Phoenix... from the smoke.

[Steve Adkins]

Just having fun with smoke.
In Photoshop: lots of ... Control+Alt+Shift+T... for a repeated flow of rotating and shrinking images and then a flip or two to make the body parts.
A mix of blend modes added color. Reds seem to go unbelievably hot when uploaded. :-( At least it fits the Phoenix idea...
Used the image of the bit of smoke in the talons to fashion everything except the background.
Background created with the help of Filter Forge.
All C&C welcome.

[Kerry Perkins]

Oh yeah, great to see this posted here Steve! What a wonderful image with so much going on. I love the bird, the background, and that amazing perch of smoke. Really nice!

[Dennis Bishop]

My first reaction -- before reading the text -- was, "How in the world did he do the phoenix?" Then, I read it and was even more amazed. What a lot of work and a really stunning result. The phoenix and the background and how they work together are incredible.

[Diane Miller]

Awesome!! This should be on a big chopper!

[Paul Lagasi]

I wonder what you been smoking Steve....a lovely creation, nice work

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Steve, this is incredible and I can only imagine how much work went into it. The background is the perfect choice.

[Anita Bower]

Wow! Dramatic. Amazing colors. Amazing shapes. The Phoenix stands out beautifully against the dark bg. I love the bg also--not something I would have thought of doing, but it works very well and adds enough interest to counter the Phoenix without overpowering it. Great smoke in the talons. What do you think about making the eyes stand out just a tad more? Outstanding, imaginative and beautiful creation.

[Nancy Bell]

Totally awesome and super creative! I would love to see a You Tube video of this from start to finish. Hey, in Colorado you would be perfectly legal smoking a particular product to create the smoke. And maybe encourage the creativity!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

All has been said, excellent image Steve!