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Create a new document with a black background. Make a new layer, and using the Elliptical Marquee Tool, create a perfect circle (Shift + Drag). Don't lose this selection! Save it, it may save you a lil' trouble. With your colors set to oranges (I used [CC3300] and [CC6600]), go to Filter > Render > Clouds. OOooooOooo an ucky color. Yum. Go to Filter > Distort > Spherize. Repeat as needed (twice usually).
Create a new layer, and set the layer mode to color dodge. *keep that selection!* Press 'D' to reset swatches. Then go to Filter > Render > Clouds, then go to Filter > Render > Difference Clouds lots of times until you're happy with it. If the colors don't come out well, create another layer and repeat. Transparencies and other blending modes (soft light, overlay) really add to it. Go to Filter > Distort > Spherize each layer you make here. I usually do it twice, just as a standard. You still have that selection? I hope so.
Add an outer glow to the original sun layer under Blending Options. I used the following settings: Your settings will vary depending on the size of your image. Remember to experiment! Try to match the color of your sun.
You didn't lose that selection did you? Good! This part is optional, but it looks good ;) Contract your selection by 3 pixels (Select > Modify > Contract) and create a new layer. Move this layer in between the sun layer and the background. Fill with any color under the sun (I used black :P no pun intended). Add another outer glow to this layer:
Still with me? Cool. Deselect (Ctrl+D) and create a new layer on top of all the layers. Hit 'D' to select your default colors, and go to Filter > Render > Clouds. Set this layer to color dodge, play around with the opacity if you feel a burning desire. (no pun intended here either, lol)
Filter > Render > Difference Clouds until you come up with something you like. This is where the flares are made, just keep applying until you're happy with it.
Optional step. Set your original sun layer to the active layer. Load a selection on the sun, clicked Select > Modify > Border, and set that to about 6 pixels. Gaussian blur that at about 5 pixels.
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This tutorial is being brought to you by SystemDark with the expressed written consent of Raptor's Lair. SystemDark claims no ownership, responsibility, nor personal knowledge of the following material...
