Branding Iron

Step 1 - Create a new document

First of all you need to create a new document in which you can make this branding iron.

I used a 400x400 document, but the images that I'll be showing you throughout this tutorial will be 380x200.

Step 2 - The background

Now you should add a background to your canvas, I used this pattern that I made for the background.

Step 3 - Starting the shape

Now that you've made the document and background, start the shape by getting the Rounded Rectangle Tool.

Use these, or similar settings for the Rounded Rectangle Tool:

Next thing to do is change your foreground color to #ac2009.

On a new layer, drag a rounded rectangle on the document like so:

Now hold Ctrl and click the layer thumbnail, this will make a selection around it.

In the Photoshop menus, go to Select > Modify > Contract and use an input of 6 pixels.

Press delete on your keyboard and it will have removed the middle area.

Step 4 - Making the text

Next on the things to do is adding the text.

Get the text tool and write out the word "Hot" in the same color as the outline as I have.

Above I have used the font 4990810, you can get it from here.

Step 5 - Adding the effects

Before we start adding effects, resize and rotate the whole thing, I resized it to 80% and rotated it -35.0°

The above screenshot is of the settings in Transform Mode (Ctrl+T.)

Now the good part, adding layer styles!

Right click the shape layer and go to Blending Options...

Apply the following Layer Styles:

(Download the pattern from here.)

Now you should be left with a HOT result like this!

The last thing that needs to be added is smoke! I added smoke by using a medium-sized, soft brush, I used Filter > Distort > Ripple a few times and also lowered the opacity's.