![My magical rainbow color flame My magical rainbow color flame](http://veerle-v2.duoh.com/images/uploads/color-flames.jpg)
One of the things I’ve seen around quite a bit lately is a transparent rainbow gradient effect on a dark background. It seems to me that flashy transparent gradients are in these days. They make me think about magic. Today I’ll show you how you can create a magical rainbow color flame. OK, maybe I’m using too many words in a row here, but it’s the best I can do to describe this.
I should tell you upfront that for this tutorial basic knowledge of Photoshop is needed.
Draw smoky lines
First we start with the creation of the smoky lines by using the Pen tool. Use a white fill for each shape layer and an Opacity of 40%. Set the Layer mode of the layer to Overlay and the Fill to 0%.![Draw smoke lines Draw smoke lines](http://veerle-v2.duoh.com/images/uploads/color-flames-howto01.jpg)
Add a cold gradient color flame
First we'll create a rainbow gradient preset. Select the Gradient tool in the Toolbox and go to the Gradient picker in the Toolbar at the top. If I'm not mistaken there should be a gradient called Transparent Rainbow by default in there. Double click to edit it. Remove the orange and yellow stop and move the the green, aqua, dark blue and hot pink stop so the colors are more equally divided over the length of the gradient. Give the gradient a name, for example 'Cold Gradient' and click the Newbutton. Click OK to close the window. Set the Opacity of the gradient in the Toolbar to 50%.![Add cold gradient color flame Add cold gradient color flame](http://veerle-v2.duoh.com/images/uploads/color-flames-howto02.jpg)
Touch up the flame using the Smudge tool
If all goes well your gradient should look more or less as in the image below. To be extra save, create a copy of this layer first just in case. This touching up and reshaping needs a bit of work and the result could be too messy. This way you can come back and give it another try.![Touch up the flame using the Smudge tool Touch up the flame using the Smudge tool](http://veerle-v2.duoh.com/images/uploads/color-flames-howto03.jpg)
Add a warm gradient color flame
Add a second gradient effect in a new layer on top of the previous one. Just like before, select the Gradient tool in the Toolbox and go to the Gradient picker in the Toolbar at the top. Select the gradient called Transparent Rainbow from the dropdown gradient list and double click to edit. Remove the dark blue and aqua stop in the gradient. Rearrange the stops so the colors are equally divided over the entire length. Give the gradient a name, something like 'Warm Gradient' and click the Newbutton. Click OK to close the window. Make sure the Opacity of the gradient is set to 50% in the Toolbar.![Add a warm gradient color flame Add a warm gradient color flame](http://veerle-v2.duoh.com/images/uploads/color-flames-howto04.jpg)
Add glowing sparks
To add some extra magic effect, we'll add some sparkles. In one of my previous tutorials I've already showed you how to create glowing sparks. Anyhow here is it again to refresh your memory (but with slightly different settings). Open the Brushes palette (F5 or Window > Brushes). Choose the 21 sized feathered brush. Check Shape Dynamics and Scattering. Select Brush Tip Shape and in the sliders at the bottom, set the Hardness to 0%. Check Spacing and drag the slider towards 403%. Select Scattering, check Both Axes and put the Scatter to 775%. Select Shape Dynamics and change the Size Jitter slider to 100%![Add glowing sparks Add glowing sparks](http://veerle-v2.duoh.com/images/uploads/color-flames-howto05.jpg)
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