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This tutorial was written for PSDFAN by Simon Hubbert. You can check out his DeviantArt page for more examples of his work.

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Final Image

As always, this is the final image that we’ll be creating:

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Images Used

The following images were used in the making of this tutorial:

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/85994
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1189018
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1063678
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/930455
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1139999

Step 1

Go to http://www.sxc.hu/photo/85994 and save the image to your computer. Now open up it up in Photoshop.

Go to Image and then Image Size and enter 1400 in the Width box.

Step 2

Duplicate the original layer and go to Image, Adjustments, Hue/Saturation and enter these settings.

Step 3

Go to http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1189018 and copy and paste this image into your document and name this layer fire. You’ll notice that it’s a tiny bit too big for your image so just re-size it so it fits your page.

Set the Layer Style for this layer to Screen. Now press Ctrl/Apple and T and then rotate and move the image so it looks like this. Make sure the start of the flame looks like it is coming out the mouth.

There are a couple of imperfections on the fire image so select the Eraser and use a small, soft edged brush to get rid of these areas.

Before:

After:

Step 4

Grab the Lasso Tool and select this area of the flames.

Now go to Edit, Transform, Warp. Warp the flames so they are in line with the nostrils. Now you can erase part of the flame so it looks like they are coming out the nose.

You might find when you warped it ‘drags’ away some of the flame from the rest of the picture so just select the clone stamp tool to get rid of any small black areas.

Again go to Edit, Transform, Warp and warp it so the flame looks like it’s rising slightly instead of going in a straight line.

Step 5

Now go to http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1063678, copy and paste that image into your document and name the layer Smoke. Again re-size it so it fits your page. Set the Layer Style for this layer to Screen and turn the smoke layer 90 degrees counter clockwise. Now move the smoke so the sharp edge on the right is slightly past the mouth.

With a soft edged brush erase out the smoke that is past the mouth so it looks like the smoke is coming out the mouth.

For the final part of this step go to Image, Adjustments and Desaturate the Smoke layer.

Step 6

Download this image http://www.sxc.hu/photo/930455 and name this layer Smoke 2.

Desaturate this layer and then place this image so the smoke trail starts at the mouth.

Change the layer style to Screen.

Step 7

Next copy and paste this image into your document http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1139999 and name it Spray. Again re-size it so it fits your page and set the Layer Style to Screen. Now we want to erase the big water droplet and the smaller one on the right.

Grab a large soft edged brush and erase those parts out. Put this image into the middle of the picture so the spray is coming out the mouth. I then used the Clone Stamp tool quickly with a large, soft edged brush to add a bit more spray.

This is how your image should be looking like so far.

Step 8

Add a new layer, name it Light and fill the image with the colour black. Go to Filter, Render and Lens Flare and use these settings.

Now erase most of this layer with a large, soft edged brush leaving only the brightest part of the flare.

Move the flare so it is in the mouth. This is what your image should look like.

Set the Layer Style to Colour Dodge.

Step 9

This step will add a little bit more ‘pazzaz’ to the fire and smoke.

Add another new layer, press D on your keyboard to reset your colour palette and then go to Filter, Render, Clouds. Now set the Layer Style for this layer to Overlay and grab a large, soft edged eraser and erase over the face.

Step 10

Again add a new layer on top of everything and select a large, soft edged brush and brush over this area of the face in the colour black.

Before:

After:

Step 11

On your background copy layer select the Lasso Tool and select this area of the face. This selection does not have to be neat and tidy!

Now copy and paste this selection (Ctrl/Apple + C to copy and then press Ctrl/Apple + V to paste) so you have a new layer with what you selected. Name this layer Heat Simmer and then go to Filter, Distort, Ripple and enter 150 in the dialog box. This will create a nice heat simmer effect.

And We’re Done!

That’s the tutorial finished! I hope you’ve enjoyed it and learnt something useful from this.

If you want to view the full sized final image, then click here:

FULL SIZED FINAL IMAGE.

Don’t forget! If you want access to the downloadable .PSD file for this, and every other tutorial at PSDFAN, then join our members area for just $4.95 per month.