wondering if someone knows a process to achieve these types off effects
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=303057&id=514240852&l=8d7564de1d
Some effects are more subtle then others - I am interested in techniques for both. My friend photographer says some pre-made psychodelic backgrounds are used and then the original image masked out and painted through. He also says there is probably a plugin that does this stuff automatically.
Ideas? Much appreciated.
Could be just masking, could also be a long exposure with a flash.
Yes. Many of those are in camera. Dragging the shutter with a flash.
I often get that same effect by accident 
how would the faces stay sharp, such as in this photo?
Drag the shutter, use a strobe. The strobe freezes the primary subject, and everything around him can still move as the ambient exposure balances.
See here:http://www.digitalphotoacademy.com/Home/ArticlesSearch/details/params/object/13836/default.aspx
Wurd. Essentially just a (relatively) long exposure - 1/8th second or whatever - with a flash triggered at the beginning or end of the exposure. Many cameras, even my old Canon G5, let you do this easily and can even select whether the flash fires at the beginning or end.
I can get even my piece of shit point and shoot (Canon powershot A470) to do it by setting the exposure compensation to -2 and forcing the flash.
LOOK HOW I AM ENJOYING TO PARTY
lols... fuck me that's a scary pic
very cool, I didn't know you could do it with point and shoot.
Now, I am out of luck, as the pictures I need to manupulate are already taken. Yes, I know, should have asked first!
Anything I can do to make it look similar? I am good with high level ideas. 
. Yes, that's me.
rawr
[edit] you could take highlights out of the image and motion blur sections and then overlay some lighting brushes such as:http://www.arsgrafik.com/light-streak-brushes/
more work obviously
rawr
You could take some new ones, sans primary subject, and mask them together. (knock her out the white bg, for starters)
Frankly, I think no matter what you do, it's going to take a bunch of handwork to get the layers to overlay properly.
I'll ponder some more though. Maybe I'm overlooking something.
So how did it come out?
can't retake the photos... already had to cook dinner for the photographer for the first shoot. Tried to play with Photoshop, not happy with the result. The background turns out ok, but can't "bleed" the lights onto the subject, which is the best part about the effect.
Not bad!
You could add a transparent layer above and just paint in some highlights to blur and bleed. Selectively mask as needed.
Not a bad result though!