A_P_TPC_Vol11_2015_

MASTER RENDER FLAME

BRANDON CAWOOD

http://www.brandoncawood.com

@brandon_cawood

OUR EXPERT

Brandon Cawood is a commercial and

advertising photographer from Georgia,

USA. He specialises in high-energy

composites and does his own retouching

and Photoshop work.

SOURCE FILES

Check out FileSilo for an alternative

background, fire, clouds and spark

images for personal use images. Use

them to assist and enhance your own

Render Flame images.

LEARN HOW TO USE THIS NEW FILTER TOOL WITH YOUR OWN FIRE

AND FLAME ELEMENTS ALONG THE PATHS YOU CREATE

MASTER

RENDER FL AME

W

hat if Photoshop had the potential to

deliver composite elements at the

touch of a button? What if you didn’t

have to spend extra time shooting

elements like fire and sparks, or scouring the

Internet for stock images?

Not only has Photoshop given us the ability

render our own trees in past editions, but now in

Photoshop CC 2014 we are able to use the new

Render Flame filter to create our own fire elements

SKETCH, PLAN AND PROCESS

BE SURE TO CONSIDER LIGHTING WHEN SHOOTING YOUR IMAGES

from scratch. In this tutorial we will show you how

easy it is to create your own flames, sparks and

other fire elements straight from your imagination.

To get the most from this tutorial, an average to

advanced understanding of layers, blending modes,

and the Pen tool will definitely prove to be beneficial.

Discover how to take it one step further by not

only using the Render Flame technique, but also

combining the render technique with real fire

element photographs.

01

BEGIN WITH A SKETCH

When trying to pull off any composite,

proper planning is essential, but even more so

when a client has a specific idea in mind. Having

a sketch will allow you to explain your vision to

your talent or client, or in this case allow the

client to explain their vision.

02

LIGHT THE PHOTOSHOOT

Whenever you plan to have a lighting

source, such as fire, close to your subject’s body in

your final image, it’s very beneficial to create a

stand-in light during the actual photoshoot itself.

By placing CTO gel inside of a globe modifier you

are not only able to get the global light you need,

but also the orange colour cast as well.

03

PROCESS YOUR SUBJECT BEFORE

YOU BEGIN MASKING

It’s always good to process your model image before

you do your masking. There are many different

methods or presets that aid in processing but they

sometimes leave the edges of your subjects with

haloing or hard lines. To avoid having lines or haloing

in your final image, process first. This way you can

make sure your masks are tight enough that any

haloing or hard lines get eliminated.

FROM CONCEPTION TO

CREATION

Progress 3: Mastering Render Flame

WORK IN

PROGRESS

Progress 2: Starting to capture

effects on camera

Progress 1: Concept and sketch