1. Create a new File of any size. I chose 420 × 200px. As BG-Color choose black. Done so write some white text to a new layer (bold text, white color, size: 50).

2. Right click the text-layer in the layers dialog and choose “merge down”. You should only have one single layer now.

3. Now, that we have all one one single layer, we create our flames. Use the Smudge-Tool to do so and choose the values that are shown on the picture. Also set the spacing of the brush to 1, by doing that you’ll get a much smoother outcome when smudging.

4. Zoom in to 200%. Now start at the first letter of your text: Hold down your left mouse button and smear around the border of this single letter to make it somehow gray as seen in the picture. It should look real so it must not be perfect. If you watch flames you will see the natural chaos

It is important to change the super white into gray tones.

5. After that make some flame-like movements to the top.

6. Let your creativity come out and do this with all the letters now.

7. Well, we are almost done already. Now we simply have to add the correct colors of fire.

Choose from the menu: Colors / Color Balance:

Shadows
-————-
+100
+30
-30

Midtones
-————-
+100
+30
-30

Highlights
-————-
+100
0
-100

I've never thought of doing something like this before, thank you for the ideas!

It sounds like a cool flame effect. Do you have some samples of what the finish product looks like when you were done?
Mahalo for posting this tutorial. I look forward to giving it a try.

-- Sun Mar 29, 2020 5:24 pm --

Esbeth wrote:

Create a new File of any size. I chose 420 × 200px. As BG-Color choose black. Done so write some white text to a new layer (bold text, white color, size: 50).2.Right click the text-layer in the layers dialog and choose “merge down”. You should only have one single layer now.3.Now, that we have all one one single layer, we create our flames. Use the Smudge-Tool to do so and choose the values that are shown on the picture. Also set the spacing of the brush to 1, by doing that you’ll get a much smoother outcome when smudging.4.Zoom in to 200%. Now start at the first letter of your text: Hold down your left mouse button and smear around the border of this single letter to make it somehow gray as seen in the picture. It should look real so it must not be perfect. If you watch flames you will see the natural chaos It is important to change the super white into gray tones.5.After that make some flame-like movements to the top.6.Let your creativity come out and do this with all the letters now.7.Well, we are almost done already. Now we simply have to add the correct colors of fire.Choose from the menu: Colors / Color Balance:Shadows
-————-
+100
+30
-30Midtones
-————-
+100
+30
-30Highlights
-————-
+100
0
-100

Esbeth! I am stoked to running into your tutorials here and your not the only one either. =-) I did this one lesson and love the results. I will post what I have done as soon as I have a bit more free time. Much aloha to your support here and appreciate this so much. I really enjoyed going through this step by step and learned a handful of things that I will continue to practice and move on to the next. I have zero experience at this but I look forward to the process of learning these wonderful skillsets that you all do here. Mahalo Nui!!