How to Create Superhero Fireballs in Photoshop

Use Photoshop to create a fireball.

Photoshop is a tool often used to create images used in comic books. Follow this tutorial to learn how to use Photoshop to make a popular image used in comic books --- a fire ball.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Photoshop Imaging software
• An original digital file to alter

Instructions

Creating a fire ball

1. Open Photoshop: Select "File" from the menu at the top left of the computer screen and click "Open." Navigate to the image saved on your computer and load the file into Photoshop. Click on the "New Layer" icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel.

2. Select the "Brush" tool from tools palette. Chose a medium sized hard brush. Make the color of the brush white. Paint an "S" shape over the area of the image where you want the fireball (in the character's hand, for example). Select "Filter" from the menu at the top of the screen and select "Distort" > "Twirl". Set the twirl to about 600 and click "OK."

3. Click on the "New Layer" icon in the Layer's Panel. Select a large, soft brush. Change the brush color to red. Paint a red area that does not quite extend to the edges of the twirls. Change the layers "Blending Mode" to "Screen."

4. Click on the "New Layer" icon. Change the brush color to yellow, reduce the size of the brush slightly and draw in a yellow area. Apply the "Twirl" filter again with the same settings.

5. Select "File" and click "Save."

References

• PixelM8: How to Create Fireballs using Photoshop