Open the RGB photo to which you want to apply a soft spotlight effect. In this example, I want to focus attention on the flowers by darkening the area around them. Next, press Ctrl-J to duplicate the Background layer.

SCOTT KELBY

Go under the Filter menu, under Render, and choose Lighting Effects. I have to tell you, if you haven’t used this filter before, it’s probably because its interface (with all its sliders) looks so complex, but luckily there are built-in presets (Adobe calls them “Styles”) that you can choose from, so you can pretty much ignore all those sliders. Once you ignore the sliders, the filter is much less intimidating, and you can really have some fun here. The small preview window on the left side of the dialog shows you the default setting, which is a large oval light coming from the bottom right-hand corner.

For this effect, we’re going to use a very soft, narrow beam, so go under the Style pop-up menu at the top of the dialog (this is where the presets are) and choose Flashlight.

Once you choose Flashlight, look at the preview window and you’ll see a small spotlight in the center of your image. Click on the center point (inside the circle) and drag the light into the position where you want it. If you want the circle of light a little bit larger, just click on one of the side points and drag outward. When you click OK, the filter applies the effect, darkening the surrounding area and creating the soft spotlight effect you see here.

If the Lighting Effect filter seems too intense, you can remedy it immediately after the fact by dragging the Opacity slider in the Layers palette to the left to reduce the effect of the filter. The farther you drag, the less the intensity of the effect. Then, while in the Layers palette, change the blend mode of this layer to Darken, so the flashlight effect doesn’t make the colors seem too saturated.

Before

After