"The time has come," The Walrus said, "To talk of many things: of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings, of why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings..."

Now, contrary to what you may suspect, that bit of manic wandering is not entirely without purpose, as these are the lines that usually come to mind when I begin to play with the myriad possibilities that can be achieved within "The Glow Effect."

Instructions will be given for all five styles shown below, but we'll start with the original "Green Glow" effect (shown in the title), which is at the core of all the others.

Don't be alarmed at the seeming length of the instructions-- the techniques are not complicated, but I believe in providing details. And for those who may wish to have these details readily available when it's time to try them out, a printer-friendly, bandwidth-benign, text-only page is also available. Keyboard enthusiasts, and those inclined in that direction, will note that the keyboard commands (when available) are provided to the right of the instructions.

Effect: GREEN GLOW:

1. Start by creating a New File, 24-Bit RGB, 300x100 pixels, 72dpi, with a WHITE background.

2. Click on your Text Tool and choose a font from your pull-down text menu. For the purpose of this exercise I've chosen "Arnold Bocklin," provided in the Corel 7 font bundle. (Almost any font with a reasonable amount of "body" will work well with these effects.)

Set the font size for 96. Double-click on your current Paint color and, in the "Search" box of your Paint Screen, type GRASS GREEN. (R=0 - G=153 - B=51) Click on "OK," and this will become your new Paint color.

3. Check to be certain that your "Preserve Image" button is engaged, and then type the word "Glow." Click on the Object Picker Tool, and the text will become an object.

4. Click on the "Align Objects" button, and click on "Align To Center of Page."

5. Click the "Create Mask" button. (Ctrl M)

6. Hit the "Delete" key to remove the text. You should now have an empty mask, in the shape of the word "Glow."

7. Click on Effects/Fancy/Glass.

8. After creating the following settings you'll be saving them as a preset. They are at the core of every effect variation that will be illustrated and described on this page, and the preset will allow you to access them instantaneously.

Bevel Width: 14
Smoothness: 30
Refraction: 70
Opacity: 50
Drop Off: Mesa
Color: Paint
Brightness: 65
Drop Off: 40
Direction: 120
Angle: 50

9. Click on the Preview button. The word "Glow" will appear as it does here in the preview window.. Click on "OK." Your text will now be green, with its "glow" edge extending beyond the boundaries of the mask.

10. Using your RIGHT mouse button, click on WHITE in your on-screen Color Palette, making it your Fill Color.

11. Click on Edit/Fill and, after choosing the Uniform Fill button (the one with the color wheel), click "OK." Your text will now be white with a soft green glow.

12. Click on the "Create Object" button. (Ctrl UpArrow)

13. Click on Object/Drop Shadow. Create the following settings:

Offset: Upper Right Quadrant
Horizontal: 1
Vertical: 0
Feather: 7
Opacity: 80
Direction: Middle
Edges: Curved 7
Color: Black Shadow

14. After the Dropshadow settings are made, click on "OK" to apply the new shadow.

15. Click on Objects/Combine/All Objects With Background. And with that, you have achieved the final image!

No, there's nothing enigmatic about them-- they're actually pretty straightforward, and a lot of fun to explore. Using many of the same steps given for the "Green Glow" effect-- to which we will now refer as the "Basic Instructions"-- it's possible to create any number of variations on this theme. You'll be surprised to discover all the things you can do. But to get you started, we'll offer a few here-- beginning with the "Cut Metal" effect.

Effect: CUT METAL:

1. Follow steps 1 through 7 in the Basic Instructions, but type the word "Metal" and double-click on your current Paint color to replace it with SKY BLUE. (R:0 - G:204 - B:255).

2. In the pop-up Glass screen, use the drop-down arrow and vertical slider bar at the Style setting to choose your previously created Preset "Glow."

3. Once the Preset has been chosen, click "OK." Your text will now be sky blue, with color spilling over beyond the borders of the mask.

4. With the text mask still in place, click on the "Create Object" button. (Ctrl UpArrow)

5. Click on Object/Dropshadow.

6. Re-create the settings given for the "Green Glow" dropshadow effect-- the same numbers and other variables are used here. Click "OK" to add the Dropshadow.

7. Click on Object/Combine/Combine All Objects With Background.

8. Click on Effects/Sharpen/Directional Sharpen. Adjust the setting to 50%, and click "OK."

And that's all there is to it!

Effect: SOFT:

1. Begin by following Basic Instructions steps 1 through 7, but type the word "Soft" and double-click on your current Paint color to replace it with BLUE PURPLE. (R:153 - G:0 - B:255)

2. In the pop-up Glass screen, use the drop-down arrow and vertical slider bar at the Style setting to choose your previously created Preset "Glow."

3. Once the Preset has been chosen, click "OK." Your text will now be blue purple, with color spilling over beyond the borders of the mask.

4. With the text mask still in place, click on Mask/Invert. (Ctrl I)

5. Click on the "Create Object" button. (Ctrl UpArrow)

6. Click on Object/Dropshadow. New settings will be called for here. Adjust the numbers and other variables to the settings given below.

Offset: Upper Right Quadrant
Horizontal: 2
Vertical: 0
Feather: 8
Opacity: 80
Direction: Outside
Edges: Curved
Color: White Shadow

And just like that, you have a softly glowing, gently rounded image.

Effect: SATIN PILLOW:

1. Follow all the instructions for the "Soft" effect-- every single one of them-- but type the word "Satin" and double-click on your current Paint color to replace it with PINK. (R:255 - G:153 - B:204)

2. Having once completed the steps necessary to create the "Soft" effect, click on Object/Combine/Combine All Objects With Background.

3. Then click on Effects/Sharpen/Find Edges. The Level should be 30, and the Edge Type should be Soft.

And that's it! When creating this effect, keep in mind that, regardless of the color you choose, the final effect will always be a pastel. The "Find Edges" command does not nicely lend itself to darker effects-- if you doubt me on this, try it for yourself.

As a general rule, when going for the "Satin" effect it's best to remain within the following ranges for your "Find Edge" settings: Dark Colors:15-30, Medium Colors:20-45, and Light Colors:40-80. Remember, too, that color can be misleading-- the actual tonal value of a color may be substantially higher or lower than the one at which it's likely to be visually assessed, so don't be afraid to experiment with the settings to find the one that's the most effective with the color you've chosen.

Achieving success with "Heavy Glass" is dependent upon one essential rule: of the two colors that will be combined, both must belong to the same basic family, and the first must be substantially lighter than the second.

So, although you're welcome to experiment with the possibilities of combining Purple and Orange, or anything else you may fancy, this effect is best achieved if you stick with combinations along the lines of Powder Blue/Navy Blue, Pale Yellow/Deep Yellow, Faded Pink/Neon Red, and so on. That said, have fun with it!

Effect: HEAVY GLASS:

1. Begin by following steps 1 through 7 in the Basic Instructions, but type the word "Glass" and double-click on your current Paint color to replace it with MARTIAN GREEN. (R:153 - G:204 - B:51)

2. In the pop-up Glass screen, use the drop-down arrow and vertical slider bar at the Style setting to choose your previously created Preset "Glow."

3. Once the Preset has been chosen, click "OK." Your text will now be yellow green, with color spilling over beyond the borders of the mask.

4. You will be using this mask again, so now is the time to save it as an alpha channel. Click on Mask/Save/Save As Channel. When the "Save" screen comes up, save the mask as "Glass."

5. Click on Mask/Invert. (Ctrl+i)

6. Click on the "Create Object" button. (Ctrl UpArrow).

7. Click on Objects/Dropshadow. With one exception, you will be using exactly the same Dropshadow settings you created for the "Soft" effect. The single exception will be a change of color for the Dropshadow itself. Instead of using the "White Dropshadow" setting, choose "Use Custom Color." Then click on the drop down Color Chart and choose "Others." In the "Search" box, type FOREST GREEN (R=0 - G=102 - B=51) and click "OK" to return to the Dropshadow Screen. The settings should now be as follows:

Offset: Upper Right Quadrant
Horizontal: 2
Vertical: 0
Feather: 8
Opacity: 80
Direction: Outside
Edges: Curved
Color: Use Custom Color (Forest Green)

9. Click on Objects/Combine/All Objects With Background.

10. Click on Mask/Load/Glass.

11. Click on WHITE in your on-screen Color Palette to make this your new Paint Color.

12. Click on Effects/Fancy/Glass. Your Preset, "Glow" will still be in place. Click on "OK" to apply the "Glow" effect, which will be created using the white paint. (Note: Regardless of the color combinations you choose to use in the future when creating this effect, always use WHITE at this point in the process.)

13. Click on the "Create Object" button. (Ctrl UpArrow) Do NOT invert the mask.

14. Click on Object/Dropshadow.

All the settings from step 7 will still be in place-- including the FOREST GREEN color-- and you should use them exactly as they are, with one exception: change your Vertical Offset setting from O to 1. Then click "OK" to apply the new Dropshadow.

15. Click on Object/Combine/All Objects With Background.

16. Final Step: Click on Effects/Sharpen/Unsharp Mask. Set the Percentage at 100 and the Radius at 20. Click on "OK."

And you've done it! Now, sit back and admire your handiwork, or try the same effect with some other Color/Font combinations, or move on to the next effect-- it's one I think you'll enjoy.

There's one more "glow" effect I'd like to offer, and although this one requires a bit more effort than the others you just might like to try it. Once again, it isn't difficult-- there are just quite a few steps involved. After you try this once or twice you may realize that there is what appears to be a shortcut that would render many of the steps unnecessary-- and I invite you to try it. (All the possibilities should be explored!) But when you do, I think you'll quickly recognize that the results just aren't as effective as those achieved by taking the long way around. The easiest way isn't always the best-- even when it appears to make the most sense. Now, to proceed:

Effect: LIGHT:

1. Follow steps 1 through 7 in the Basic Instructions, but with the following alterations: Type the word "Light" and, prior to clicking on the Object Picker Tool, adjust the Horizontal Character/Line Spacing to +5. You'll need the extra space between the characters. Then, double-click on your current Paint color to replace it with PALE YELLOW. (R=255 G=255 B=204) Continue with the other steps as previously described.

2. You will be creating a new Preset for your Glass settings. Adjust the settings to correspond with the following list:

Bevel Width: 9
Smoothness: 73
Refraction: 94
Opacity: 53
Drop Off: Mesa
Color: Paint
Brightness: 75
Sharpness: 50
Direction: 135
Angle: 50

Click on "OK" to apply the Preset.

3. Double-click on your current Paint color to replace it with PEACH. (R=238 - G=156 - B=104)

4. Click on Effects/3D Effects/Glass.

5. Click on "OK" to re-apply the Light Preset, placing a glass layer of PEACH over the existing PALE YELLOW.

6. The text mask will still be in place and, since you will be using it again, this is the time to save it as an alpha channel. Click on Mask/Save/Save As Channel. When the "Save" screen comes up, save the mask as "Light."

7. Click on the "Create Object" button. (Ctrl UpArrow)

8. Click on Objects/Dropshadow. Adjust the settings to correspond with the following list:

Offset: Upper Right Quadrant
Horizontal: 3
Vertical: 1
Feather: 10
Opacity: 80
Direction: Outside
Edges: Curved
Color: Use Custom Color (Pale Yellow)

Click on the drop down Color Chart and choose "Others." In the "Search" box, type PALE YELLOW (R=255 G=255 B=204), and click "OK" to return to the Dropshadow Screen. Once the settings are in place, click "OK" to apply the Dropshadow.

9. Click on Objects/Combine/All Objects With Background.

10. Click on Mask/Load/Light

11. Click on Mask/Invert. (Ctrl I)

12. Click on the "Create Object" button. (Ctrl UpArrow)

13. Click on Object/Dropshadow. The settings are already in place, as you will re-apply exactly the same dropshadow that you used in Step 7. The resulting image will look decidedly fuzzy, but don't become discouraged-- all is proceeding as it should.

14. Click on Objects/Combine/All Objects With Background.

15. Click on Mask/Load/Light

16. Click on Effects/3D Effects/Glass (I told you that this would take some effort!)

17. You will be re-applying the Light Preset, using the "Peach" color from the last application in Step 4. As the settings will all still be in place, just click on "OK" to apply the Preset.

18. Click on Mask/Invert. (Ctrl I)

19. Click on the "Create Object" button. (Ctrl UpArrow)

20. Click on Object/Dropshadow. Leave the settings as they are, and click on "OK"-- you are re-applying the same dropshadow you used in steps 7 and 12. (But I promise, this is the last time!)

21. Click on Objects/Combine/All Objects With Background.

22. Double-click on your current Paint color to replace it with PALE YELLOW. (R=255 G=255 B=204)

23. Click on Mask/Load/Light

24. Click on Effects/3D Effects/Glass (We're almost finished...)

25. Click on "OK" to re-apply the Light Preset-- this time using PALE YELLOW. 26. Click on Mask/Remove. (Ctrl D)

27. Click on Effects/Sharpen/Unsharp Mask. Set the Percentage at 100, the Radius at 20, and the Threshold at 0. Then click on "OK."

Congratulations-- the effect is complete!

For future reference, it should be noted that this is another of those effects that is best realized when the colors combined are contrasting but compatible, and the tonal values significantly differ. Another aspect to consider is that, although we've made use of a decorative font for this particular exercise, the Light Effect can wonderfully enliven the plainest of fonts-- try it sometime with Futura Md BT, and see what interesting things happen. (But always remember to provide some extra space between the characters, so they'll have the necessary room to grow!)

And the shortcut? Well, you can go directly from Step 1 (which covers Steps 1 through 7 in the Basic Instructons) to Step 17, and continue on from there. In this simplified version, you begin with the Peach glass, add one dropshadow, apply a Pale Yellow glass overlay, and sharpen-- that's it! The results are unquestionably similar to those achieved with the more-involved method, but they don't quite equal the depth, intensity, and texture that comes from the buildup of layers. Try the two methods side-by-side, and see which one you prefer.