# Making a light trace an object or text? **URL:** \ **Category:** flash\ **Created:** [October 8, 2002, 2:24am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463 "2002-10-08T02:24:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Bobcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@The\_Bobcat](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/The_Bobcat)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 2:24am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/1 "2002-10-08T02:24:14Z")
As on [this page here](http://www.skinzautowraps.com/main.html) at the top there is a light that traces the text. Anyone care to explain how this is done? Thanks all. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 3:33am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/2 "2002-10-08T03:33:00Z")
Just for info purposes, I know how to get the motion guid, just don’t know how to make the light! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 5:23am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/3 "2002-10-08T05:23:25Z")
the light is just a motion tween that probably uses a motion guide for its path… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 5:26am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/4 "2002-10-08T05:26:30Z")
I thinkhe meant how did they draw the ball of light, not how did they tween it. My best guess is a radial gradient. Go to Window/Color Mixer , select “Radial” from the drop down menu. Change the first block to white, and the last one to Alpha=0, slide the blocks to the settings you want then just use the circle tool and draw your area. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 5:44am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/5 "2002-10-08T05:44:16Z")
[size=1]there are tutes out there to teach you how to make lighting effects, etc. It’s basically just a gradient mask to create that effect as far as I can tell. I’ve never actually made something like that. I guess I should…hmmm /unflux :goatee:[/size] ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 6:29am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/6 "2002-10-08T06:29:26Z")
thanks all, and yes I know about tutes, I have read to many. ☹ Yeah I drew a couple of those radients along time ago but can’t get mine to look like his. But it still looks ok I guess. His looks great. Anyway thanks. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 6:34am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/7 "2002-10-08T06:34:21Z")
Well maybe it isn’t just 1 gradient. Maybe he has one type for the center color and beneath that he has the bigger circle with a different gradient to spread the color? Then he combines the 2. Just another one of my theories :-\ ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 6:41am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/8 "2002-10-08T06:41:25Z")
lostinbeta, I thought the same thing myself, but could never get it to look the same. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 6:55am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/9 "2002-10-08T06:55:58Z")
Hmmm, you should draw it in photoshop, export as a .png so it has partial transparency like an alpha setting, that takes up more file size, but if all else fails right? I still think it is done with gradients, just good planning with them. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/10 "2002-10-08T18:18:57Z")
yeah lostinbeta, I might try that in Photoshop and see what happens. thanks. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 6:20pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/making-a-light-trace-an-object-or-text/6463/11 "2002-10-08T18:20:29Z")
No problem 🙂