MASTER RENDER FLAME
16
SHARPEN
Save your PSD. Once you have saved it select Layer>Flatten Image. Make a duplicate copy of the
flattened image by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+J. Select your top layer. Next select Filter>Sharpen> Unsharp Mask.
Adjust the sliders as needed based on file size. While still on the top layer, select Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal
All. You can then use a Soft brush set to black to remove the sharpening from any areas you don’t want it. You
can also use the opacity to pull down the sharpening over the entire image.17
ADD GRAIN
Lastly add grain. Create a new layer above
your sharpened image. Hold down Shift and click
Delete. Choose Fill with 50% Gray. Change the
blending mode of this layer to Soft Light. Next
select Filter>Noise>Add Noise. The size of your
image will determine the amount you use. Choose
Uniform and leave Monochromatic unselected.
Once you apply, hold down Cmd/Ctrl+U. Then pull
down the Saturation to -85%. Leaving a little colour
in the grain will make it look more natural. Make
sure to do this step at full zoom. You can adjust the
opacity if it feels like it’s too much. Save your PSD
with all layers intact.18
SAVE IT
You can save the image several different ways depending on its use. If
you are going to use a good quality printing lab you can leave the image in Adobe
RGB and select File>Save As. Save the file as a JPEG or TIFF. If you are planning
on using a low-end printer or saving for online use you want to convert to SRGB.Select Edit>Convert to Profile. Choose Working RGB. Save it the same way as
before. For online use it’s good to scale it down before saving. Select
File>Automate>Fit Image. Do a width of 2048 pixels and a height of 2048 pixels.
Save it as a JPEG, and put it in a separate folder so you know it’s for online use.VISUAL HELP
Sometimes techniques like Render Flame are hard to grasp in written form. A video or visual
explanation can sometimes help. Brendon Cawood has created a video tutorial to go along with the
Render Flame portion of this tutorial. You can find it by going to his website http://www.brandoncawood.com
and clicking on the video tutorials page. You will find videos that go into further depth explaining how to
incorporate the fire elements as well as colour grading.