Infrared Photo Effect In Photoshop

Here's the original image I'll be using for this tutorial:

And here's the finished effect:

Step 1: Duplicate The Background Layer

With my photo open in Photoshop, I currently have one layer in my Layers palette, the "Background" layer, which contains my original image:

Photoshop tutorial: Photoshop's Layers palette showing the Background layer containing my original image.

The first thing I need to do in creating this effect is to duplicate this layer, and I'll do that with the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac), which tells Photoshop to give me a copy of this layer directly above it:

Photoshop tutorial: Photoshop's Layers palette now showing the copy of my Background layer directly above it, which Photoshop has named "Layer 1".

Photoshop automatically names the layer "Layer 1", which tells me nothing about it, so I'm going to double-click directly on the name of the layer and rename it to "infrared":

Photoshop tutorial: Double-click on the name "Layer 1" and change it to "infrared".

Step 2: Select The Green Channel In The Channels Palette

Go to your Channels palette (it's grouped in beside the Layers palette) and click on the Green channel to select it:

Photoshop tutorial: Click on the Green channel in the Channels palette to select it.

This will turn your image temporarily black and white:

Photoshop tutorial: The image turns black and white temporarily.

If you don't understand yet how channels in Photoshop work, it may seem odd that when you selected the green color channel in the Channels palette, the image turned black and white instead of, well, green. We won't get into the details here of how channels work, since that would take an entire tutorial on its own, but what you're seeing here is in fact the green color information in the image, not as you and I see it but as Photoshop sees it, since Photoshop sees everything as either black, white, or some shade of gray in between. If that makes little sense to you, don't worry, you don't need to understand it to create this effect. Simply knowing to click on the green channel in the Channels palette to select it is enough.
We're going to blur this green channel next.

Step 3: Apply The Gaussian Blur Filter To The Green Channel

With the Green channel selected in the Channels palette, go up to the Filter menu at the top of the screen, select Blur, and then select Gaussian Blur to bring up Photoshop's Gaussian Blur dialog box:

Photoshop tutorial: Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur to bring up the Gaussian Blur dialog box.

Drag the slider bar at the bottom of the Gaussian Blur dialog box left or right to increase or decrease the amount of blur you'll be applying. I'm using a low-resolution image for this tutorial since it's for the web, and for me, a Radius value of about 4.5 pixels gives me a nice soft blur effect. Your image will most likely be much higher resolution, especially if it came from a fairly recent digital camera, so you'll need to use a higher Radius value. Add a good amount of blurring while still being able to make out the basic details of the image, as I've done here:

Photoshop tutorial: The image after applying Gaussian Blur to the Green channel.

Click OK when you're done to exit out of the Gaussian Blur filter.

Step 4: Change The Blend Mode Of The Infrared Layer To "Screen"

Now that we've applied the Gaussian Blur filter to the Green channel, switch back to the Layers palette and, with the "infrared" layer still selected, change the blend mode of the layer from Normal to Screen. To do that, go up to the top of the Layers palette and click on the down-pointing arrow directly to the right of the word "Normal", which brings up a list of available layer blend modes. Click on "Screen" to select it:

Photoshop tutorial: Change the blend mode of the "infrared" layer from "Normal" to "Screen".

Here's my image after changing the "infrared" layer blend mode to "Screen":

Photoshop tutorial: The image after changing the blend mode of the "infrared" layer to "Screen".

Already at this stage, the image is looking pretty cool, but we're not quite done yet. We're going to be using a Channel Mixer adjustment layer next.

Step 5: Add A Channel Mixer Adjustment Layer

We need to bring up a Channel Mixer adjustment layer at this point, and we can do that by clicking on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and selecting Channel Mixer from the list:

Photoshop tutorial: Click the "New Adjustment Layer" icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and select "Channel Mixer".

This brings up the Channel Mixer dialog box:

Photoshop tutorial: The Channel Mixer adjustment layer's dialog box.

I've circled in red the options we need to change. In the "Source Channels" section, set Red to -50%, Green to 200%, and Blue to the same as red, -50%. The general rule with these values in the Channel Mixer is that you want to keep the total value of all three channels at 100%, otherwise you'll either be losing contrast in the image or losing detail in the highlights, which is why, in order to set the Green value to 200%, we lowered both the Red and Blue values to -50%, giving us our 100%. Again, not something you need to know. I just like to toss these things out there.
Finally, click the Monochrome checkbox in the bottom left corner of the dialog box to keep the image in grayscale mode. Click OK when you're done.
Here's my image with the Channel Mixer adjustment layer applied:

Photoshop tutorial: The image after applying the Channel Mixer.

Step 6: Lower The Opacity Of The "Infrared" Layer

At this point, the infrared effect is too intense. Let's reduce it by lowering the opacity of the "infrared" layer. First, click on the "infrared" layer in the Layers palette to select it, then go up to the Opacity option in the top right corner of the Layers palette, hover your mouse directly over the word "Opacity" to turn your mouse cursor into the "scrubby slider" icon, then click and drag to the left to lower the opacity value:

Photoshop tutorial: Lower the opacity value of the "infrared" layer to reduce the effect.

You'll probably have to reduce the opacity quite a bit. I've reduced mine to 35% in the screenshot above.
Here's my result:

Photoshop tutorial: The image after reducing the infrared effect.

The effect is pretty much complete at this point, but it's too clean. Infrared photos typically have a lot of grain in them, so to finish off the effect, we're going to add some noise.

Step 7: Add A New Layer Above The Channel Mixer Adjustment Layer

Click on the Channel Mixer adjustment layer in the Layers palette to select it, then use the keyboard shortcut Shift+Ctrl+N (Win) / Shift+Command+N (Mac) to bring up Photoshop's New Layer dialog box:

Photoshop tutorial: Use the keyboard shortcut to bring up the New Layer dialog box.

Name the new layer "grain" as I've done in the screenshot above, and then click OK. Photoshop will add a new blank layer named "grain" above the Channel Mixer in the Layers palette:

Photoshop tutorial: The Layers palette showing the new "grain" layer at the top.

Step 8: Fill The "Grain" Layer With White

Press the letter D on your keyboard to reset Photoshop's foreground and background colors to their defaults of black and white, respectively. Then, with the "grain" layer selected in the Layers palette, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Backspace (Win) / Command+Delete (Mac) to quickly fill this layer with solid white. The image in the document window will temporarily be hidden from view:

Photoshop tutorial: Filling the "grain" layer with white temporarily hides the image from view.

Step 9: Add Noise To This Layer

With the "grain" layer still selected, go up to the Filter menu at the top of the screen, select Noise, and then select Add Noise to bring up the "Add Noise" filter dialog box:

Photoshop tutorial: Select Filter > Noise > Add Noise to bring up the "Add Noise" filter's dialog box.

As circled in red above, set the Amount to 20%, set Distribution to Uniform, and make sure Monochromatic at the bottom is checked.
This adds our grain to the image, but problem is, we still can't see the image below the grain:

Photoshop tutorial: The solid white layer is now filled with noise to create the "grain" effect, but it's still blocking the image below from view.

We'll fix that next.

Step 10: Change The Blend Mode Of The "Grain" Layer To "Multiply"

Just as we did for the "infrared" layer, we're going to change the blend mode of this "grain" layer, except this time, instead of changing it to "Screen", we're going to change it to "Multiply". With the "grain" layer selected, go back up to the blend mode options at the top of the Layers palette and this time choose Multiply from the list:

Photoshop tutorial: Change the "grain" layer's blend mode from "Normal" to "Multiply"

As soon as we change the blend mode to Multiply, the image becomes visible once again through the grain, giving us our final effect:

Photoshop tutorial: Setting the blend mode of the "grain" layer to "Multiply" gives us our final infrared effect.

If you find you've added too much grain to the image, simply lower the opacity of the grain layer to reduce the amount.
There's one more thing we could do here with our image, and that's to bring back some of the original color. You can of course leave it as is if you want, but if you want to bring back some color, here's how.

Step 11: Duplicate The Background Layer Once Again

Click on the Background layer in the Layers palette to select it, then once again use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) to duplicate it. Since you should always be in the habit of naming your layers, I'll rename this layer to "colorize":

Photoshop tutorial: With the Background layer selected, press "Ctrl+J" (Win) / "Command+J" (Mac) to duplicate the Background layer once again, then rename it to "colorize".

Step 12: Drag The "Colorize" Layer Up Between The Channel Mixer and Grain Layers

Next, click on the "colorize" layer and drag it up between the Channel Mixer adjustment layer and the "grain" layer. You'll see the line dividing the two layers highlight as you get close to it. Release your mouse at that point to drop the layer into place:

Photoshop tutorial: Click and drag the "colorize" layer between the Channel Mixer adjustment layer and the "grain" layer.

Step 13: Change The Blend Mode To "Overlay" And Lower The Opacity To 50%

Finally, change the blend mode of the "colorize" layer from Normal to Overlay and then lower the opacity of the layer to 50%:

Photoshop tutorial: Set the "colorize" layer's blend mode to "Overlay" and lower the opacity to 50%.

And we're done! We've brought some of the original color back into the effect.
Here's the image as it was back before we started:

Photoshop tutorial: The original image once again for comparison.

And here's the final result:

Photoshop tutorial: The final result.

 

How to Create a Flaming Photo Manipulation

Final Product What You'll Be Creating

In this tutorial, we’ll manipulate a picture so it looks like a woman burning in flames. The idea behind this manipulation was to create a nice looking illustration, only by using simple techniques and tools such as the Brush tool and Warp command. I hope you enjoy the tutorial and try it with your own stock imagery.

Editor’s note: This tutorial was originally published on Psdtuts in January 2009.

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Step 1

For this project, I used two nice images that suits for the manipulation; image1, image2. I would like to thank the author of this two great pictures, which is thiquinho and huibidos from sxc.hu. And before we continue with the steps, I need to inform you that this tutorial is written using Photoshop CS3.

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Step 2

Let’s start with image1, open and duplicate this image by using the Image > Duplicate command from the menu bar. In the Duplicate Image dialog box, you can name it anything you like, but to follow this tutorial reference, name it "PassionFire" and hit OK. By doing this, we kept the original image. Be sure to save.

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Step 3

With the "PassionFire" image active, duplicate the "background" layer. Set the foreground and background color to black and white by pressing D on the keyboard. Click the "background" layer again and fill it with the foreground color ~ which is set to black. See the images below.

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Step 4

Reactivate "Layer 1," then press Command + Shift + U to apply desaturate command. Now invert the color by pressing Command + I. Your image should look like a film’s negative now.

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Step 5

Duplicate "Layer 1," then apply the find edges filter from Filter > Stylized > Find Edges. Next, invert the color by pressing Command + I and change the Blending Mode to Hard light. There, your image now has contrast white line and a very dark background.

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Step 6

To give the white line more contrast, duplicate the "Layer 1" copy then change the Blending Mode to Screen.

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Step 7

Now we move to the second image. Drag image2 into "PassionFire" document image window using the Move tool. If the Paste profile mismatch dialog appears, just click OK to fix it.

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Step 8

The fire image from "image2" should be in "Layer 2" now. Change its Blending Mode to screen, this will hide all the black colors in "Layer 2." If done right, your image should be similar to the one below.

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Step 9

Duplicate "Layer 2" by pressing Command + J. Make sure you use the Screen Blending mode, same as the original "Layer 2." Next, make "Layer 2" become invisible by hiding it from the layers panel.

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Step 10

Click the "Layer 2 copy" to make it active, then use the Free Transform command ( Edit > Free Transform) to rotate and resize the fire image like shown below. Don’t forget to press Enter when you’re done transforming.

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Step 11

Still in the same layer, now use the warp command (Edit > Transform > Warp) to bend the fire image – so it following the hair flow. Press Enter when done. See the example below as a reference.

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Step 12

If you feel the result is not quite good enough, simply use the Liquify filter to fix it. I assume you already know how to use the liquify filter; the Forward Warp tool and Twirl Clockwise tool is the only tool I used to get this result (see image below).

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Step 13

Duplicate the "Layer 2" copy, then use the Free Transform command to resize and rotate the fire image in the current layer. Don’t forget to reposition the fire image too. Once you get this composition (see image below), hit Enter.

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Step 14

Repeat the previous process to get the hair covered with fire. Just duplicate and modify the layer until you get all the hair part covered. If needed, use the Liquify Filter again. The end result of this process should look like the image below, notice how many layers are used.

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Step 15

Okay, now activate "Layer 2" and make it visible again. Then Change the Blending Mode to Vivid Light. This step will colorize only the white line in the layer below it.

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Step 16

Still in "Layer 2," apply the Free Transform command to resize and rotate the fire image like shown below. The purpose is to cover up the girl’s body and hair with the fire texture. Press Enter when you’re done transforming.

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Step 17

We’re gonna blur the fire image in "Layer 2," To do so, apply the Gaussian Blur filter from the Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur menu. Fill the Radius around 10 to 15 pixels, then click OK when done. Blurring the fire image will cause its texture to blend smoother with the layer below it.

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Step 18

Now add a layer mask to "Layer 2." Then use a soft round Brush tool with Opacity at 100%. Set the brush size according to your need, then just mask until the fire outside becoming hidden. See the process below.

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Step 19

Sure we will remove the white line shown in the image (marked in red rectangle below). First, add a new blank layer below "Layer 2." Then simply paint it with black using the soft round brush tool.

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Step 20

Now go to the top most layer (mine is: "Layer 2 copy 6"), add two adjustment layers which is Hue/Saturation and Brightness/Contrast. Careful not to change the layer adjustment order, or the color effect will be wrong. Below you can see the setting I used to complete this step, also pay attention to the adjustment layer order.
By adding a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, we unify all colors. The Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer brings more color contrast and makes sure the image color’s looks like real fire.

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Step 21

I’m sure you notice the fire sparks effect. I create it using the Brush tool with this simple setting. No special brush needed, but if you have one that will be useful then feel free to use it. Below you can see all the settings I used within the Brush palette, of course you can change the setting as you like. Just make sure the brush spatter enough and vary the size.

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Step 22

Now to use the modified brush, create a new blank layer below the adjustment layers ( mine is named "Layer 4"). Choose 50% gray from the swatches palette, then you can start creating the fire sparks. Remember not to be monotone, resize the brush size if needed. I start using a big sized brush, then reduce it to smaller size (you can change brush size faster by pressing the bracket keys on the keyboard ).
If you’re not sure how to do this steps, just imagine where and how the fire sparks will flow if it was real fire. For me, imagining stuff is very helpful.

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Step 23

To make it more interesting, create a new layer and change the Blending Mode to Screen. Then use a normal soft round brush (not the one we modified earlier), with an Opacity of 50%. Just click in the part of body, neck, and hair. I’m not sure how to explain this, but you can see the difference between the above and below images.

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Conclusion

And that’s all of it! Hope you learned something new and had fun. You can view the final image below or view a larger version here.