How do i add flames to an object in photoshop?

Question

I am doing a composite picture which includes my model and a floating basketball
i want the basketball to be on fire with the flames starting from his hands
how do i add flames in photoshop

Answer 1

Hi there:

there's a lot of solutions to that. There are actually even filters that can be bought that create the effect, but basically they automate the process I'm about to describe.

The tools and techniques you need for this are: the lasso, feathering, gradients, and either levels or curves (apple/control L and M)...

You can also use lgithing effects in conjunction with these.

Here's the process. With your lasso tool define the places in the image where you want the flames to be. Use the tool set to multi select and add one flame shaped selection after another in a group until you have the fire outlined. The flames start at the hands, I assume, and the ball floats above them... So you will see the 'crawling ants in the place where you want the fire

The next step depends on the resolution you are working at. We will assume 300 DPI but if you are working at a lower resolution adjust down by dividing the feather amounts appropriately. Feather the selection somewhere in a range of fifteen to twenty
pixels. Save this selection as Flame.

Now set you gradient tool to go from a fiery reddish yellow to transparent. To do this select from the various gradients in the option bar. Click on the gradient and select yellow for one end, transparent for the other. Now adjust the overall transparency of the grandient to about thirty percent and apply the gradient to the selection with the color starting point at the hands, and the transparent part at the top. You should be seeing something now that looks like fire.

Feather a bit more now and use the levels or curve tool to brighten the selection, it will also brighten the area around the selection because of the feathering, to create a glow.

To make the fire more realistic, use the ripple filter on a light setting to the Flame selection.

Also a fire suggests smoke. Use the lasso tool and make a new selection above the fire and perhaps sort of hugging the ball in places, feather this selection (and save it as Smoke) about thirty to forty points and fill with a black, using overlay at about fifty percent.

That's a lot of steps, but if you take it slow and keep watching your results, you'll have learned some great photoshop tricks.
If you had the sense to save your two selections you can keep opening them up and applying new affects to increase the illusion. Try lighting effects, which is under rending in the filters category.

Good luck.

Answer 2

whatever you draw in photoshop,and with all tricks, effects and filters.,it will stay look like drawing and not a real fire...
the best is to paste it from any pic that contains fire,and adjust it to perfect.If you have "corel draw"it has a spray tool that can flush your pic with alot of flames and fire....

Answer 3

you need to either draw them on, paste them in from another source and tweek them to fit or you have to have one of the 1000's of add-ons that have flame, chrome, water etc good luck you can get some of those add-ons off the web just check around

if it is relatively simple I grab some flames off of something... where ever.... and adapt them to my work as needed as it saves time .....at least it usually does .....good luck ...... like the image it brings to mind