How to Make Smoke in Fireworks
Beginning designers can find that adding smoke to a Fireworks image isn't as easy as it looks. You can't simply paint realistic smoke with a paintbrush. There are a number of approaches to creating realistic smoke, but this one begins with the pen tool.
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Instructions
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Open your Fireworks image. Select the object you want to cast the smoke from the background (it could be a cigarette, coals or a chimney) and copy the selection to a new layer. Your selection doesn't have to be perfect because the original layer will hide the rough edges.
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2
Select the background layer. Draw a smoke shape with the pen tool; you can use one stroke or a closed path. Set the fill and stroke color to a midtone gray and set the brush style to oil with a textured bristle.
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3
Apply texture to the smoke. Apply the "Noise" filter with a setting between 1 and 10. Mix this with a "Motion Blur" filter to disperse the effect of the bristle and noise.
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Change the layer blend mode to "Soft Light." To make a dark smoke, apply the "Convert to Alpha" filter. Adjust the layer transparency to suit your taste.
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Continue to add additional strokes to build up the smoke. Overlay them or separate them depending on the effect you want to achieve. Vary the stroke sizes, smoke color and layer transparency.
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Tips & Warnings
If you draw your smoke as a closed path, try to keep the shape narrow and the path boundaries close together. This will help control the shape of the smoke and make it more realistic.
