

I used the fingertip sub-tool brush to blend the background color onto the female character's edges. I was careful to consider the direction of the light source, which is coming from behind the character.

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Now I replicate the above same process on a new layer, but this time I add a reddish color as a halftone. Using the blend sub-tool brush, I blend the red color onto the character, set the blending mode to color dodge, and I reduce the opacity to 75%.

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With the halftone color now added onto the female character. This will create a halftone glow effect, simulating the light scattering effect I mentioned earlier.

4) Use of the [Eclipse] sub tool brush

On a new layer in the background:

 

╭⁠☞ I used the eclipse sub-tool.

╭⁠☞ I added a border line.

╭⁠☞ I created the light source behind the character using orange and yellow colors.

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Afterwards, I then use the fingertip sub-tool to push and pull the bottom of the added circle to make it appear as a reflection of light upon the surface of the water.

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Now that ends the first half of the Creation process, we can now see that our illustration is coming to life,

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But we are not done yet.

 

Let's go further and create a new layer, set its blending mode to darken, add a dark color to the character, and add a shadow representation on the ground at the bottom part of the character. Reduce the opacity of the layer to 40%.

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With that addition, we can now see that the silhouette of the character can now be seen represented.

Now for the final touches, I create a new layer, set the layer blend mode to overlay, and using the airbrush sub-tool brush, I add a little subtle glow to the illustration.

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And with that done, the illustration is rendered.

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(Dramatic Round🌈) Use of Rainbow halo sub tool brush

Take, for example, my triplet characters in a superhero pose scene scenario.

 

To further emphasize and add beauty to the scene, I can simply use the rainbow halo circle sub-tool to add a rainbow-like spectrum behind my characters in the background.

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Making the scene appear as if the intensity of the backlighting light source is intense.

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Here are the links to the asset materials used above.

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• Usefulness of the sub tool brush in the adding of Light Ray

To add the light ray in CLIP STUDIO PAINT, I use the polyline selection sub-tool to create a square selection around the subject.

 

And using the gradient sub-tool to grade in the yellow color to represent the light ray and using the blend sub-tool on some of the edges of the light ray, then set the layer blending mode to [Overlay].

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And with that you can see that when the backline is reflected on a character on stage, it will be represented as shown below.

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☞ Hack 4️⃣: Advantages of the CSP [Blur] filter feature to backlight.

• Edit of the Backlight with the [Gaussian blur] filter feature

Select the layer with the effect (like Backlight or halftone). Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

 

Adjust the blur strength to your liking.

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Adding of the Gaussian blur filter softens the edges and reduces noise in the backlight, creating a smoother transition and enhancing the overall visual quality.

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This effect can help to draw attention to the main subject by minimizing distractions in the background.

• Edit of the Backlight with the [Len blur] filter feature

Select the layer with the effect (like Backlight or halftone). Go to Filter > Blur > Len Blur.

 

Adjust the blur strength to your liking.

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This applies a blur effect to the background lighting in an image, enhancing the focus on the subject.

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By adjusting the intensity of the blur using the Len blur, we can create a more visually appealing composition.

We can use the clip studio paint (CSP) filter tools to add the desired blur effect to your illustrations.

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Hack 5️⃣: How I add backlight to my webtoon Characters

This technique enhances the visual appeal of webtoon characters by adding a glowing effect, making them stand out against the background. It can create a more dynamic and engaging reading experience for the audience.

My webtoon backlight process 1

Say we have a panel with a female character in the foreground and skyscrapers in the background. Due to maybe the aim is to create a dynamic and realistic scene. We are tasked to add more detail to the panel by populating the middle ground with characters using the "people working" sub-tool.

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Let's say we want the character on the background to appear flat without details. We first need to select the layer we created the midground characters on, lock the layer's transparency, and then use a lasso tool to fill them with a solid color.

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Next, duplicate the flattened character layer, and change the bottom duplicated layer to the backlight color.

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Then, using the fingertip or liquify sub-tool, start to slightly push out the bottom added flat duplicated layer, which color you changed to a brighter one.

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Next I duplicated one of the layers again, and using the transformation tool, I tilted the filled color position in the opposite direction to the primary light source, which is the moon above, making it appear as a reflection of the characters (shadow).

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And with that, we have successfully created a first set of backlights for our webtoon.

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My webtoon backlight process 2

Starting with I first create my midground characters as previously mentioned in the above beginning process.

 

I use the selection sub to select all my midground characters, then I click on the three selected area button on the selection mini bar, I set the shrinking width to 10%, and then I clicked "OK" to apply the changes.

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Now using the lasso selection sub-tool again, select the areas of the legs or bottom part where you want the shadow area to reach or affect.

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Using the lasso fill tool, I add a dark blue shadow to the midground characters. Then, I clip the shadow layer to the character layer and set the blending mode to [Multiply].

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Next I duplicated one of the layers again, and using the transformation tool, I tilted the filled color position in the opposite direction to the primary light source, which is the moon above, making it appear as a reflection of the characters (shadow).

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Create another set of shadow layer by duplicating the previous shadow layer and changing the position of the shadow to the left, set the blending mode to dark him and reduce the opacity to 50%.

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And with that done, we have concluded this second set of backlighting adding processes for my webtoon.

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Exit 😊

You've now got the skills to make your renders shine! By understanding backlighting—how it works, its intensity, and colors—you're ready to create amazing visuals. Your attention to detail will make your work stand out. Keep experimenting, and your renders will be incredible!

Thanks for reading through, I hope to see you in the next one, bye for now.

🌝🌚 Aidos signing out 🔸 🔸 🔸

Now with the blending mode located, we should take note of the various functions of the blending modes for clip studio paint have about [28] sets of blending mode.

 

On that note, I have broken the blending mode into the following:

1) Regular blending mode.

2) Shadow adding blending mode.

3) Light adding blending mode.

4) Shadow adding blending mode.

5) Light adding blending mode.

 

Over the years, I primarily use a [2] shadow-adding blending mode for adding shadows. However, I suggest using other modes for variety like that of [number 4]. For adding light or glow, I typically use a [3] light-adding blending mode. I also often use a different blending mode [number 5] for adding uniqueness or a halftone effect.

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