Step 22: Add A Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer

Let's add some color to our flames. For that, we'll use a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Click on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette, then select Hue/Saturation from the list that appears:

This brings up the Hue/Saturation dialog box. First, select the Colorize option in the bottom right corner of the dialog box. Then, in the center of the dialog box, set the Hue value to around 40 for a warm yellow/orange color, then crank the Saturation value all the way up to 100 to really boost the color's intensity:

Click OK to exit out of the Hue/Saturation dialog box. Our flames are starting to look much better, but we're not quite done yet:

Step 23: Add A Second Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer

We'll add one more color to our flames using a second Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Click once again on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and select Hue/Saturation from the list. This time, don't select the Colorize option. Just set the Hue value to around -15 for a deeper orange color. Click OK when you're done to exit out of the dialog box:

Step 24: Change The Blend Mode Of The Adjustment Layer To Overlay

Go up to the Blend Mode option in the top left corner of the Layers palette (it's the drop-down box that by default is set to "Normal"). Change the blend mode for the second Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to Overlay:

This adds a more realistic color combination to our flames, with the lighter areas keeping the bright yellowish orange color from the first Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and the darker areas now appearing with a deeper, richer shade of orange:

Step 25: Select And Turn On The Text Copy Layer

At this point, we're done with our flames. We'll finish off our effect by working on the text copy layer that we created way back at the beginning of the tutorial. Before we can work on it though, we'll need to turn it back on since it's currently hidden from view. First, click on the text copy layer in the Layers palette to select it. Then click on the layer visibility icon (the empty square) on the far left of the layer to turn the layer back on in the document:

Step 26: Add A Gradient Overlay Layer Style

Let's add some color to our text. With the text copy layer now selected and visible, click on the Layer Styles icon at the bottom of the Layers palette and choose Gradient Overlay from the list that appears:

This brings up Photoshop's Layer Style dialog box set to the Gradient Overlay options in the middle column. Click on the gradient preview area in the center of the options:

This brings up Photoshop's Gradient Editor. In the bottom half of the Gradient Editor is where we can create our own custom gradient. You'll see a thin horizontal bar showing a preview of the current gradient colors, with a small color stop directly below it on each end. Let's change the color on the left of the gradient. Click on the color stop on the left to select it, then click on the color swatch at the bottom of the dialog box:

This brings up Photoshop's Color Picker. Choose a dark orange/brown color, which will be used for the bottom of our letters, then click OK to exit out of the Color Picker:

Back in the Gradient Editor, click on the color stop below the right side of the gradient preview bar to select it, then click again on the color swatch:

When the Color Picker appears, choose a bright orange color which will appear at the top of our letters. Click OK when you're done to exit out of the Color Picker, then click OK to exit out of the Gradient Editor since we've now chosen our colors for the gradient:

At this point, the only dialog box open on your screen should be the Layer Style dialog box. You'll see that the gradient preview area is now showing the new colors we selected. Make sure the Style option is set to Linear and that the Align with Layer option is selected. Also, make sure the Angle of the gradient is set to 90°:

Click OK when you're done to exit out of the Layer Style dialog box. Our custom gradient is now applied to our text:

We could stop here if we wanted to, but right now, it looks like text sitting in front of flames. I want the effect to look more like the text itself is on fire. We'll add some finishing touches to our fire text effect next!