• Adobe After Effects

  Adding a multiple textures using Particular 2.

  Posted by Alistair Moncur on July 30, 2012 at 3:18 pm

  Hi,

  So after watching a tutorial on Video Copilot and playing around with Particular.
  It is said in the tutorial that you can use multiple pictures in Particular to create a more random look.
  So after searching on the web and trying myself I haven’t managed to.

  So basically how can you add more than one image to a texture in Particular to create this random look.
  I don’t want to create a separate particle because that just means a lot more time being spent.
  Plus I don’t think the look will be as good.

  Please let me know if this is possible and if so how.
  Many thanks.

  Ali 🙂

  Alistair Moncur replied 14 years, 1 month ago 3 Members · 4 Replies
• 4 Replies

• 

  John Cuevas

  July 30, 2012 at 3:50 pm

  Without knowing which tutorial at VCP, it sounds like you are describing using custom particles in Particular. You can make multiple particles in a precomp, choose the one of the custom particle settings in particular and then you would choose how/when the particle is chosen from the precomp, “Start at Birth” “Random” or “Split Clip” or “Current Frame Freeze”

  Red Giant explains the process further.

  Johnny Cuevas, Editor
  Thinkck.com

  “I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
  —THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb.
• 

  Alistair Moncur

  July 30, 2012 at 4:08 pm

  Hey John,
  Thanks for the quick reply.

  The tutorial I’m referring to is this one:
  https://www.videocopilot.net/tutorial/smoke_trails/

  He mentions the multiple texture thing at about 5.45…
  Hope that helps you under stand.

  As for now i’ll try using a pre comp.
  I assume I should put all of my images into the pre comp then load that in particular.

  UPDATE : I managed to load my images using your method of a pre comp. Thank you!
  Following on from that, is it now possible to randomise them and there position when they have loaded because they are all in the same positioning as in the pre comp… Basically i’m trying to create clouds like the tutorial but trying to achieve as much randomness as possible.

  Thanks
  Ali
• 

  Darby Edelen

  July 30, 2012 at 4:28 pm

  If you want random still images for your particles you’ll want to sequence the layers in your pre-comp so that each image is visible for a time. If you distribute them evenly in your pre-comp then you should see them appear evenly in your particle system, if you want to favor one image or another then you can make that image take up more duration in the pre-comp. Then you’d use the “Random – Still Frame” Time Sampling mode in the Particle settings.

  If you have several video clips you’d like to use then you’ll need to make sure they’re evenly distributed in the pre-comp and use one of the “Split Clip…” Time Sampling modes. If the video clips loop then the “Split Clip – Loop” mode is ideal. Then you need to tell Particular how many clips are in the pre-comp, this setting is 2 properties below the Time Sampling selection.

  Darby Edelen
• 

  Alistair Moncur

  July 30, 2012 at 4:48 pm

  Thanks a lot Darby!
  I’ll see what I can do now 🙂
  A

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