Help with Smoke!

[zogdart]

What would be the best way to extract the smoke and place it into a new image. I want to use it with another image i have of a girl smoking...

Thanks in advance!

[mistermonday]

Paste the smoke image as a layer on top of the image ypou want to add it to. Then double click on the smoke layer and adjust the top Blend If slider. Remember to Alt+Click the triangle to create a smooth transition. Example shown attached.
Regards, Murray

[Flashtones]

Sometimes you can get by just stacking the layer and choosing the right blending mode. Depends on the color/tone of the underlying layer.

[d00dle]

change layer mode to screen should do the trick i believe. & duplicate the smoke (in screen mode) many time as u like 'til it form a nice smoke.

[chillin]

inverse the pic, remove white, inverse back
Here the outcome.

[mikedimples]

I looked at the luminosity values of the RGB channels, then selected the luminosity of the layer the smoke looked best in (control+click the channel), went back to image, copy, paste, done! To be fair, mistermonday's blend if technique is superior. Mines a little quicker and a little less control.

[mistermonday]

If you were going to composite the smoke onto numerous images, you could create a mask of it. I converted the image to LAB mode, duplicated the L channel and applied that channel to itself in ADD mode to create a mask. I loaded the mask and copied and pasted the smoke onto an image. Also did a Blend If onto the same image. The two results are almost identical.
Regards, Murray

[mikedimples]

Hah, nice job compositing the example into the image in a cool way. You made it look so realistic. When I see an image like that I can't help but wonder what's creating that smoke.

Just a moment ago, I had one of those moments when you discover an awesome new way to use Photoshop. Listen to this, it's very useful.

1. Go to Lab mode
2. Select lightness channel, use levels to enhance
3. Reselect the smoke layer (instead of lightness channel) and use the 'blend if' sliders to fade away the black in the image, don't forget to split the slider tab for a nice smooth transition.
- Now the background of the smoke layer is gone. The background should still be visible on the layer thumbnail.

Here's where I shat myself:
4. Run a new levels on the smoke layer. This is an amazing way to fine tune how much of the smoke is showing, because it's still fading away tones below a certain value. For example if you grabbed the middle slider and dragged it darker, then we would start blending the smoke into the background primarily in the midtones. The amount of fine tuning was incredible.

So unless this is already commonly known, I dub this technique the

"Blend-if blackout"

[Alex Retoucher]

Why not to use Screen blending mode? Just corrected with curves and burning borders.
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/att...1&d=1246707529

[d00dle]

u guys like to do it the hard way.

[zogdart]

Thanks for all your reply...I will defenetly try and see wich one works best for my image.

Many thanks.

Patrick.

[mistermonday]

Hi d00dle, your screen method is quick and effective if you don't mind the smoke getter brighter and whiter with each additional screen layer. If you are trying to preserve the color and lightness without adjusting each layer, it may not be the quickest route.
Regards, Murray

[Flashtones]

"best" method would probably depend in the tone of the image below. For instance, if one is compositing the smoke over, white, black or gray.

BTW, if you ever want a yellow, stinky smoke, like sugar cane burning in the fields, try difference and exclusion blend modes.

[carfree123]

id say go to image adjustments selective color and go to the black tone... then slide all the sliders to the left(or right... i forgot lol) that will make the smoke pop out alot more... hope it helps

[ananaiasa]

You can get a smoke brush it looks very realistic just add the brushes to the brushes directory of photoshop...just click on the brushes you like then download wahla......
here it is (ITS FREE YAY)
http://www.brusheezy.com/brushes?search=smoke

[Sweetlight]

Wow, as we can see there is a billion ways to accomplish the same goal. It's all about workflow and what's comfortable to you.

[dewel]

I was just working with that picture yesterday, actually. This is my preferred method:

Open only the smoke image, select all, and cut.
Open the channels window, make a new channel, and paste.
Go to Select >> Load Selection
Go back to the layers window, make a new one
Fill in the selection with the paint bucket tool
Unselect, and preserve transparency. Now you can paint the smoke's color, choose a gradient, leave as is-- whatever you'd like.

Alternatively you can do this straight from the selection too, I just don't like the way selections are highlighted. x)

[mikedimples]

Press control+h to hide the "marching ants."

[dewel]

Very true, but when you have the smoke selected (like my method) the 'marching ants' aren't visible for nearly any of it. (So if you're painting the smoke, it can be difficult to see where the smoke details are-- so I start off with something obnoxious looking, and work over it)