MIST AND STEAM
CREATE THE VAPOUR THAT TIES BOTH WORLDS TOGETHERTECHNIQUES CREATE ICE EFFECT TYPE
QUICK TIP
Clipping Masks are incredibly useful but creating
one is not immediately obvious. To perform a
Clipping Mask quickly, place the cutting object
layer below the image layer. Hold down Alt and
click the line between the two layers in the Layers
panel to clip the image to the cutting layer.A LAYER MASK ALWAYS PAYS ITS DEBTS
Adjustment layers are a brilliant way to change
the colours and levels of an image without
affecting the layer permanently, also known as
non-destructive editing. To adjust portions of the
layer rather than the entire thing, select the Layer
Mask in the Layers panel and use the Brush tool
(B) to paint in any areas that you do not want to be
affected by the adjustment layer. Using black will
eliminate the effects of the adjustment layer
completely, grey will partially remove the effects
of the adjustment layer and white will completely
reveal the effects of the adjustment layer.14
MAKE IT GLOSSY
The blue colour of the ice text is likely to be
too vibrant for the background. Play with the Hue
and Saturation settings, Image>Adjustments>Hue/
Saturation, for the ice text so that it appears natural
against the background. Create a new layer and
change the blending options to Vivid Light. Use a
Soft Round brush on a very low opacity setting to
paint over any areas of light on the ice text in white.
This will give the ice text a nice glossy and slightly
wet appearance.15
USE LOWLIGHTS
To make the ice text seem more
transparent we need to make the dark areas even
darker. Create a new layer and change the
blending options to Vivid Light. Use a Soft Round
brush on a very low opacity setting to paint over
any dark areas on the ice text in a deep navy or
black colour. Dab the brush in a random manner
rather than using long strokes so that the
lowlights seem natural and blend smoothly with
the highlights into the ice text layer.16
PAINT AREAS OF STEAM
Use a Soft Round brush (B) or a cloud brush
on a very low opacity setting to paint areas of steam
around the edges of the image. This will help to draw
the viewer’s eye towards the ice text. Use a brush
with an even lower opacity to paint some steam near
the ice text and then use the Eraser (E) on a Soft
Round brush setting to lightly delete the edges of the
17 steam so that it fades into the mist.ADD SOME EMBERS
To create embers rising from the magma,
create a new layer and use a Soft Round brush (B)
to paint some white dots around the letters. Don’t
forget to include some dots that emanate from the
ice text towards the edges of the image. This will
help draw the eye back to the text. Double-click on
the layer in the Layers Panel and select Outer
Glow. Set the colour of the Outer Glow to orange
and lower the opacity of the layer.18
FINISHING TOUCHES AND REVIEW
Zoom out using Cmd/Ctrl+0 so that entire image fits onto your screen. Check that you are happy
with the overall composition. As an optional extra, you might want to add some shattering ice shards
behind the text to add some dynamism to the image. This is created using the same steps as creating
the ice effects above. Finally, make sure that the magma background layer is not too overwhelming; it
should enhance the ice text layer, not compete with it.