Create a Dynamic Particle Explosion in Photoshop
Lately, I’ve received several requests for tutorials on how to use some of our resources, or more specifically, how to achieve the look in the preview images. In this tutorial, I’m going to explain my process for using our latest freebie brush set to create a particle explosion.
For this tutorial you will need to download the new FREE brush set, Dust Particles. Below is a look at what we’ll be creating using the brushes. Click the image to view the full preview.
I think you’ll be surprised how easy this effect is to create. Lets dive in…
Step 1
Create a blank document 2400×1200 at 300dpi with a background color set to #191919. Choose a bold heavy font and enter some white text of your choice.
Apply the following layer styles to your text.
Step 2
Press the letter (D) on your keyboard to reset your colors to black and white. On a new layer, above your text, render some clouds (Filter | Render | Clouds).
Set this layer’s blending mode to Overlay.
Step 3
Now load the Dust Particle brushes from your brush palette. On a new layer, using a white brush, begin clicking to place some of the particles around your text. Choose different brushes, and size them down accordingly.
On a new layer use another particle brush, sized a bit larger than the others, and then apply a (Filter | Blur | Gaussian Blur) to make it appear as though some of the particles are too close to the camera to be in focus.
This brush set makes the previous step incredibly easy. Drawing and placing these particles individually would have taken a considerable amount of time.
Step 4
Now lets rasterize our type. (Ctrl+click) the type layer and select “Rasterize Type” from the drop down. Now we can use one of the particle brushes as an eraser to remove pieces of the type to make it appear like pieces of broken off.
Step 5
Lets add a Gradient Map adjustment layer and use a gradient similar to the one below.
Now, on a new layer, below the text, use a large soft white brush with opacity set to around 10-20% to paint a bit of light behind the text. Set this layers blending mode to Linear Dodge (Add).
I hope this tutorial has shown you some new techniques, and how custom brushes can create impressive effects in just a few clicks.
Here’s a view of the effect at 100% zoom.
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You bet!
Nice job Nathan! I love the final outcome, you the man! And thanks for the wonderful brush set, I will put it to good use.
Awesome… Thanks Rod. :-)
Thank you very cool
Nice Tutorial. Could you please tell us that which font you have used in this tutorial?
Thank You!
Man, you are talented. Thanks for sharing this post and the amazing products you continually release on this site. I am a big fan :)
font used?
thank you!! I like it!!
i wonder if this effect are affected with picture??i mean potrait picture??
i am always learn from your tricky tutorials. thanks
Great result and it seems really easy to make :)
give me the video tutorial pls :-(
Really pretty outcome. BTW I don’t like to rasterize my text layer. It’s not needed. Just add a layermask and use the brush on the mask for the holes in the text. And for the blurried particles, just turn the layer into a Smart Object before and then add the G. Blurr. That way the entire project stays highly customizable :)
My result: http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/475008_294384913991115_1958467666_o.jpg
WHAT THE FUCK? When I add the similar Gradient Map Layer NOTHING happens? whhyyyyyyyyyyyyyy goddamit!!?
hey i have a question over here :)
which is the font name?
Calibri
When you say in Step 4 to use the brush as an eraser what do you mean? Do you just use the background colour and brush over the text with that colour?
Z
hey dude, why it does’nt working on my cs6 ps, … the dust brush file is not working T.T can anyone help me?
hey nathan, i want to be friend of you, i need you to guide me in photoshop, hope that you will help me thanks, need so much to know more in photoshop :))),
Hi jherald… Have a look around the blog. There are some great tutorials here that will help you boost your Photoshop skills very quickly.
i cant see your great tutorials ^_^, can u link it to me ? thanks
Hey, when I render the clouds and change the blending mode to “overlay” the clouds just disappear. What”s going on?
-Tim Oldridge
having problems with the adjustment layer
I can’t make effect from step 4.
I click resterize type on text layer, then I use particle brush and I only color the text, it’s not the same effect like you have :(
I am fairly new to photoshop, and had no problem up until the gradient map, perhaps add greater detail to how you got your map to look like that or the settings. Over all i loved this tutorial :)
Really nice work. nice way of teaching
thanks
Learned a lot from this tutorial, so thx for that.
Had a lot of trouble adding a Gradient Map adjustment layer, but I found out I had to change the gradient colours a bit, to get a similar result.
Could you say which version of photoshop that is? (i’m using Ps CS6) Because i become completly diffrent end result and it sucks :/ (sorry for my bad english)
Hi qais… I was using CS5 in this tutorial.
I don’t understand Step 5.. anyone please help me.. pleaseeee….
Pretty cool job! Thank you soooo much!
Oh my god…. U are so bad at telling us where to find the different things! U just say “add a gradient map”, not for example (like u should do to make it easier) “Go to ‘that’ and then click ‘this’ and then add this and that, instead of just saying add a gadient map…
can you make a video tutorial pleeaaase