How do you adjust the color, density, and shape of smoke and fire effects in Photoshop?

1 Create a smoke brush

To create a smoke brush, you need to start with a black background and a white foreground. Use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to draw a circle on the canvas and fill it with white. Then, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 10 pixels. Next, go to Filter > Liquify and use the Forward Warp Tool to distort the edges of the circle. You can also use the Twirl Clockwise Tool and the Pucker Tool to create swirls and curls. Repeat the process with different sizes and shapes of circles until you have a variety of smoke patterns. Then, go to Edit > Define Brush Preset and name your smoke brush.

2 Create a fire brush

To create a fire brush, you need to start with a black background and a white foreground. Use the Lasso Tool to draw a jagged shape on the canvas and fill it with white. Then, go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and set the angle to 90 degrees and the distance to 40 pixels. Next, go to Filter > Distort > Pinch and set the amount to -100%. Repeat the process with different shapes and sizes until you have a variety of fire patterns. Then, go to Edit > Define Brush Preset and name your fire brush.

3 Apply the smoke brush

To apply the smoke brush, create a new layer and select your smoke brush from the Brush Tool. Adjust the size, opacity, and flow of the brush as needed. You can also use the Brush Settings panel to modify the shape dynamics, scattering, and transfer of the brush. Then, paint over the areas where you want to add smoke. You can use different colors and sizes of the brush to create depth and contrast. You can also duplicate the smoke layer and change the blending mode to Overlay or Screen to enhance the effect.

4 Apply the fire brush

To apply the fire brush, create a new layer and select your fire brush from the Brush Tool. Adjust the size, opacity, and flow of the brush as needed. You can also use the Brush Settings panel to modify the shape dynamics, scattering, and transfer of the brush. Then, paint over the areas where you want to add fire. You can use different colors and sizes of the brush to create intensity and variation. You can also duplicate the fire layer and change the blending mode to Linear Dodge or Color Dodge to enhance the effect.

5 Adjust the color

To adjust the color of the smoke and fire effects, you can use adjustment layers such as Hue/Saturation, Color Balance, or Gradient Map. These layers allow you to change the hue, saturation, brightness, contrast, and tone of the effects without affecting the original layers. You can also use layer masks to apply the adjustments selectively to specific areas of the effects. For example, you can use a Gradient Map adjustment layer with a black-to-white gradient to make the smoke more realistic, or a Gradient Map adjustment layer with a yellow-to-red gradient to make the fire more vibrant.

6 Adjust the density and shape

To adjust the density and shape of the smoke and fire effects, you can use filters such as Blur, Sharpen, Smudge, or Liquify. These filters allow you to alter the sharpness, smoothness, direction, and distortion of the effects without affecting the original layers. You can also use layer masks to apply the filters selectively to specific areas of the effects. For example, you can use a Blur filter to make the smoke more diffuse, or a Sharpen filter to make the fire more crisp. You can also use a Smudge filter to create motion and direction in the effects, or a Liquify filter to create curves and waves in the effects.