Rate This Tutorial!  2.200   Log in to rate this! 0 = Not Helpful up to 3 = Very Helpful. NR = No Rating. Questions? Feedback? Join the Discussion on this Tutorial

Concept: When you shoot fireworks, you often get a number of fine images of individual firework explosions, but it’s difficult to shoot the finale when the sky is filled with dozens of exploding fireworks. It’s possible to create your own finale by compositing multiple photos of individual firework explosions.

Approach: Copy multiple photos, each to their own layer in a new Photoshop document. Set blending mode to screen. Adjust positions to create a pleasing image. Flatten and post process further to taste.

Software Used: Photoshop CS4 but other versions of Photoshop should work similarly.

Steps:

1. Choose the firework explosion photos you want to composite together. I get good results with about a dozen photos. It seems to work best if the explosion is centered in the frame with dark sky completely surrounding the explosion. Here’s an example:
   
   
2. Use Photoshop tools to clean up the individual photos as desired and File>Save As to save the photo in PSD format so you can go back and post process further if necessary.
3. Next, create a new Photoshop document at your target size and resolution. Since my original photos were taken by a Canon G-10, they were 4416x3312. I chose a new document size of 8000x6000 at 300 dpi. Using the paint bucket tool, fill the photo with a nice sky black, say RGB of 5, 5, 5.
   
   
4. Now, for each original firework photo you’ve chosen, do the following:
   
   
   • Open the photo in Photoshop.
   • Use the magic wand to select part of the sky.
   • Use Select>Similar to get the rest of the sky.
   • Use Select>Inverse to get the firework explosion.
   • Clean up the selection if necessary.
     
     
     
     I find a tolerance of 16 works well.
   • Edit>Copy copies your selection to the clipboard.
   • Now switch to your new Composite Image and create a new layer. I like to name the layer with the image name of the original photo to help me keep all the layers straight.
     
     
   • Ctrl-V or Edit>Paste to paste the contents of the clipboard (your original photo) into the new layer. And now the magic happens!
   • Change the blending mode for the new layer to Screen.
     
     
     
     At this stage, the magic of the blending mode won’t be apparent. But as you add more and more layers, the fireworks will combine to form a wonderful finale image.
     
     
5. Keep going, and add as many images as you want. If a firework is too small in the composite, upsize the original before you select, copy and paste so it ends up the size you want in the finale.
6. Sometimes you’ll notice some artifacts around the edge of a firework layer you just created. To correct it, create a mask, and paint black on the mask to remove the artifacts.
   
   
7. You may find you want an explosion someplace other than where it landed when you pasted it into composite image. Simply select the layer and use the move tool to drag it anyplace you want it.
8. To finish the photo, I like to add a little contrast. Add an adjustment layer using Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Curves. You might try Medium Contrast, or try adjusting the control points as below.
   
   
9. I also like to boost saturation a little bit to make the image more vibrant. Use layer>New Adjustment layer>Hue/Saturation and boost the saturation until you’re satisfied. I chose +8.
   
   
10. Obviously you can continue editing the document to your heart’s content. This is how mine ended up.
    
    

Rate This Tutorial!  2.200   Log in to rate this! 0 = Not Helpful up to 3 = Very Helpful. NR = No Rating. Questions? Feedback? Join the Discussion on this Tutorial