196
1
Begin by making a new layer. Paint a random shape in
white, using a soft-edged brush. All we’re after at this
stage is a shape with some slight variation in density. Because
we’re painting with white, it helps to have a black background
so we can see it more clearly.
4
Now, with the transparency still locked, set the
foreground and background colors to the default black
and white (use the d key to do this). Apply the Clouds filter
again. All the color will have been lost: but we’ll get that back
in the next step.
T
HERE ARE MANY WAYS TO MAKE
explosions in Photoshop: the controlled
example in this illustration for the magazine
PC Pro, above, uses a variety of techniques.
Elsewhere, we’ve looked at using fireworks
to give the impression of a destructive
explosion. Here’s another method, which is
good for making fireballs: it’s easy to create,
and is a curious process which doesn’t really
make sense until the final step of the operation.
Making fire without smoke
IMAGE: COREL
7
SHORTCUTS
MAC WIN BOTH
197
2
Use the Smudge tool, set to a soft brush at about 70%
opacity, to streak out the mass of white from the center.
Try not to let the streaks waver too much: each one should
look as if it’s radiating directly from the middle of the object.
3
Now lock the transparency of the layer, by pressing /.
Set the foreground color to yellow, and the background
color to red. Now choose Filter > Render > Clouds, which will
add a random texture of red and yellow to our object. Repeat
the filter, if you like, until you achieve a pleasing effect.
6
On its own, the explosion works well enough; but it
really comes into its own when we place it on a suitable
background. Here, we have the effect of a powerful airburst
exploding over a nighttime city.
5
Before you do anything else, apply the Fade command
to that last filter by pressing SCf SLf.
From the resulting dialog, choose Linear Light. This is a layer
mode we haven’t looked at before: it produces a harsher
version of the Hard Light mode.
HOT TIP
Because the
Clouds filter
produces a
random texture,
there’s no way to
control its effect.
All we can do is
apply the filter a
number of times,
until we’re happy
with the result.
Remember, you
can hold O A
as you choose the
filter to apply its
effect in a tighter
pattern.
How to Cheat in Photoshop CC
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