Antisocial Anomaly
12-06-2004, 02:03 PM
DYNAMIC FIRE TUTORIAL (FLAMETHROWER TUTORIAL)
IMPORTANT: YOU NEED A PRESSURE-SENSITIVE GRAPHICS TABLET FOR THIS TUTORIAL.
Click on the thumbnails for a full size picture. Sorry about the file size... :poke: EDIT: My girlfriend doesn't like popups. Warning: ImageShack has popups. Just a heads up. (I didn't know; I have a popup blocker)
For the tutorial, I'm using the Wacom tablet. I'm not sure if it's even possible to do this with a mouse, but I'm sure someone else can tip in and make a mouse-based tutorial.
I'll be working on an old DP 1Ghz G4, but it's got a good 1.25Gbs of RAM that I reserved exclusively for working with Photoshop. I like to work in Photoshop 7, because the file handling is a little more reliable than Photoshop CS, but either should work fine. Anything below 7, though, and I'm not familiar with the compatibility.
OK, I'm going to try and give a couple tips on getting some pretty good flamethrower fire. Probably not the best flamethrower, but it is a pretty satisfying effect, and it's been a great help to me to have learned how to do all of this.
Now, first thing to remember is that this fire effect doesn't always work out perfectly. Elements such as source, background, filter randomization, and most of all, skill level in Photoshop, can make or break how well your fire turns out. However, this is my most reliable method, and it becomes more reliable with practice. SO, remember: Practice makes perfect.
STEP 1: SETTING UP
My canvas is 1000 x 1000 pixels, 300DPI, Image Mode RGB. I work with much, much larger pictures usually: The sample I'll show you later was over 9000 pixels wide at 300DPI when I made it.
First, for sample purposes I'd like to work with 50% gray (Hex: 808080) as a background. You can use whatever you'd like, but a medium or dark shade works best with the fire effect.
BRUSHES
Select the brush pictured below (it's a standard brush, if you select Text Only, it will be called Chalk 23 Pixel). Increase it to whatever size you need. I'm using 250pixel brush size, which seems to work best for this.
http://img69.exs.cx/img69/5038/s4z1athebrush.th.jpg (http://img69.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img69&image=s4z1athebrush.jpg)
Go to Windows-->Brushes (or click on the tab) and click Shape Dynamics. Just put the Size Jitter, Angle Jitter, and Roundness Jitter up to 100%. Leave minimum roundness at 25%.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/442/j5l1bshapedynamics.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=j5l1bshapedynamics.jpg)
Stay in the Brushes window, and click on Scattering. Scatter 50%, Both Axes, Count 1, Count Jitter 100%
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/5452/k0d1cscattering.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=k0d1cscattering.jpg)
Stay in the Brushes window, and click on Texture. Select the Mercury texture, click Invert on, click Texture Each Tip on, Scale: 250%, Mode: Multiply, and have the depth at 100%. Leave the control off.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/3715/z5t1dtexture.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=z5t1dtexture.jpg)
OK, now...SAVE THIS BRUSH. Name it whatever you like. It's very convenient, and I'm sure you don't want to do all of that again.
STEP 2: THE BASE
Start a new layer over the background, blending mode Normal. Name it if you want; I don't bother naming mine, but it helps sometimes.
Pick a source on the canvas. If you want, make a new layer on top of everything else, and put some black guidelines down. Remember: We're trying to make dynamic flamethrower-esque fire, so there's two important things: Source and Spread. Try to figure these out pretty early on. Here's an example of what I mean:
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/2701/t0h1edynamix.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=t0h1edynamix.jpg)
Set your paint color to #A53535 or a similar color.
Now, with your tablet pen, paint the base of the flames using the custom brush. Remember that the source should have a smaller stream, that expands outwards. Due to the texture we're using, if there are any noticeable gaps in the main part of the fire, use a standard soft brush to cover them up. Try to make this layer as solid as possible, with only the edges resembling the textures. Feel free to switch brush sizes (you can use [ or ]) Remember: This will be the shape of the flames that you want, so make sure you're happy with the shape before you continue any further. Then, take the eraser, choose the custom brush, set opacity to 20% or lower, and touch up the edges to make them look more randomized. Don't completely erase anything, and make sure the source is still finely depicted (no fading).
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/8255/l9c2baselayer.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=l9c2baselayer.jpg)
STEP 3-5: FANNING THE FLAMES
The following steps are bunched together because it's the same process, over and over again.
Now start a new layer. Set it to Color Dodge. Keep the paint color the same. Paint over the flames, making sure to keep the original shape intact. Make this mass a little smaller than the base, but not too much smaller. Also, don't try to make the colors too solid. Go over once or twice, so that the texture shows out pretty well. The color dodge tends to show up bright pink on the background, and a little bit is desirable, but don't let too much pink show.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/2660/i5j3layertwo.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=i5j3layertwo.jpg)
Start ANOTHER new layer, set it to Color Dodge, and this time, set your paint color to #49A000 or similar color. This is like a neon green color, and just so you know, YES, this is the color I want you to use. Do what you did with the previous layer, only this time try to get the green as close to the edge of the base layer without going outside the base layer. Fire is not green, usually, so use the eraser with the custom brush to make sure no green is showing. Notice this layer shows up yellow on the base layer, and orange on the pink layer. This is desirable.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/7151/q4m4layerthree.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=q4m4layerthree.jpg)
Start yet another new layer, make it Normal, (The color I picked will be the same color even in color dodge, so it's useless to bother with layer blending modes here), and set the paint color to #FAFA06 or similar. Do the same thing as before, only smaller. This should be the smallest and inner mass of the flames. For this reason, we need to make an innermost color of the innermost color. Change the paint color to pure white (#FFFFFF) and go over the very inside of the yellow.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/695/x0w5finallayer.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=x0w5finallayer.jpg)
STEP 6: FINE TUNING
Now, it's time to even further randomize the edges.
Run Filter-->Distort-->Ripple.
Amount: 100%
Size: Large
Do this for each of the three layers (not the base).
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/7426/m1d6apostripple.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=m1d6apostripple.jpg)
But we're not quite done yet. The source is a little too puffy, so let's pull out the Smudge Tool, and in start smudging the fire away from the source, with the source being the smallest point, and the main mass of fire being the largest point. Do this in order from Base to Final Layer. I chose to do this after the ripples, for the best effect.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/2244/w8a6bpostsmudging.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=w8a6bpostsmudging.jpg)
Umm...that's that. Please excuse my half-assed reproduction of Kirby.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/5318/d6qfinalkirby.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=d6qfinalkirby.jpg)
If you want to see how good the flamethrower effect works in an actual picture, here's a piece from a huge commissions project I did over the summer:
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/1876/z4gfiretutorialsampl.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=z4gfiretutorialsampl.jpg)
And that's all. Sorry for the huge images, I probably should have shrunk them a bit.
IMPORTANT: YOU NEED A PRESSURE-SENSITIVE GRAPHICS TABLET FOR THIS TUTORIAL.
Click on the thumbnails for a full size picture. Sorry about the file size... :poke: EDIT: My girlfriend doesn't like popups. Warning: ImageShack has popups. Just a heads up. (I didn't know; I have a popup blocker)
For the tutorial, I'm using the Wacom tablet. I'm not sure if it's even possible to do this with a mouse, but I'm sure someone else can tip in and make a mouse-based tutorial.
I'll be working on an old DP 1Ghz G4, but it's got a good 1.25Gbs of RAM that I reserved exclusively for working with Photoshop. I like to work in Photoshop 7, because the file handling is a little more reliable than Photoshop CS, but either should work fine. Anything below 7, though, and I'm not familiar with the compatibility.
OK, I'm going to try and give a couple tips on getting some pretty good flamethrower fire. Probably not the best flamethrower, but it is a pretty satisfying effect, and it's been a great help to me to have learned how to do all of this.
Now, first thing to remember is that this fire effect doesn't always work out perfectly. Elements such as source, background, filter randomization, and most of all, skill level in Photoshop, can make or break how well your fire turns out. However, this is my most reliable method, and it becomes more reliable with practice. SO, remember: Practice makes perfect.
STEP 1: SETTING UP
My canvas is 1000 x 1000 pixels, 300DPI, Image Mode RGB. I work with much, much larger pictures usually: The sample I'll show you later was over 9000 pixels wide at 300DPI when I made it.
First, for sample purposes I'd like to work with 50% gray (Hex: 808080) as a background. You can use whatever you'd like, but a medium or dark shade works best with the fire effect.
BRUSHES
Select the brush pictured below (it's a standard brush, if you select Text Only, it will be called Chalk 23 Pixel). Increase it to whatever size you need. I'm using 250pixel brush size, which seems to work best for this.
http://img69.exs.cx/img69/5038/s4z1athebrush.th.jpg (http://img69.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img69&image=s4z1athebrush.jpg)
Go to Windows-->Brushes (or click on the tab) and click Shape Dynamics. Just put the Size Jitter, Angle Jitter, and Roundness Jitter up to 100%. Leave minimum roundness at 25%.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/442/j5l1bshapedynamics.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=j5l1bshapedynamics.jpg)
Stay in the Brushes window, and click on Scattering. Scatter 50%, Both Axes, Count 1, Count Jitter 100%
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/5452/k0d1cscattering.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=k0d1cscattering.jpg)
Stay in the Brushes window, and click on Texture. Select the Mercury texture, click Invert on, click Texture Each Tip on, Scale: 250%, Mode: Multiply, and have the depth at 100%. Leave the control off.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/3715/z5t1dtexture.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=z5t1dtexture.jpg)
OK, now...SAVE THIS BRUSH. Name it whatever you like. It's very convenient, and I'm sure you don't want to do all of that again.
STEP 2: THE BASE
Start a new layer over the background, blending mode Normal. Name it if you want; I don't bother naming mine, but it helps sometimes.
Pick a source on the canvas. If you want, make a new layer on top of everything else, and put some black guidelines down. Remember: We're trying to make dynamic flamethrower-esque fire, so there's two important things: Source and Spread. Try to figure these out pretty early on. Here's an example of what I mean:
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/2701/t0h1edynamix.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=t0h1edynamix.jpg)
Set your paint color to #A53535 or a similar color.
Now, with your tablet pen, paint the base of the flames using the custom brush. Remember that the source should have a smaller stream, that expands outwards. Due to the texture we're using, if there are any noticeable gaps in the main part of the fire, use a standard soft brush to cover them up. Try to make this layer as solid as possible, with only the edges resembling the textures. Feel free to switch brush sizes (you can use [ or ]) Remember: This will be the shape of the flames that you want, so make sure you're happy with the shape before you continue any further. Then, take the eraser, choose the custom brush, set opacity to 20% or lower, and touch up the edges to make them look more randomized. Don't completely erase anything, and make sure the source is still finely depicted (no fading).
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/8255/l9c2baselayer.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=l9c2baselayer.jpg)
STEP 3-5: FANNING THE FLAMES
The following steps are bunched together because it's the same process, over and over again.
Now start a new layer. Set it to Color Dodge. Keep the paint color the same. Paint over the flames, making sure to keep the original shape intact. Make this mass a little smaller than the base, but not too much smaller. Also, don't try to make the colors too solid. Go over once or twice, so that the texture shows out pretty well. The color dodge tends to show up bright pink on the background, and a little bit is desirable, but don't let too much pink show.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/2660/i5j3layertwo.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=i5j3layertwo.jpg)
Start ANOTHER new layer, set it to Color Dodge, and this time, set your paint color to #49A000 or similar color. This is like a neon green color, and just so you know, YES, this is the color I want you to use. Do what you did with the previous layer, only this time try to get the green as close to the edge of the base layer without going outside the base layer. Fire is not green, usually, so use the eraser with the custom brush to make sure no green is showing. Notice this layer shows up yellow on the base layer, and orange on the pink layer. This is desirable.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/7151/q4m4layerthree.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=q4m4layerthree.jpg)
Start yet another new layer, make it Normal, (The color I picked will be the same color even in color dodge, so it's useless to bother with layer blending modes here), and set the paint color to #FAFA06 or similar. Do the same thing as before, only smaller. This should be the smallest and inner mass of the flames. For this reason, we need to make an innermost color of the innermost color. Change the paint color to pure white (#FFFFFF) and go over the very inside of the yellow.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/695/x0w5finallayer.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=x0w5finallayer.jpg)
STEP 6: FINE TUNING
Now, it's time to even further randomize the edges.
Run Filter-->Distort-->Ripple.
Amount: 100%
Size: Large
Do this for each of the three layers (not the base).
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/7426/m1d6apostripple.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=m1d6apostripple.jpg)
But we're not quite done yet. The source is a little too puffy, so let's pull out the Smudge Tool, and in start smudging the fire away from the source, with the source being the smallest point, and the main mass of fire being the largest point. Do this in order from Base to Final Layer. I chose to do this after the ripples, for the best effect.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/2244/w8a6bpostsmudging.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=w8a6bpostsmudging.jpg)
Umm...that's that. Please excuse my half-assed reproduction of Kirby.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/5318/d6qfinalkirby.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=d6qfinalkirby.jpg)
If you want to see how good the flamethrower effect works in an actual picture, here's a piece from a huge commissions project I did over the summer:
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/1876/z4gfiretutorialsampl.th.jpg (http://img72.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img72&image=z4gfiretutorialsampl.jpg)
And that's all. Sorry for the huge images, I probably should have shrunk them a bit.