Fire Photography Effect

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a fire photography effect in Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop

Step 1: First, you will need to open an image of a photographer. Once you have done that, you will need to select and mask the image using the Quick Selection Tool so that the only thing visible is the photographer. Click OK to accept the final changes.

-Open Image of Photographer.

-Select the Photographer Using the Quick Selection Tool.

-Go to Select and Mask to Make Sure only the Photographer is Visible.

-Once finished, click OK to accept the final changes. Make sure to output the masked image to a new layer.

Step 2: Once you have finished with the masked image, create a duplicate of it. Make sure to create a new background layer and fill it with white.

-Create a duplicate of the masked image. You can do this by clicking and holding Ctrl and J.

-Create a new background layer and place it below the masked images. Make sure the BG is either black or white. You can do this by going to Edit>Fill. Change the contents of the BG to black or white. You can also select the paint bucket tool and use that to fill the BG with black or white.

Step 3: With the masked image selected, liquefy the image using the filter tab. This will distort the image and determine the effect size and impact.

-Select the masked image, and go to Filter>Liquefy to distort it. Make sure the masked image is the one that is duplicated, and make sure it is behind the original. Then, use the Liquefy Filter to distort the model outwards from the center.

Step 4: Create a mask for the photographer images.

-Create a layer mask for both the original photographer image and the distorted one. Make sure the distorted mask is black so that it is invisible. You can do this by holding Alt when clicking on the mask Make sure the original mask is white so it is visible.

Step 5: Use particle brushes to officially start creating the effect.

-For the original photographer, make sure the mask is selected and set the foreground color to black so that we can “remove” certain parts of the photographer (The particles will still be in the photo, but invisible). Using the Brush Tool, start masking the photographer using a particle brush to remove particles from the image.

-Do the same for the distorted image, but set the mask color of that layer to white to make the dispersed particles visible. Use the mixer brush to make the colors in the effect blend together. This step is optional but recommended so that the colors blend to make the effect more realistic.

Step 6: Use the Pen Tool to create flames.

-Select the Pen Tool and draw the outline of the flames you want to create. Once you have finished outlining the flames, go to Filter>Render, and select Flames so that the shapes look like fire. Make sure these flames are below the photographer.

-Once finished drawing the flames using the pen tool, make sure to delete the pathway lines by going to the Path tab and deleting the shape.

Step 7: Select an image of fire and place it into the photo.

-Open an image of fire, and use the Move Tool to place it into the photography image.

-With the fire image selected, set the blending mode to Screen so that it only affects the photographer and not the background. Decreasing the opacity of the fire image is optional if you want the fire to have less of an impact on the overall image.

Step 8: Create smoke in the image.

-Go to Filter>Render, and select Clouds. This will create an effect where we can see smoke in the image. Make sure to create a layer mask to remove certain areas of smoke.

-Then, set the blending mode to screen and reduce the opacity if needed to create a more subtle effect on the smoke.

Step 9: Add an adjustment layer.

-Add a Gradient Adjustment Layer, and set the colors to any desired hue of your preference. It’s recommended to use analogous colors or colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. In this tutorial, red and orange were used in the gradient, respectively. Set the blending of the gradient to overlay, and decrease the opacity.

Step 10: Insert a lens flare for the camera.

-Open an image of a lens flare and place it into the photography image.

-Set the blending of the image to Screen Mode. Add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer to the image. Clip it to the lens flare, and change the color to a bright hue that matches the color scheme of the photo. Hint: Use the Colorize feature in this adjustment layer so the lens flare matches the color you want to choose for it.

-Create a vignette effect. Add a Gradient Adjustment Layer. Make sure it goes from black to white or vice versa. Make sure the white color is completely transparent (0% Opacity). Choose the radial style. Scale it down as needed. You can also substitute the black color to a hue that matches the color scheme of the photo.

-Save the image as a PNG. Go to File>Export, then choose Quick Export as PNG. Save it to your computer, and click OK to accept any final changes.

Congratulations! You have successfully learned how to create a fire photography effect in Adobe Photoshop.