If you've ever wanted to create a space explosion in Photoshop, then we have the tutorial for you. With the techniques learned in this tutorial, you can create explosions as seen in a Sci-Fi television series. Let's learn how to make this effect from scratch.
Final Image Preview
Before we get started, let's take a look at the image we'll be creating. Click the screenshot below to view the full-size image. As always, the layered Photoshop file is available via our PSDTUTS Plus membership.
Step 1
Open Photoshop and click Ctrl+N to start a new image. Change the dimensions to 1200px by 1200px, and change background color to Black. Unlock the background layer of "Layer 0."
Step 2
Press Ctrl+' to make the Grid visible. Then select the Ellipse tool (U/ Shift+U). Choose Shape Layers in the Tool Options. Then while pressing Alt+Shift (constrained proportion), drag a circle. Drag another circle in the same way, and set it to subtract from the original to make it a ring. Don't make the ring too thick.
Step 3
Duplicate the layer by pressing Ctrl+J. Then Resize it by clicking Edit> Transform> Scale. Make sure you keep Alt+Shift pressed while transforming.
Step 4
Continue this process of resizing by making several concentric rings - each in a new layer. Once you reach something similar to the image below, add all the "Ring layers" into a Group. Then rename it as "Ellipse."
Step 5
Now apply perspective transform to the Ellipse layer by Ctrl+ Clicking on the control points. Make it anyway you feel like. When done click the Move tool (V). Then select Apply on the confirmation when asked.
Step 6
Convert the "Ellipse" group into a Smart object so that we can scale it to a size larger than our canvas. This is needed for the current task. Again confirm the scale by pressing Place. Smart Objects are parametric and can be edited without loss of quality.
Step 7
Now copy this layer by clicking Duplicate Layer in the layers panel, rename this copy to "Ellipse Untouched save." Then move this below the background "Layer 0." This is to preserve the layer for later use.
Step 8
Now apply a Gaussian Blur to the Smart layer "Ellipse." Keep the blur Radius to something around 10-13 px. This blurred layer will be used as a Visual/Thermal distortion around the blast.
Step 9
Make a duplicate of "Ellipse untouched" and Rasterize it along with layer "Ellipse." We no longer need them editable. Raster is made up of pixels rather than parametric curves. Any extreme transformations (scaling/skewing etc.) at this stage may cause the pixels to bleed.
Step 10
Put both these Raster layers into a Group, and name it "rings." Then create another new group, and rename it "blast." The group "rings" will hold the obvious, whereas the "blast" will form the backbone of the explosion. It will be the bottom most layer with color.
Step 11
In the "blast layer" add a blank layer "Layer 1." Then add a Gradient Map layer on top. Change the fill of the "Gradient Map layer" to around 50%. Then change the blending mode to Overlay.
Step 12
Now highlight "Layer 1," and set up your brush as shown below. Draw randomly throughout the canvas, but leave some spots so that the background is visible. The image shows a sample stroke of the brush, as you can see the overlapped portions are distinctively brighter than the rest. Brush in using the coffee strain brush (834). Control of strokes (as in Wacom) is not required, although they are selected.
Step 13
The image below shows three successive operations on "Layer 1," which will be later renamed to "bg blast," i.e., background blast as it serves as a master background for all layers above it.
A. After completion of the brush strokes, pay attention to the non-uniformity of the brush. It must be that way to get a detailed blast effect.
B. Apply a Gaussian Blur of around 3-4 px to stage A.
C. Apply a Radial Blur on the result of stage B. The amount is 100, Blur Method is Zoom, the Quality is Good, and Blur Center corresponds to the center of the Ellipse.
Step 14
So, this is the effect so far. Notice the "rings layer" stacked below the opaque background has no effect in the current output.
Step 15
Now lets move onto the "rings group." We renamed the blurred layers: "Ellipse" as "blur rings" and "Untouched...save" as "blur rings for inner fire." The names might sound funny, but they are named for what they will be doing later on (but it's still funny). Change the Opacity of both the layers to around 40% each and the blending to normal.
Step 16
This pic is showing two operations on the "rings group."
A. Use the Smudge tool to distort the sharp rings from the "blur ...inner fire" layer (not highlighted in the img, sorry).
B. Apply two Radial Gradients as layer masks, one on the distorted layer from the previous step, and the other on both the layers as a whole (on the group). The result of these Masks can be seen in the image below, the thicker the ring the more blurry it gets. This step is carried out to give a sense of depth to the image.
Step 17
You can fine tune the effect of distortion (Smudge) by making the "blast Group layers" visible.
Step 18
Now apply a Gradient Map, as shown inside the "rings" group. Set the Opacity to 61% and the blending mode to Pin Light. Apply a layer mask to it, which is nothing but merged layers seen in Step 9. This layer mask is added to keep the background black.
Step 19
Now pull the layer "blur rings" on top of the Gradient Map. This will release that layer from the influence of the Gradient Map. This step creates something like "Local motion blurs" similar to the ones produced by a wave motion in a radially oscillating ring.
Step 20
It's time for the debris. Any grunge brush without too much transparency will do. See the variations in the strokes, the result is created with many stokes of varying Sizes and Dynamics.
Use a good Brightness Jitter and a Medium Grey color to simulate non-uniform lighting. This is due to the random orientation of the pieces. Keep in mind that we don't need too much transparency here. You may also leave this layer blank for now, and later return once everything else is complete. This way you can make the most out of this layer.
Step 21
The image below shows the effects in this design up to this point. If your results are different from this, don't be upset, instead try adjusting some of the previous steps.
Step 22
Above the "rings" group create another group named "corona smoke." Then create a sub-group called "fire rims." Then create two additional layers under the "corona smoke" group. Name them "smoke soft light" and "corona glow." We will be adding another Gradient Map inside "fire rims," but that's unnecessary right now.
Step 23
The layer "corona + glow" will hold the brightest gases of the blast, as the name suggests. It's pretty simple to create, just draw a few blobs with a soft brush. Then Smudge over it. Work to achieve an effect similar to the image below. Then when you're satisfied with the design, apply an Outer Glow with the following settings: Color of #ffffbe (default), Blending Mode of Linear Dodge (Add), Opacity of 95%, and a Size of 40-60 px.
Step 24
I'll explain the basics of creating this smoke and give a rough overview of the workflow. The smoke you can see in this image is made of three layers. One layer with a Gaussian Blur applied, the other with Radial Blur, and one untouched layer. After creating the three layers, collapse them down into one layer. The blending mode for this combined layer is Soft Light.
Step 25
In the "fire rims" group, apply a layer mask with a wavy gradient, as in the image below. Then use this gradient to cover the brightness of the sparks (coming up next) towards the center and the periphery of the explosion. This group was made to hold a Gradient Map in color dodge. So this is how you can add many Layer masks in one layer without destroying it - nest groups with Layer masks.
Step 26
Another good trick is used to make this Starfield. It's just a grunge brush in a smaller scale, stroked randomly, and with Radial Blur applied (Amount:20-25; Quality: Good; Type: Zoom and centered same as earlier blurs). Use this blurred Starfield as a mask to the Gradient Map. This will act as bright sparks when the blending mode is set to Color Dodge or Screen.
Step 27
Now its time for a brightness/contrast layer, but again with a layer mask. This time it's easier to make. Just select the blank layer mask (Alt+ Click). Then apply Filters> Render> Difference Clouds. Do this several times (Ctrl+F).
Change the brightness/contrast values as it suits you, and blend it in a contrast mode (Multiply/Linear Burn, etc.). This will improve the overall contrast of the image. However, the Difference Clouds mask will create some problems, for now just go to the next step.
Step 28
The dense smoke effect that we have can be corrected by fading the smoke from regions which are already dark (those regions towards the outer rings). The easiest way to do it is by adding a Layer mask to the group, which holds the Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer. I created a group called "b n c," and applied a Radial gradient as layer mask.
Step 29
We have reached almost the end of this tutorial. So far we have got only translucent layers (except for the background). Select every layer above the black bg "Layer 0," and Duplicate them.
Then merge all these duplicate layers into one layer and name it "self applied image." If you hide all the other layers, but this new one (by Alt + Clicking on the eye next to it), you should get a result as the image shows.
Step 30
For the blending mode here use Soft Light.
Step 31
The images below show a gradual transformation with each subsequent operation.
Conclusion
Have fun making your own explosions. The final image is below.
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User Comments
( ADD YOURS )GIP June 23rd
GREAT!
BogDinamita June 23rd
this sure looks hot
D. Carreira June 23rd
Great effect! I think I’ll use it on a background for a website I’m creating!
Thanks!
David Carreira
HadDy June 23rd
nice effect!!
Erik Reagan June 23rd
This is certainly at the top of the list for these types of tutorials. I’ve seen a number of ‘explosion-like’ tutorials and gone through many of them but this one is the reigning champion. I read through the tutorial and will probably go through it and see what I can come up with on my own. This type of stuff makes for great wallpaper or poster backgrounds!
Tom Ross June 23rd
Wow. The final result is stunning! I found some parts a little hard to follow but I might try going through the whole tutorial myself start to finish and try and duplicate the effect. Thanks for a great tut!
Andrew June 23rd
Real nice effect. I was just thinking to myself that PSD Tuts was due for a good space effect tutorial; that works!
will June 23rd
That’s quite cool. A good step up from the animated gif explosions on star trek! :p
Engage
Hans Vargas June 23rd
That looks really cool
MarkusT June 23rd
where can i get the coffee strain brush?
Bob June 23rd
Hmm… Not sure about this one.
crazyhunk June 23rd
wow… that is some sick explosion…
thanx a lot…
ferdinand June 23rd
I suppose the coffee stains brushes used in step 12 are available for Plus members only? In any case I got a set of high resolution tea stains brushes here which should work as well.
wildwise June 23rd
thanks for the brushes ferdinand
Ariful Alam Khan June 23rd
Nice effect.
Ben Griffiths June 23rd
I think the concentric rings look too harsh in this example, but a great tutorial non the less - Thanks
Aaron June 23rd
can’t wait to try this out, the final result looks amazing!
Sam June 23rd
Nicely done
Htoo Tay Zar June 23rd
Absolutely Awesome!! I can’t wait to try this tut. Thanks a lot FrnkCrnk.
Braden Keith June 24th
Guess what? You did a fantastic job on this one.
Guess what else? This is definitely going to bring in the ladies for me
FrankCrank June 24th
ThankYou guys for all your comments!!
I can see some of you wanted the exact brushes for the tut.
This set was created by Nyssa J Brown
home: http://www.nyssajbrown.net/
and are also available at Brusheezy
http://www.brusheezy.com/brush/200-Coffee-Stains
(834)
D.T June 24th
Pretty cool effect.
MONSTER June 24th
Now we’re talkin’.
This is on my list of “to try” tutorials. Thanks.
Nate June 24th
Cool effect. I will try this one out when I get off work.
Callum Martin June 24th
Great tutprial , but your profile has no links or anything
Rjton June 24th
i will try thanks
joharin June 24th
1. Agreed with ben griffith, the rings are bit too sharp…though it is a a darn nice tut. Probably we can combine this with techniques from Fabio’s “http://psdtuts.com/tutorials-effects/create-a-powerful-mental-wave-explosion-effect/”, so we can get a rather nice looking-almost-real kind of wave…
2. Rumors said you guys came from the stars, that’s why all the great tuts here.
I’m beginning to believe it now…;p
Dallas Area Web Design June 24th
I will try this tutorial but it seems like a lot to do for such a simple outcome.
Digital Revolutions June 24th
Looks good, although it would probably be better if the rings weren’t so solid looking.
w00p June 24th
Very interesting workflow and brushwork. This is a great outcome for a stylistic space scene.
BogDinamita June 24th
@braden keith : loooooooool
Grafiko June 24th
Nice
Alvaro Guzmán June 24th
impressive outcome… keep these tuts coming!
Wouter June 24th
Really Really Nice
macias June 24th
very nice ! it;s looks like shots from machine gun from some kind od FPP shooter
jerry June 24th
Am I the onlz one who reallz doesn’t like the final outcome.. ?
carl0oo0s June 24th
oo great
Ravi Vora June 24th
Pretty good, but the rings throw it off. If they weren’t as sharp and stagnant this would feel a lot more real.
Danny June 24th
Love the end effect… Lots of steps though!
goldenthunder June 24th
Looks pretty cool. Nice approach! Thanks!
HellBoy June 24th
I tried to realize the same but it was too hard for me!! so i tried to do something a little bit different:D
here is my result :
http://souhail88.deviantart.com/art/Skulls-explosion-89574361
it look more like a radiation rather than an explosion!!
Anyways, i like your tutorials
Joefrey Mahusay June 24th
Awesome effect. Great job!
Bogus June 24th
these tutorials are getting worst and worst.
ShahrezRafiq June 24th
@Jerry:
No pal u r not the only one.
I don’t know why, but final result is not that impressive. I think sharpness of rings and may be the colors are the cause of it.
But technique is good and I am dead sure that I will be able to modify it accd. to my own taste.
Ruben June 24th
Absolutely fantastic! I think I might try it without the explosion rings.
Matt Radel June 24th
Holy crap - that’s awesome! Well done. The rings weren’t as noticeable to me until after I’d read through the tutorial. I still love it. Great, great stuff.
tommi June 24th
coool
Max June 25th
Very cool, I will try this later.
Jeff June 25th
Smells like teen spirit……….
Jeff June 25th
@ Braden Keith
“Guess what else? This is definitely going to bring in the ladies for me”
You f*cking werid.
Lawrence June 25th
somewhat OK!
Maybe we study something, but it doesnt look very good!!
anyway thanks for sharing!!
Collis post some TextEffects of ur own!!
Tim June 25th
Thanks for the detailed tuts. A few of the comments, however, takes the cake for entertainment and really shows the idiotic mentality of wannabe designers.
MD June 25th
Sweet!
Cmoore June 25th
I like the explosion itself; not so much the rings. The red that the rings give the smoke looks cool, but the rings near the center are just so sharp it looks terrible. From about halfway out and beyond, great job. Dead center, great job. In between that, not so much. I prolly would have sheared or used some other filter on the rings before adding them.
Brandon June 25th
This is a nice tutorial, but I get lost @ step 18. I don’t understand how you get your blur rings inside of the gradient map 2, mine will not place itself in the actual gradient map 2. Could someone help me, am I over looking anything? Thanks in advance
Scott Lowe June 25th
hah, my question is the same as brandon’s, i don’t know how to convert the merged layers to a mask. Any body got any ideas? Thanks, fun tutorial!
Qbrushes June 25th
@ Bogus, they’re still the best tutorials around.
FrankCrank June 25th
@brandon/scott
You can do so in many ways, but following will be the most easy
1. Ctrl+ click on the ‘merged layers’ in Step 9. This will load all the non-transparent pixels as selection.
2. Go to the GradientMap2 layer and create a new layer mask. The selection will be automatically assigned as the mask outline.
alternatively you can also try Copy/Pasting.
izoel June 25th
31 steps to take a glory ..! Gosh..this tutorial rocks.. what in the earth you can imagine that effect
The Floating Frog June 25th
Great effect, though it is quite limited on what it could be used for. None the less, it teaches you some basic skills that help refresh the memory. Looking forward to learning some new skills with some of the untouched features in PS.. ***
Raj June 26th
Thanx for this nice tutorial m8.
Kris June 27th
Yeah this is a great tut! I am not a fan of the rings.
andy wood June 27th
very cool. I like the fire. I think the rings are to perfect and make it less believable.
BloO June 29th
sweeettt ! thank you !
slizoo July 1st
Love this tut and love u Frank
Awesome effect
Here’s my try - http://disisme.deviantart.com/art/b00m-90149749
danny.rex July 1st
This tutorial looks amazing, the final picture is totally stunning
though its a little hard to follow, you mention you used 3 layers to make the smoke, one with radial blur, one with gausian and another untouched, but you don’t mention how to make the smoke layer on the first place (sorry if I missed it)
thank u for all the tutorials
Web Designer July 2nd
Great!
FrankCrank July 4th
@slizoo
great outcome dude, I like that. Technically its perfect.
@danny.rex
Its just grunge brushing, nothing else. Try to brush out some smoke with a semi transparent grunge brush.
You may use opacity.brightness.size jitter
danny.rex July 5th
Thanks, going to finish it as soon as I can
Cooper Shrieve July 5th
the outcome looks cheesy.
Rommel July 8th
hey that is so great uo know
Shay July 14th
Can anyone help me with step 11 i can not figure out the gradient map, it keeps changing the whole background to a single color….
Mansoor July 24th
Great Tut.
Dustin August 5th
I am stuck on step 18. How do I add the layer mask to the gradient map like is shown in the screen capture? Can anyone please help?
Odranoel August 6th
I don’t like it, it’s not clearly explained and you get lost at times, if you want to make a 30+ steps tutorial WATCH THE ORGANIZATION, there’s no way to follow this tutorial with such an awful organization… I hate this tutorial and whoever wrote it.
Vincent October 2nd
Please make this easier to follow.. I had to skip most of the tutorials here. I want more detailed TUTORIALS, this is not a tutorial, this is too hard to follow through!
Rafa November 28th
ok like we said in venezuelan “naguevona de arrecho!” (that means something like “thats way too f*cking awesome”)… this tutorial shows that inner potential that adobe has… and how inteligent people can show it to us! Congratulations!
hayfor January 6th
Good work ~Thanks
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