Step 1-
Use Photoshop Layers to Modify the image
I started with a scan of a postage stamp which I opened in Photoshop. After deciding to make the smoke puff out of the smokestack, I set about trying to isolate the smoke area so that I could make it move.
To do this, open the Layers palette and duplicate the background layer by selecting Duplicate Layer from the pop-up menu in the upper right corner of the palette. In the dialog box that appears, name the new layer layer 2 and click OK to create the new layer.
With the duplicate layer active, select the Quickmask icon to enter Quickmask mode. Now select a paintbrush and paint in a selection around the smoke area to define the selection. The figure at left shows the green mask* of my selection, and that I'm using a transparent paintbrush at 51% opacity. Painting a transparent Quickmask results in a transparent selection, which will help the effect I'm going for in this image. Exit Quickmask to convert the mask to an active selection.
*Note- Your mask color may be different, depending on how you've set up your Quickmask parameters. (See my previous columns on Quickmask for more details).
