The Professional Photoshop Book - Volume 7 2015

Master lighting in composites

The Professional Photoshop Book 91

19

WORK ON THE FIRE

We are almost there! In this step we will

add the fire blurring effect. Duplicate all the layers

• Select All then press Cmd/Ctrl+J and make it all a
  single layer (Cmd/Ctrl+E). After that, go to the Filter
  Gallery (Filter>Filter Gallery) and apply the Glass
  filter (Filter Gallery>Distort>Glass). After that, make
  a mask to erase the effects on the superhero’s face.
  The idea of this mask is to leave this blurring effect
  smooth and real.

16

DARKEN THE SCENE

We need to darken some parts of the

scene, including the sky and the base of the rocks.

This step is very important in order to highlight that

the main focal point of the image is the superhero

and the fire. For that you have to create a new layer

(Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N) and use the Brush tool to paint

it black. To make the light more realistic, change the

blend mode from Normal to Soft Light.

20

FINISH THE FIRE HERO

Create a final adjustment layer (Cmd/Ctrl+

G) so the result is more vibrant and harmonised.

For that you have to use the High Pass filter

(Filter>Other>High Pass) and Brightness and

17

ADD SMOKE EFFECTS

Now let’s make the strength of our super

hero more evident, and add more details to the

cracks on the ground. For this, create a new layer

(Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N) and use the Brush tool to go

over the lines of lava in white. Once you have done

that change the layer blend mode from Normal to

Overlay. It is important that you choose a smooth

brush to make the outline. This effect will make

your image smoky. It may be a small detail, but it

is very important.

18

INTENSIFY THE GLOW

To intensify the fire colour on the clothes

and face, create a new layer (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N) and

with the Brush tool make a smooth circle in yellow

with 30% Opacity and change the blend mode from

Normal to Overlay. Note that many lighting details

are made with the combination of a brush and a

blend mode, so it’s very important to have a good

technical knowledge of the Photoshop tools.

Note that many lighting

details are made with

the combination of a brush

and the blend mode

Contrast tools. As we are working with warm

colours, you should enforce the lights and

shadows of our super hero, for this use the Burn

and Dodge tools. Be careful not to overdo it.

Before

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