Ion Fire Cloudbursts in Photoshop
By Brian Poirier
Ever want a neat effect like any of these?
Would you believe they're all made the same way, except for one simple step at the end?
Well, this tutorial will show how you can make these types of effects (which I call "Ion Fire Cloubursts") in just a few easy steps, requiring no third party add-on filters. And the effect is easily customizable!
I'll assume that you know the basics of Adobe Photoshop (adding layers, using gradients, etc), and anyone with a basic working knowledge of Photoshop should be able to easily reproduce and expand on this method.
Step 1: A New Image
First off, make a new image, and add a new layer (for a total of two layers). Rename Layer 1 "Effects", and name Layer 2 "Clouds". Then, make the Cloud layer the active layer (it's where you'll do most of the initial work).
Note that the image can be of any size, but should be RGB with a transparent background. In this example I used PS 6 and made my image 500x500, 72 DPI. The images in this article were reduced to a 300x300 size for easy display, although some resolution and appearance of the effect is lost this way.
Step 2: Choose your Colors
Select two colors. Colors that are not similar are the best (i.e. don't pick two blues). These two colors will end up being the main colors of your effect (although some extras do get added in the process). I'll use the colors FFCC00 (a gold-like yellow) as the foreground color, and 330000 (a maroon) as the background for this example.
Next, use the Clouds filter (Render>Clouds). Then use the Difference Clouds twice (Render>Difference Clouds).
You should get an image that looks something like this:
Step 3: Applying Texture
Now run the Craquelure filter (Texture>Craquelure) with the settings in the following ranges:
- Spacing: 70-100
- Depth: 2-3
- Brightness: 8-10
This adds some roughness and irregularity to the clouds.
Next, run the Polar Coordinates filter (Distort>Polar Coordinates). Choose "Polar to Rectangle" as the method.
Note, that using Polar Coordinates is not strictly necessary. However, if you want to make the 'flame'-like effects appear on some of the images, which looks much better, Polar Coordinates will help you achieve that effect.
Ok, now you should have an image that looks something like this:
Step 4: Grain and Ripple
The Grain filter is next (Texture>Grain). Use the settings 90, 20, vertical. You can adjust these settings a little and experiment for slight variations, but don't stray to far from the settings given here.
Follow with the Ocean Ripple filter (Distort>Ocean Ripple), with the settings of 9, 9. These too can be changed, but I find these settings work best. This filter can be run twice if you like for more distortion -- how much you should use will depend largely upon the size of your work, and the colors involved.
In the example below, I only used it once. Note that the actual image in Photoshop is much brighter than this reduced version.
Step 5: Set your Layers
Now set the layer to Color Burn (on your Layer's Palette). You can try some of the other settings as an experiment (Color Dodge, etc). I also use an Opacity of 100%, but can also be changed as needed.
Now select the Effects Layer and hit D on your keyboard to access the default colors (Black & White), and choose the Gradient tool.
Step 6: Gradient
Now here comes the fun part, where you can make whatever type of effect you want!
Use the gradient tool on the Effects layer. The type of gradient you choose, as well as the direction and the location of the gradient's placement, really matters. Depending on the type and placement, etc of your gradient, the following versions of the effect can be made:
This flame effect is made using the Linear Gradient from top to bottom:
This cloud or nebula effect is made by switching the colors around (with white as the foreground), and using the Radial Gradient:
A line of fire, or burning bar, is made by keeping white as the foreground colour, and using the Reflected Gradient:
A Web effect can be made by playing around with the gradients. For this example, I used Foreground to Transparent gradients on a black-filled background:
The variations are endless, and combining different gradients together will allow you to make numerous versions and types of effects. Here are some other effects I created using the steps above, but with a little experimentation:
The Number 1 Rule of Photoshop, and especially so in this tutorial, is to experiment and have fun! Enjoy!
Brian is a licensed professional private investigator and part-time Web designer in Houston, Texas. But to our Community members, he's better known as Steelsun. He can be contacted through his Website at Steel-Sun.com
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