www.chadz18.blogspot.com™: Create an Intense “Wings of Fire” Photo Manipulation

Step 1

The first step is to open the girl's image and crop it. We need more space for the fire wings and this is not enough.

Step 2

Now that we have the needed space our initial image is a bit small so cut out the middle part of the floor and place it in both lower corners.Create a mask and, with a brush, remove the edges so it will blend in.

Step 3

With dodge and burn add some highlights and shadow on the model.

Step 4

Cut out the model (use the pen tool ) and delete the background.

Step 5

Next we will add the new background. Since it is to small for our large surface we need to enlarge it, so CTRL+J to duplicate the layer. Add a mask and erase the edges.

Go to Filters-Blur-Gaussian Blur (radius 5 px ) to give the background more depth.

Now it looks a bit to symmetrical but this can be resolved easily with the clone stamp brush.

Step 6

The background is dark and our model is too light so to blend her in we need to make her darker. Go to Adjustment Layers – Curves and use the presets like in the image below. Use the Curves on a clipping mask.

Step 7

In this step we need to paint some hair. This is very easy on a graphic table but it can be done with a mouse also. First select (eye dropper) a color from her hair and add some extra strings of hair. Just a few are enough. Look at the image below to see how it should look.

Step 8

Take your wings stock and arrange them to your liking. After that hit Ctrl+I to invert the colors to create a dark basis for the flames.

Step 9

Take your flame stock and use the settings below in the Blend If panel form the Layer Style on the flame layer. Hold down the ALT key to split the black handle – this will create a smooth transition.

Step 10

Add more flame stock and make sure you clip them to the wing (clipping mask). This will give you a basis to add your flames to.

Step 11

Take some other flame stock and arrange it like in the image below. Again in the Layer Style – Blend If panel move the black handle so it gets rid of all the dark elements in the image below. Remember to hold down ALT while dragging to split the handle and create a smooth transition. Then erase on the mask the parts you don't want showing and choose the Screen blending mode. You can experiment with other blending modes since you got rid of all the dark elements in the stock image from the Layer Style

Step 12

Just underneath the layer with the flame set on screen blending mode, you can paint with a low opacity black color to create more dimension and lessen the transparency.

Step 13

Just add more flames around the wing.

Step 14

When you have something you like, and most of the dark wing is hidden, flatten all the flame layers (or group them) and duplicate it. Use Transform and Flip Horizontal on the copy layer and arrange it. This will look too symmetrical, but it's a good shortcut and we will fix the symmetry in a second by adding more flames.

Step 15

For a better contrast i used a normal black/white Gradient Map –Adjustment Layer just above the background folder containing my wall and sky stock.

Step 16

Don't forget to add flames over the model layer so it wont look static and fake. I used some small flames over her hand but under the painted hair layer and over her back. I used layers on screen blending mode. Add flames one on top of the other to create a more accentuated fire.

Step 17

Create a new layer and paint with an orange color over the model's skin to create the bright light coming from the fire. Then set this layer to Overlay blending mode.

Step 18

Add some fire debris using the brush i created for you (download). Just choose an orange color and paint around the flames. If you create too many particles, just create a layer mask and brush some away.

Step 19

Add more contrast using a curves adjustments layer.

Step 20

In this step we’ll add some adjustment layers so our composition will blend in well. First go to Adjustment Layers –Color Balance twice. Make the presets like you see in the images below.