This week, I show you how to render type in smoke. And happily, in addition to its reliance on the usual flexible construction of layers and smart objects, the effect is easy to pull off and you can edit the text any time you like.

Here’s the official description from lynda.com:

In this week’s free Deke’s Techniques, you’ll see how to create text out of thin air, well, smokey thin air. Using a photograph of smoke and some completely editable text, you’ll see how to make wispy, ethereal letters from a standard text layer. Of course, as with many techniques of Deke it’s all about the intelligent use of smart objects. You’ll start by distorting the text with a smart version of the Wave filter to make it seem properly ephemeral, effectively managing the Randomize setting (which means clicking it until you get something you like).

Then it’s a matter of appropriate Motion Blur, applying the best blend mode (in this case Color Dodge), and some more (Gaussian) blur. Then you’ll reduce the Fill Opacity, because Color Dodge is one of those blend modes that responds to Fill Opacity better than standard opacity.

The result is this completely editable but delightfully ethereal effect.

If this effect seems familiar, it’s because you’ve probably seen it in the thumbnail graphic and introductory movie from Deke’s Photoshop CS6 Beta Preview course. Now you now that Deke drinks his own smokey Kool-Aid, using his effects in his own projects.

And Deke will be back next week with another free technique.

Enjoy in good health. And for goodness sake, don’t smoke!