Unlike hard-edged objects, steam has an almost ethereal quality which can be hard to replicate. With the following technique, however, you will learn a simple method for creating realistic steam using nothing except Photoshop's in-built filters and a little attention to detail.

In this tutorial you'll see how to add realistic steam to a cup of coffee.

One common request I receive from my site guests is to add smoke or steam to an image. Sometimes the desired effect is wispy, floating steam to make a muffin look fresh from the oven; sometimes it's a strong, forceful stream to indicate an iron's wrinkle-fighting power. Knowing how to make steam is a handy tool.

Make your own loading screen like the one from Steam.

Learn how to animate steam rising from a coffee cup.

Create some steam and other techniques with Photoshop.