We will create an intense and grim death manipulation using blending modes and other techniques. The tutorial it is easy to follow and can be completed even by complete beginners. Be aware of my use of blending modes in order to quickly achieve spectacular effects and skip complicated selection.

What you’ll be creating

In this tutorial we will create a an intense fire manipulation. You will need Photoshop CS4 or newer in order to follow this tutorial.

Tutorial Resources

• Road – monika-es-stock
• Texture –  freeimages.com
• Fire1 –  tortured-raven-stack
• Fire2 –  smile-umbrella
• Effects – Tamilia
• Lightning Brush 1  – elestrial
• Lightning Brush 2 – frostbo
• Smoke Brush – falln-stock
• Glitter – acheronnights
• Moon Brush Ischarm
• Birds – redheadstock
• Cross – loftystocks
• House – mysticmorning
• Fire Brush – redheadstock
• Skeleton1 – markopolio-stock
• Dead Tree – gd08
• Skeleton2 – markopolio-stock
• Optical Flare – darkooz
• Death – mjranum-stock

Step 1

Open the file “Road”. Select all (Ctrl + A). Press Ctrl + C to copy. Go back to our scene and press Ctrl + V to paste. Place the sky as I did in the image below by using the free transform (Ctrl + T).

Step 2

Open the file “Death”. Make a selection of the death figure. You can use either the Quick Selection Tool or the Pen Tool and press Ctrl + J to put it on a new layer. Ctrl + A to select all, Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste it into our document. Convert the pasted layer into a Smart Object so we can do countless resizes without losing any image information (right click the layer and from the drop down menu choose “Convert To Smart Object”). Use Free Transform to place the death figure as shown below.

Step 3

Create a new layer (Ctrl + N) and clip it to the layer below by Alt-clicking between the two. Now the contents of the upper layer will be only visible through the lower layer pixels. Change the blending mode to Overlay. With a white soft brush paint some light coming from the right of the scene on the death figure.

Step 4

Create a new layer. Select the Clone Tool. Clone away the white pixels on the face of the death figure.

Step 5

Open the file “Texture”. Select all, copy and paste into our scene. Convert to smart object. Use Free Transform to position the texture as shown below.

Step 6

Create a layer mask for the texture layer by going to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All. Now select black as foreground color by pressing D. Click on the layer mask and press Ctrl + Backspace to fill it with black and thus hide the texture. Now with a white soft brush at 100% Opacity paint so that you will reveal the texture over the scythe wood.

Step 7

Change the blending mode of the texture to Multiply. This will hide all the white parts and leave use with the black cracks.

Step 8

Create a new layer and select a dark orange(#882a00) as foreground color. With the chalk brush at 80% Opacity and 2px size paint some redness into the cracks. Name this layer “Cracks Light”.

Step 9

Duplicate the “Cracks Light” layer by pressing Ctrl + D. Double click the layer to enter advanced blending mode. Use the settings below to add some glow.

Step 10

Open the file “Fire1”. Select all, copy and paste into our scene. Convert the imported layer into a smart object. Use Free Transform to position the fire as shown below.