Creating semi-realistic flames

[Todd Kopriva]

A match?

Seriously, it’s often easier to shoot something than it is to simulate it.

Or you could get free stock footage of flames. (I like Detonation Films for this purpose.)

There are some links to articles about making, using, and compositing fire in After Effects Help.

If you do need to simulate flames entirely from synthetic elements… well, I’ll let someone else do the heavy lifting on explaining that. I’ve never had the patience for it. And I like lighting things on fire in front of a camera.

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Todd Kopriva, Adobe Systems Incorporated
putting the ‘T’ back in ‘RTFM’ : After Effects Help on the Web
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[Joe Laude]

Sort of depends on what you want your result to look like. Todd is right, it always looks better when it’s shot practically, but if you’re in a pinch and you need to simulate something, there are many ways to do it, and which one you use depends on what you want the result to look like.

Trapcode Form is a really cool plug-in that can make some firey-looking effects (there’s an example project on Trapcode’s website somewhere for flaming text and it really looks like a gas-burning stove with letters over it), and Particular is good with making sparks, explosions and/or smoke (and I’ve recently discovered it can make some decent liquid spurting effects), but it ultimately depends on what you want it to look like in the end.

But to reiterate what Todd said one more time… shooting video of an actual flame will always look the most realistic because it is in fact real.

[Christopher Rotter]

Alright, thank you both I will look into Trapcode form and if it doesn’t tickle my fancy then I will just go with some real footage. Do you have any more suggestions for flames footage ? Although the suggestions offered were great.

[Christopher Rotter]

I wanted to mention that the Detonation Films link doesn’t work.

[David Bogie]

Search the cow’s AE tutorial for DEAN VELEZ.

Or visit
https://motiongraphicslab.com/

The coolest thing Dean Velez has ever done, IMNSHO, is debunk the myth that realistic or highly stylized pyro effects require expensive plugins or even more than pushing a few buttons. All of his pyro and flame effects are insanely simple blurs, often starting as text items.

Dean has taken most of his free tutorials offline but for a couple of bucks you can download great pyro effects. Simply go to his After Effects Projects tab and enter FLAME or SIRE. You will find about 25 preset projects that either free or $2.00. Fabulous stuff.

Also visit
https://www.tutorialfinder.com/articles/listarticle.jsp?type=AfterEffects

bogiesan

[Christopher Rotter]

Alright, I’ll take a look but it appears as stock footage would be the best method for me, just wondering how come Detonation Films link don’t work and if anyone has any other suggestions equal to that of the Detonation films?