Applying the Lighting Effect Filter

The alpha channel is now in place. All you have to do now is apply the lighting effect filter to the image:

1. Open the Layers palette.
   
   
The type layer appears as a faded grey, indicating that the alpha channel, and not the image itself, is displayed in the document window.


2. Click on the Background to revert to the normal document display.
   
   
3. Select Filter > Render > Lighting effects.
   
   
4. Maintain the Lighting effects filter default settings, except for the Texture pull-down menu which should be changed to Alpha 1 so that your text appears (embossed) in the preview window.
   
   


Figure 3: select the Alpha 1 channel in the pull-down menu to make your text appear to be embossed.

If you altered the dialog box settings earlier on, select "2 O'clock Spotlight", in the Style pull-down menu, to revert back to the default settings.


5. Click on OK to apply the filter.
   
   
6. The button is finished.
   
   
If you wish, you may reduce the opacity of the type layer to obtain a slightly different effect.


7. Select File > Save a copy as (Photoshop 4 and 5) or File > Save for the Web (Photoshop 5.5) and save the image in JPEG format.