How to Make Smoke in Photoshop CS2
- 1). Open Photoshop. Select "File," and then "New" to create a new document. Specify the dimensions in the "Width" and "Height" text fields, and click "OK."
- 2). Select the Paint Bucket tool from the toolbox and choose a dark color from the Swatch panel. Click anywhere on the document to fill it with the new color.
- 3). Select the Brush tool from the toolbox and choose a white or off-white color from the Swatch panel. Select a soft brush from the top menu bar with a master diameter of around 40 pixels. Set the hardness level to zero. Choose a strength of 100 percent.
- 4). Draw a vertical line where you want to add smoke. Select the Smudge tool -- located under the Blur tool -- from the toolbox. Select a brush size of around 80 to 100 pixels. Click and drag the tool around the line to smear, push and pull the direction of the line in a wispy, sinewy fashion. This step may require several tries before you achieve the result you want. If you make an error, you can reverse the last step by selecting "Edit," and then "Undo Smudge tool."
- 5). Select "Filter," and then "Liquify." Check the "Show Backdrop" box and change the mode to "Behind" in the drop-down menu. Experiment with the tools in the Liquify toolbar to further refine your smoke. In particular, try the Twirl Clockwise tool, which adds swirls to the smoke and the Pucker tool, which squeezes bloated areas in and accentuates fine lines. As with the Smudge tool modifications, expect several tries to perfect your technique. Select "OK" when you are satisfied with the results.
- 6). Press "Control" and "J" to create a copy of your background layer. Click on the background layer in the Layers panel. Select "Filter," "Blur" and then "Gaussian Blur." Set the radius to a value around 20 and click "OK" to apply the filter.
- 7). Click on the copy of your background layer in the Layers panel. Set the opacity to a value between 60 percent and 75 percent. Select "Layer," and then "Flatten Image" to merge your layers.
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