Question about Masks and question on fire/smoke

[Swizzle]

Well, I can't really help with the fire/smoke question, but I can explain masks.

Masking is basically using a special image, a mask, to hide parts of your overall image or individual layers in it. Masks are just grayscale images that the program uses as a basis for determining what parts of the image are visible and what parts are not, often at differing opacities. For different levels of opacity you would use different shades of gray, darker hiding more (and thus making it more transparent) and lighter showing more (and thus making it more opaque). White is 100% visible and black is 0% visible. All the shades of gray in between are the varying levels of opacity.

To add a layer mask in Photoshop, you'd click on the layer you want to add a mask to and then you'd click the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the layers palette. The button looks like a rectangle with a hole cut out of it.

I can put together a little tutorial if you want, but I have to head for a class right now. If you want to know how to take advantage of of layer masks in various situations, just PM me and I'll be happy to explain later today.

[HellBoy]

Hi guys

Thanks swizzle...!

heres a sample fire, I used smutch tool and the liqufy tool too, heres the result, doesn't look real fire, I'm there though, with struggle

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/mwarsame/samplefire.jpg

[jbw]

I found a technique to creating quite realistic flames and fire using selective colour adjustment layers, masks and some smudging. I think I read it years ago in a magazine.
Below is an image I created in PS 7 (the original is about 1000 x 1000 pixels).

http://www.geocities.com/jbw_2/Flame.jpg

There are three layers of white (painted and then smudged into shape) with selective colour adjustment layers above each. These combined make up the the blue tip at the base, the main yellow/orange and the deeper orange at the edges.
There is also a soft pink/red glow around the edge of the entire flame.
If you are interested I could probably write a tutorial on how to create it.

ta,
jbw

[dave247]

Hi guys

before any1 gets ticked off, I've seen this thread http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=277006 from search result, its with the fire text.

Any new ways you guys know on how to make either fire or smoke, really want it.

----------------------------------------

What does masks do? when to use it? where I worked they used it, didn't had the guts to ask


thanks

Can I ask you why there is that link to my post??

it seems this is a small cg world since a lot of the times when i search for something, i end up finding stuff that is some how related back to me... and one day in this computer lab at my college, there was just some guy on cgtalk.com looking at one of my posts, and Im like, "Hey, Thats me!"
LMAO

[Velk]

I found a technique to creating quite realistic flames and fire using selective colour adjustment layers, masks and some smudging. I think I read it years ago in a magazine.
Below is an image I created in PS 7 (the original is about 1000 x 1000 pixels).

http://www.geocities.com/jbw_2/Flame.jpg

There are three layers of white (painted and then smudged into shape) with selective colour adjustment layers above each. These combined make up the the blue tip at the base, the main yellow/orange and the deeper orange at the edges.
There is also a soft pink/red glow around the edge of the entire flame.
If you are interested I could probably write a tutorial on how to create it.

ta,
jbw
I would be really interested in that tutorial if you have time jbw.

[jbw]

I'm happy to offer something to this community. :)

I'll aim for a finished tutorial by Sunday (GMT).

ta,
jbw

[HellBoy]

Can I ask you why there is that link to my post??

it seems this is a small cg world since a lot of the times when i search for something, i end up finding stuff that is some how related back to me... and one day in this computer lab at my college, there was just some guy on cgtalk.com looking at one of my posts, and Im like, "Hey, Thats me!"
LMAO

WTF, I swear that wasn't the link I linked
it was this http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=2536223
and when I searched from search box, the result of the fire thread looks like this
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=266576&highlight=fire

looks like its been... c.h.a.n.g...ed

I too would love that tutorial.
Before I read your text, I though that was a reference you were offering, looks so real

[jbw]

Hey guys, took me a little while (about an hour) but the tutorial is now on-line (though it is running off my own, crappy geocities webspace and imageshack). Click the image below for the tutorial...

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/7522/flame0kp.jpg (http://www.geocities.com/jbw_2/temp/flame.htm)

I hope you enjoy it and please let me know if any edits are needed - just post a reply in here.
You'll probably notice through the later stages that I'm missing the glow layer in the screenshots. Not to worry - it's my own fault for missing the thing out when I created the image and did the screengrabs. I also never name layers (a filthy habit I've had for the last 8 years) so whilst they won't always add up I hope that it does make sense.
I've also attached the source file so you can see what is what. I hope it helps or guides a few of you for later fire related shenanigans. :curious:

flame.zip (psd source file - right click and save) (http://www.geocities.com/jbw_2/temp/flame.zip)

ta,
jbw

[Velk]

That tut is really great, thanks for sharing jbw! I can see some things that I've been doing badly when making flames in the past.

[dbates]

Sorry if I'm being dense, but where is that tutorial again?

[jbw]

The tutorial can be found by either clicking on the image in my last post or the following linky:

(http://www.geocities.com/jbw_2/flame.htm) Flame tutorial (http://www.geocities.com/jbw_2/temp/flame.htm)

Enjoy,
jbw

[dbates]

Thanks jbw! It seems that there is a problem with my browser such that the hyperlink doesn't show up. I've had that problem with ImageShack thumbnails too.

Really cool effect, by the way. :thumbsup:

[HellBoy]

hay cool tutroial

thanks

[MeijinKeiri]

Here's a good smoke tutorial - it's how I learned the effect.

http://www.tutorialguide.net/smoke_effect_tutorial.html

[-NG-]

Hey jbw thanks for sharing, definatly gonna try it out. :)

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