Scan Line Effect

A simple tutorial suitable for beginners to add a scan line effect to any image.

First, open up the

image that you want to apply the scan lines to. Next start a new image, this will be
for the scan line pattern. For the purpose of the tutorial make it 2x2 pixels, you can
obviously experiment yourself with different sizes. When you create the image, set
the backgroun to be transparent.

Zoom in quite a lot

until the transparent background looks really obvious then take the mask too and
mask off the top two pixels. Now go to Edit > Fill and fill those selected pixels black
(or any other color). Now remove the selection/mask (CTRL+D in windows), and go
to Edit > Define Pattern. A box should appear with your small 2x2 image with a
prompt for you to enter a pattern name, just call it something appropriate to you and
press ok.

Now select your

original image that you want to add the scan lines to and go to Edit > Fill, in the box
that appear select Use: Pattern. Your pattern that you saved should be selectable
from the custom patterns drop down box which appears. Select that and click ok.
And voila... You should have a scan line effect applied to your image.
 If you are just seeing
the pattern, that you probably did not set the 2x2 image as transparent in the
beginning, or masked all of the area of the 2x2 image instead of just the top two
pixels.

This tutorial is written by : Rich

If you have any questions or comments regarding this tutorial please post it in this
thread
http://forum.teamphotoshop.com/showthread.php?t=26653
Scan Lines

This effect is a cliché… yet nothing says ‘high-tech’ like some scan lines. As an
added bonus… make it green and glowy (like the Matrix)… clients love that. No
really they do (PLEASE make it stop). But since bad taste won’t change your
deadline… lets at least learn the fastest way of pulling of this effect.

1. In Photoshop, make a new document that is 10 pixels tall and 1 pixel wide.

2. With the Rectangular Marquee, select the top five pixels.

3. Fill with a color of your choice or black (how boring).

4. Choose Select>Inverse then fill with a second color or white.

5. Choose Select>All.

6. Create a pattern by choosing Edit>Define Pattern. Give the pattern a descriptive

name.
7. Create a new document that matches your video frame size.

8. Choose Edit>Fill and select Pattern. Navigate to the pattern you created.

9. Soften the image slightly by blurring it at a low value.

10. Save your Scan Lines as a file for Import into After Effects.

11. Import the scan lines into After Effects and place it over your footage.

12. Adjust its blending mode to taste (remember Shift+= is a fast way to
experiment). You may want to lower the opacity as well.

13. Place an Adjustment Layer on Top and apply a blur such as Effect>Blur>Fast
Blur.

14. Blend the blurred layer to taste slightly to create a glow. Setting it to Soft Light at
40% Opacity often works well.

15. If you’re Keanu-loving client insists, add second adjustment layer.

16. Apply the Colorama effect by choosing Effect>Image Control>Colorama.

17. Under the Output Cycle, choose Ramp Green (RGB creates a nice Infrared
Effect and Fire can create a nice old-school amber monitor look).

18. Change the Colorama layer’s blending mode to Hue (or experiment with other
modes and opacity settings).

19. Take the red pill (or blue… your choice).