How to Make Coffee Steam in Photoshop
So, you just finished touching up a photograph of your morning cup of coffee, but something's missing. If you want to make your coffee look like it just came from the pot, try adding a little steam above the surface of the cup. It might seem fairly difficult, but making coffee steam in Photoshop is actually pretty easy once you know the tricks of the trade.
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Instructions
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1
Open your coffee photo in Photoshop. Make sure it's in "RGB" color mode by checking the Image menu's Mode submenu (it should be, but it never hurts to make sure).
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2
Add a separate layer for your steam. Use the pen tool to create an organic shape for the steam above the coffee itself (you can use other selection tools or paint directly onto the with a soft-edged brush, but the pen tool tends to create the most organic shapes). Make sure to close the path.
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3
Choose the "Make Selection" command in the Paths palette options menu. Check the "Anti-aliased" and set the feathering to 5 pixels or more. Make sure your new steam layer is selected (and not the image layer) and fill the feathered selection with white. Click anywhere outside the path in the Paths palette to make the steam path disappear.
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4
Use the background eraser tool to paint holes at random in the middle of the steam. Make sure to apply a small soft-edged brush.
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5
Apply the "Motion Blur" filter. Adjust the distance to simulate the amount of diffusion you want to apply to the steam. The greater the distance the more the diffusion effect. Adjust the angle to change the direction of the diffusion.
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Set the layer blend mode to "Overlay." The steam will now fade into the background.
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7
Duplicate the layer and drag it up above the cup. Use the "Free Transform" command to rotate and or stretch the steam shape. Reduce the opacity by 25 percent.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have Photoshop CS3 or later, you might want to convert your steam layer to a smart object before you apply the motion blur filter. Filters applied to smart objects can be modified later in case you want to make the steam appear to drift stronger or decrease its diffusion.
If you think the overlay blend mode fades the steam too much, you can adjust the layer opacity instead.
