How would I create a "glowing" image like this in Gimp/Photoshop?

Question

I recently saw the below wallpaper, which appears to have been created from this base image:

(Apparently the wallpaper is "glowing", like a fast-moving neon light).

I have some cartoony drawings which I would like to convert to a similar format. I have access to Photoshop if there is a filter out there that would do it, or Gimp, ImageMagick, Paint.net, etc if there are some basic steps I could follow.

Answer 1

Extract contours by colour or intensity (see how-to select by histogram range). Invert them and add some glow. You can use motion blur or smudge tool to make it appear more dynamic. Put the glowing light above the original, add dark background, experiment with blending modes.