CREATING FIRE IN COREL PHOTO PAINT

INTRODUCTION

This is a series of 6 tutorials describing several different methods to create really nice
Fire and Ice text effects you can create using Corel Photo-Paint.

The main reason for publishing these tutorials, apart from my never ending campaign to
show off the superb abilities of Photo-Paint, was due to the large number of emails I
received from people asking me how I created the title graphic of the last page in the
Simple Text Effects Tutorial series. Well now you can find out for yourself - and much
more.

This series of tutorials demonstrates both simple and advanced methods for creating
these effects, and provides ideas and tips on how to modify them and create your own
unique ones. It is important to note though, with all of these text effect tutorials, all of the
effects can be applied to all sorts of objects, not just to text. Simply create a shape or
use a masked area of an existing image and the apply the effect to it. Why not try to
create a face with flaming hair. I'd love to see your own creations.

Please note that many of the tutorials in this series require the use of version 9 or
higher. As I don't use version 8 at all anymore (and haven't for a number of years now)
it is quite difficult to continuously return to this older version to check that the steps work
as I have written them. So apologies to version 8 (and earlier) users, but there are so
many really good changes, additions and features to later editions of Corel Photo-Paint
that I strongly suggest you upgrade if you are still using version 8 as you read this.

Corel has a great policy of republishing their older CorelDRAW Suite products as the
new versions are released and these are sold at a greatly reduced cost compared to
when the product was first released. Very few software publishers do this and in most
cases provide no support for users of older versions, charge more to upgrade from older
versions and generally force users into situations where they feel obligated to buy the
latest, most expensive version. When version 8 of the Draw suite was released, Corel
published the Select (7) edition. After releasing version 9 they released Corel Draw
Classic (version 8). Following the release of version 10, Corel Essentials (version 9)
was released. Select, Classic and Essentials boxed versions cost around 20% of the
cost of the original when it was released. This is a great way to stay 'almost' updated
with the CorelDRAW Suite if you are on a limited budget. So if you are still using Photo-
Paint version 7, 8 or even lower, why not hunt around and see if you can find Corel
Essentials (version 9) somewhere and take full advantage of the great new features in
these more advanced versions. Personally I can't wait to get my hands on the very
latest version but then again I really love Photo-Paint.
Create some black text.
Change the paint colour to black first, the create the text.
I used a font called Cararway at 150 points.

Centre the image

Object > Arrange > Align and Distribute,
To Center of Documen

With the text object selected,

apply a Whirlwind effect

Effects > Distort > Whirlwind.

In the Whirlwind dialogue box

click the Reset button
then change the:
Smear length = 19.

Press OK to apply the effect.

Select the background object

and duplicate it (CTRL+D).

Using the Object Docker,

move the duplicate fire object
so that it is above the Fire text object.

Rename it ‘Clipped Object’

by double-clicking on the object’s name
in the Object Docker

Clip the duplicated object to the text below it

by clicking in the clip object column
for the topmost object in the Object Docker

Change the merge mode

of the Clipped Object to:
Difference

Change the Fill Colour to White

(left-click on the white colour swatch on the Palette).
Create a new object

Object > Create > New Object, or

and drag it to below the Fire text object
in the Object Docker and
change its name to ‘Blender’.

Make sure this object is selected

then fill it with white using the Fill Tool.

Using the opacity slider

in the Object Docker,
change the opacity of the Blender object to 30%.

Save your composition as a CPT file so you can reedit it later, and you can also use EXPORT ((File >
Export, or )
to save the file in a different (combined) image format without losing your separated objects and merge
modes. (Fig 9).

Note:
Because the Clipped Object is clipped to the fire text object, it can be moved around the image with
interesting results.

Select the Object Picke tool then choose the the fire text object and drag it around the image - Cool!
 STEPS :
1. Create a new image:  
    RGB,
    100% Black background,
    400x400 pixels,
    300 dpi
 Fig 1 

2. Select the Text tool

    and create the text ‘FIRE’ as an object,
    Size = 32 points,
    Colour = white,
    in a fairly thick font. ( I used Book Antiqua )
             
    Centre the text object 
    Object > Arrange > Align and Distribute > To Center of Document > OK 
    

 Fig 2 

3. Create a mask from the text Object 

    Mask > Create from Object/s or CTRL+M
    

4. Switch to Paint on Mask (POM) mode  

    Mask > Paint on Mask or CTRL+K
    
 

 Fig 3 

5. Apply a Gaussian Blur:  

    Effects > Blur > Gaussian

    Radius = 3
 

 Fig 4 

6. Apply a Wind Effect using the following parameters:  

    Effects > Distort > Wind

    Strength = 90,
    Opacity = 100,
    Angle = 90.

 Fig 5 
7. Repeat the Wind Effect  
    Changing Angle = 93.

 Fig 6a 

Fig 6b

8. Adjust the Levels of the mask image   

by applying a Contrast Enhancement adjustment
Image > Adjust > Contrast Enhancement

Change the

lower Input Value Clipping marker = 70

and the

upper Input Value Clipping marker = 120

 
  Fig 7 

9. Return from POM mode  

    uncheck Mask > Paint on Mask, or use the CTRL+K toggle

    then save this mask as a channel called ‘base’

    Mask > Save > Save As Channel

10. Create a new object  

      Object > Create > New Object, or use the icon on the Object Docker

      then drag the new object below the text object in the Object Docker.

      Make sure this new object is selected - there should be a red box
      around the thumbnail in the Object Docker.

      Rename this object ‘Real Fire’ by double-clicking

      on its name in the Object Docker.
 

 Fig 8 
11.  Feather the current mask:
      Mask > Mask Outline > Feather (vers 11+) or
      Mask > Shape > Feather (vers 8-10),
      Width = 16,
      Direction = Outside,
      Edges = Linear.
12. RIGHT-click on the Red colour swatch in the Palette
       to change the FILL colour to Red.

      Click on the Fill Tool  

      then left-click inside the mask to fill it with Red.

 Fig 9 

13. Remove the mask  

      Mask > Remove, CTRL+SHIFT+R

      then load the base mask again  

      Mask > Load > base

14. Feather the mask:  

      Width = 8,
      Direction = Outside,
      Edges = Linear.

      Right-click the Yellow colour swatch to change the fill colour to yellow
      then select the Fill Tool and fill the masked area with yellow.
 

 Fig 10 
15. Remove the mask and load the base mask again.
Change the fill colour to white then fill this mask with white
(this time use Edit > Fill and make sure Current Fill is selected).

Remove the mask.

 Fig 11 
16. Select the text in the Object Docker then double-click on the text tool to enter text edit
mode.

Drag to select all of the text then left-click on the 100% black colour swatch to change the
colour of the text to black.

Select the Object Picker tool  

to apply the change.
 

 Fig 12a 
 Fig 12b 
17. Select the ‘Real Fire’ object,
      then apply a Whirlpool Effect  
      Effects > Distort > Whirlpool

      In this dialogue, first:

      click the Reset button,
      choose the Default Style and
      change Streak Detail = 14.

18. Now save the image as a CPT file so you

       can retrieve it later for editing if you like.

      You can also Export it as a JPG or GIF.

      You could also alter it further as follows:

Red Hot Metal Text:

 
  Fig 13 

Fig 14 
1. Select the text object, and duplicate it (CTRL+D)

2. With the upper text object selected, Lock the object’s Transparency (use the ... button
either on the Mask/Object Toolbar or on the Object Docker.

3. From The Edit menu choose Fill, then click the Fountain Fill icon and then the Edit
button in this dialogue to open the Fountain Fill dialogue.

From the drop down list of presets, choose ‘Cylinder - 22', then click OK twice to fill the
upper text object with this fill.
  Fig 15 

4. Unlock the Object Transparency  

(this icon is a toggle for this function so just press it again to turn it off).

Select the lower text object then click the eye icon on the upper text object to render the
upper text object invisible, so you can see and work with the lower text object.

5. Create a mask from the lower text object and then invert the mask .

      , 

 Fig 16a 
 Fig 16b 

6. Apply a Glass Effect  

Effects > 3D Effects > Glass

using the settings shown here:

 Fig 17 

7. Remove the mask  

to arrive at the image here:
  Fig 18 
8. Now select the upper text object
    and change its Merge Mode = Hard Light.

Other Neat Effects created by adjusting Merge Modes

 Fig 19 
1. Red Hot Metal #2:
Swap the positions of the two text objects from Step 8 then change the merge modes so
that

the top (darker) object = Color Burn

the lower text object = Normal

  Fig 20 
2. Cooling Metal:
Swap the positions of the two text objects from Step 8, then change the merge modes so
that

the top (darker) object = Texturize

and the lower (red gradient) object = Color.

 Fig 21 
3. Blue Fire:
Create a new object and position it directly above the background then fill it with white.

Change the merge mode of the Real Fire object (which is directly above the new white
object) to Invert.

The dark text object above this has a merge mode of Normal

while the uppermost (orange gradient) text object has a merge mode of Divide.