Fire Effect

Step 1

Open a new document in photoshop of any size. I will be using a 500x500 document for this tutorial.

Fill the background with white (#FFFFFF).

Step 2

Go to "Filter->Render->Clouds"

Result:

Step 3

Go to "Filter->Render->Difference clouds"

Result:

Step 4

Press CTRL + F on your keyboard 7 times to repeat the "Difference Clouds" filter.

Result:

Step 5

Go to "Image->Adjustments->Gradient map"

Now click on the gradient bar to apply your own personal settings.

Select a gradient similar to the desired colors. In this case I chose the circled gradient:

Now edit the gradient until it is similar to that pictured below. This is done by clicking on the small sliding bars under the gradient and applying your own colors. You can also add more sliders (such as I have done here) by clicking directly below the gradient preview:

Step 6

Go to the bar at the bottom and modify and add your colors. There is no need to supply color references here, as this can be altered to make a number of different effects.

When completed play around with the various liquify tools and warp tools to enhance the fires realism. The fire can now be used as a filter layer for text effects, great for blowing up stuff and creating hell. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.