In this tutorial I will explain how to create a burning flower using Adobe Photoshop CS3. I will also provide you with the psd source file at the end of the tutorial.
Completion time: 1-2 hours
Tools: Photoshop CS3
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Flames from Shutupandwhisper
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Fire from Ermbmx2
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Smoke from Falln-brushes
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Fire brush from Hidden-eddie
Hereâ€™s a preview of the final image.
Create a document in RGB color mode at 72 dpi. I made it 1680×1050 px. I made it a bit larger so I can add more stuff later if needed.
Grab the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and fill the background with black (#000000). We will work with fire and we will have bright colors, so a dark background will allow us to see better the shapes.
Go to Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options. Check the â€œOuter Glowâ€ checkbox, then click it. Set Blend Mode to Screen, Opacity to 75%, color to a bright red and Size to 24 px.
Check the â€œInner Glowâ€ box. Set the Blend Mode to Screen, Opacity to 75%, color to light orange, Choke to 5%, size to 13 px and Contour to a curve.
Check the â€œSatinâ€ box. Set Blend Mode to Normal, color to a dark red, Angle to 19 degrees, Distance to 11 px, size to 46 px and Contour to a choppy, random curve. Just draw one, it will do nicely.
Check the â€œColor Overlayâ€ box. Set Blend Mode to Normal, color to a light orange, Opacity to 100%.
This is how the image looks like after these effects.
Grab the Lasso Tool (L) and set its Feather to 30 px. Make a very rough selection of the flower.
Create a new layer (CTRL+SHIFT+N) and name it â€œGlow 1â€. Now grab the Paint Bucket Tool (G) and fill the new layer with a bright red. Make sure you click inside the selection. Then go to SelectÂ > Deselect (CTRL+D). Set the layer to Screen blending mode and set Opacity to 48% and Fill to 60%.
Go to Layer > Duplicate Layerâ€¦ (CTRL+J). Grab the Selection Tool (V), go to Edit > Free Transform (CTRL+T), hold ALT+SHIFT and click-drag one of the corners. Hit Enter. Set Opacity to 60%.
In the â€œLayersâ€ window (Window > Layers), drag the â€œGlow 1 copyâ€ below the â€œGlow 1â€ layer. Go to Layer > Layer Propertiesâ€¦ and name it â€œGlow 2â€.
Open the â€œFlames from Shutupandwhisperâ€. Select it (CTRL+A), copy it (CTRL+C) and paste it in our drawing (CTRL+V), behind the â€œflowerâ€ layer.
Go to Edit > Free Transformâ€¦ (CTRL+T) and resize it as you see fit. Then right-click > Flip Horizontal.
Select the â€œFlowerâ€ layer in the Layers window. Go to Layer > Duplicate layer. Create a new layer (CTRL=SHIFT+N), then select both this layer and â€œFlower copyâ€ layer and press CTRL+E to merge them.
Open another image from â€œFlames from Shutupandwhisperâ€. Select it (CTRL+A), copy it (CTRL+C) and paste it in our drawing (CTRL+V), behind the â€œflowerâ€ layer.
Go to Edit > Free Transform and make it smaller. Hit Enter. Now go to Edit > Transform > Warp and distort it to follow the shape of the flower.
Go to the Layers window and click the â€œAdd Layer Maskâ€ button. Then grab the Brush Tool and with a soft brush, paint over with black the unwanted parts.
Open the â€œFire from Ermbmx2â€. Select it (CTRL+A), copy it (CTRL+C) and paste it in our drawing (CTRL+V). In the Layers window (Window > Layers), set Blending Mode to Screen. Also set this layer behind the â€œflowerâ€ layer.
Place it like below, then go to Edit > Transform > Warp and distort it to match the shape of the flower.
Repeat STEPS 15,16,17 until the entire flower is covered.
Move some of the flames layer above the â€œflower copyâ€ layer, so it will appear as if the flame surrounds the flower on all sides.
Select a flame layer, then go to Image > Adjustments > Levels (CTRL+L) and adjust the shadows and the highlights. Move the black and white triangles around until you are satisfied with the result. Then do the same for all the flames.
Create a new layer (CTRL+SHIFT N) below the â€œflower copyâ€ layer and name it â€œsmokeâ€. Open the â€œSmoke from Falln-brushesâ€ and start adding some smoke. Use a light gray.
Select the â€œsmokeâ€ layer in the Layers window and click the â€œAdd layer mask button. Then grab your Brush Tool (B), select a soft brush and paint with black the unwanted areas. If you want to make faded areas, just reduce the Opacity and Flow of the brush. I’ve marked the areas where you should definitely mask the smoke.
Create a new layer (CTRL+SHIFT+N) and name it â€œheat waveâ€. Move it behind â€œflower copyâ€ layer. Set Opacity to 40% in the Layers window.
Open the â€œfire brush from Hidden-eddieâ€. Grab your Brush Tool (B) and make a large â€œflameâ€. Use a bright orange color.
Select the â€œheat waveâ€ layer from the layers window, then go to Filter > Liquify (CTRL+SHIFT+X). Select the â€œTwirl Clockwise Tool and make a large twirl. Hold ALT key to twirl counter-clockwise.
Create a new layer (CTRL+SHIFT+N), name it â€œsparksâ€ and place it behind â€œflameâ€ layerâ€. Open the Brushes palette (F5) and pick a small hard brush. Start adding small, random dots of different sizes and opacities. Use a bright, yellow color.
Select the top-most layer in the Layers window, then go to Layers > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast. Adjust the bars a bit till you get a bright, vivid fire. Done!
STEP 30 (optional)
Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation and place it below the top-most layer. Double-click its thumbnail in the Layers window, check the â€œcolorizeâ€ box and play around with the cursors.
The source file for this tutorial is available for download in the link below.
Source psd file: [Download not found]
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