Follow along with this step-by-step tutorial. You can download the example file here. (Note: Images are only to be used for this tutorial. Image by © Robert Vanelli)

There are different lighting tricks to make a subject stand out from a background. One technique is to add a grid to a light and face it toward the background behind the subject. The grid will produce a spotlight effect to separate the subject from the background.

In this tutorial, we will simulate a natural looking spotlight effect by using a combination of Luminar’s Brightness/Contrast and Top & Bottom Lighting filters, then applying a filter mask to separate the subject from the background, making them stand out.

Simulating a spotlight

Step 1: Brightness/Contrast Filter
Over brighten the background by applying a Brightness/Contrast filter by scrolling down to the bottom of the Filter Catalog to the Utility section and select the Brightness/Contrast Filter. Pay attention only to the background and apply the settings of 60% for Brightness and -40% for Contrast. (A negative contrast value will produce a smoother background.) At this point, the subject will look too bright, that’s okay, we are only concern with the background. 
Step 2: Selectively apply a Radial Mask
To apply the over brighten background effect to a selective area, click the Brightness/Contrast Filter brush (next to the  Brightness/Contrast Filter) and select Radial Mask. Click and drag to draw a circle around the subject’s face and shoulders. Click the Done button in the Top Tool Bar to apply the mask.

Adjusting the Mask

Step 3: Feather the spotlight effect
To blend the spotlight effect with the background, click the Brightness/Contrast Filter brush and select Brush. Click Mask and choose the Feather option from the drop-down list. Adjust the slider to a value of 130. The edges of the mask will softly blend with the background.
Step 4: Selectively remove the spotlight
The subject’s face looks too bright from the spotlight effect. To selectively remove the effect, click the Erase button. Keep the Opacity at 50%, Softness at 100, and brush out the effect on the subject’s face, shoulders and chest area. As a guide, click the Mask visibility icon — it looks like an eye. Areas in ruby red represent the Mask. Click the Done button to apply the Mask. 

Drawing attention the subject’s face

Step 5: Top & Bottom Filter
To focus more attention on the subject’s face, darken the lower half of the image by selecting the Top & Bottom Filter under the Utility section of the Filter Catalog. Change the default settings of Bottom to -27 and Rotation to 14. This will darken the image on a slight angle to match the subject’s body position. 

Previewing the Results

To compare the original and processed image, click the Quick Preview button on the Top Tool Bar. You can also use keyboard shortcut (\) Backslash to toggle between the views.

In a few simple steps, we were able to use Luminar’s filters to apply a spotlight effect behind the subject to make them stand out.