Yerr it is too dark. But i think thats only cause he used neon glow, i think thats the filter. It is definately better than your first. I shouldn't rely entirely on one filter to make it look "awesome". A good piece is one that incorporates a variety of filters, and really good pieces are ones that rely on a select few, if any at all. For your second though its alright.
I suggest you go look for some beginner tuts to start off with. Maybe look at songkiparks guide thing. I would recommend you leave off the text for starters (optional, but I constantly see beginners never able to further themselves because they can't successfully pull off text).