Now that we have our fire base, we need to add some depth and color variation to it. This will make our fire look more realistic. This can be achieved in many ways (layering - saturations etc...), but we'll approach it the fastest by using some lighting techniques.
- You should have your guassian blurred image open, and only two layers at this point - a background - and layer 1. What you need to do now is make a copy of layer 1 by pressing Ctrl+J or by selecting Layer > Duplicate Layer. Now you should have a layer called Layer 1 copy.
- Select layer 1 copy s your working layer. Then click on Filter > Render > Lighting Effects. We want to apply a 2 oclock spotlight, with an intensity of 32 and the widest focus (100). You can copy the rest of my settings from the image below.
- On the next page we'll be using the same layer to construct our flames with the liquify filter. If you want to mess with it in advance, you'll be able to see where we are headed. We're almost there! But read on to learn how to add bone structure and a more solid presence back to your man.
