A multilayer flame effect can give depth to an otherwise flat animation.
Flames roar out of control as the camera pans passed flickering flames and snowflake ember to reveal a frantic hero looking for a lost little girl. First implemented successfully for Disney's iconic "Snow White" movie, multilayers and a multiplane camera systems were used to bring the illusion of three-dimensional depth and movement to the screen. An expensive system, the multiplane camera system can fortunately be mimicked digitally with programs like After Effects and Photoshop to create painted multilayer flames for video.
Instructions
Painting Flames
1. Dip the brush in the cup of water and wipe the excess water on the rim of the cup. Dip the brush in the black acrylic paint and paint the black flames on a sheet of paper. Allow this to dry. Wash the brush in the cup of water and dry with the rag.
2. Dip the brush in the white acrylic paint and paint over some of the black flames. Wash the brush in the cup and let this dry. Rinse the cup out and fill with clean water.
3. Dip the brush in the red acrylic paint and paint over the black and white flames. Make sure to paint over some of these lightly. Clean the brush in the water and dip it into the yellow acrylic paint. Paint yellow flames in the center of the red flames. Let this dry. Scan this sheet into your computer. Repeat these steps for the other sheets making sure to create variation.
Cleaning Up Flames in Photoshop "Inverse." Click on the "Refine Selection" button at the top of the Options Box. Feather the selection to seven pixels.
6. Press "Ctrl + X" on PC or "Alt + X" on Mac to cut out the flames. Press "Ctrl + V" or "Alt + V" to paste it onto its own layer.
7. Drag the layer without the flames in the Layers Panel into the trash bin icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel. Go to "File"> "Save," save it onto the desktop and click "Save." Repeat these steps for the next flames.
Mimicking the Multipane Camera in After Effects using Painted Flames "New" > "Camera," and press "Ok." Press "P" for position. Click on the stopwatch icon, move the Time Indicator forward and move the camera through the multilayer flames. Press the space bar to watch it animate.
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