Creating a "Light Sabre" in Photoshop

Create the object you wish to make the light sabre. Use the Pen tool to create a simple straight path. This will provide the structure for the "light" ...

Now, set a soft-edged brush to the appropriate size to be the thickness you need for the sabre.

Now, you'll use the Stroke Path command to paint the sabre. The Stroke Path command allows you to create a paint stroke (using the current settings for your painting tools) that follows any path.

Start a new layer. When you stroke a path, the color values appear on the active layer. Make sure the layer you want is active before beginning.

1. Select the path in the Paths palette (Cmd/click or Ctrl/click).
2. Click the Stroke Path button at the bottom of the Paths palette. Each click of the Stroke Path button builds up the opacity of the stroke and in some cases makes it look thicker.

To stroke a path and specify options:

1. Select the path in the Paths palette.
2. Select the painting or editing tool you want to use to stroke the path.
3. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Stroke Path button at the bottom of the Paths palette. (Or, Choose Stroke Path from the Paths palette menu.)

There's the sabre.

To create the aura surrounding the sabre, duplicate the layer. Now select the bottom most sabre

Ctrl/click (Mac: Cmd/click) the layer to select the sabre
Choose: Select > Modify > Expand Selection
... and expand it to approximate the amount of aura you desire.

Fill the new, thicker, sabre with the desired aura color.
Click Okay.

Drop the selection and choose: Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur

Adjust the slider until the aura is as you wish.

Presto... Light Sabre

And, may the force be with you.