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How to start a fire with Paint.NET


Tom Jackson

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This tutorial is available as a PDF. Click here to open or download the PDF

 

Paint.NET has a new effect called "Clouds", which makes very nice looking fractal perlin noise. I've found that it's quite neat to use this to create fiery effects like this:

 

fire_small.jpg

It's pretty simple:


Make a new image with dimensions 1000x500
Draw a gradient like so (with white at the bottom and black at the top):
layer1.png
Make a new layer.
Double-click Layer 2 to edit its properties
Set the Blending Mode to 'Overlay', then hit OK.
layer_blendmode_overlay.png


Go to the 'Effects --> Render' menu and choose 'Clouds'. Change the blending mode to 'Difference', then hit OK.


clouds_dialog_difference.png


Push CTRL+F to repeat the effect. Do this about a dozen times.


fire_gray.jpg


On the 'Image' menu, choose 'Flatten'. This will give you a single layer with some nice black-and-white clouds.
On the 'Adjustments' menu, choose 'Curves...'.
Choose 'RGB' under 'Transfer map', then uncheck the 'Red' and 'Green' checkboxes so you're only modifying the blue channel, add a control point as shown below. Do the same for the green channel so you have the curves shown below.
fire_curve.png
Q.E.D.!
fire_small.jpg

Other things to try:

  • Use different shapes for the Layer 1 Gradient. Round gradients make neat looking explosions
  • Tweak with the Curves, the general shape of them should be preserved to keep good saturation, but the channels don't need to go in the above order. Try Green, Red, Blue (instead of Red, Green, Blue) for a copper flame (copper burns green).
  • Play with the 'scale' setting of Clouds for finer or Coarser clouds
  • Play with the Roughness setting for clouds for softer or sharper fire
  • Just try things out, you never know what you'll get. :)

This post is made "AS IS" without warranties and confers no rights.

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This is AWESOME! Not only for flames, but also abstract backgrounds! You can do whatever you want: white-red-black flames, just mess with the curves (and the Invert Colors tool)!

sig6rj3.png
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I also made this using similar techniques:

pyro.net.jpg

  • Like 1

This post is made "AS IS" without warranties and confers no rights.

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could you please post an image for step 5 and 6 :roll:

Done

This post is made "AS IS" without warranties and confers no rights.

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I also made this using similar techniques:

pyro.net.jpg

This is pretty good! How exactly did you do this one?

 

Take responsibility for your own intelligence. 😉 -Rick Brewster

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:shock: I do not have that cloud effetct.... I got another one, thats explains why i didnt make it...

I only got this: http://paintdotnet.12.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=2105

I reinstalled paint.net than the effect came :lol:

In Paint.NET go to "Help" > "check for updates"

A new clouds plugin will be added.

Instead of reinstalling :)

AND

A VERY cool tutorial!!!

I'm going to post my attempts in a bit, after I make em :)

Edit:

ok, here they are:

Fire

Fire w/ added motion blur

Explosion

Explosion w/ added guassian blur

* Blurs were added in a copied layer, then changed to "lighten" blending mode.

Q.E.D.!

Just one question... what's QED?

And, I was trying to figure out how he did the Paint.NET text, and I think I'm on to something. Made this by increasing the contrast, might explain the outside of his letters.

Contrast Fire

HellRiverSig3_stretch.png
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Just one question... what's QED?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q.E.D.

It basically means, "I just proved beyond doubt that I'm right." Us college educated nerds use it as slang to replace such things as "I win!," or "Voila!", or other various phrases expressing confidence of awesomeness.

The Paint.NET Blog: https://blog.getpaint.net/

Donations are always appreciated! https://www.getpaint.net/donate.html

forumSig_bmwE60.jpg

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Another way to start a fire using Paint.NET is overclocking your computer while Paint.NET is running and that will make an even more realistic fire. :)

SampleFire.png

RuneScapeBorn2killxSig.png

I built my first computer at age 11!

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My guess on fiery text effect:

1. Make the fire effect.

kirby145pain1.jpg

2. Add New Layer with a black (or other color) background.

3. Double Click this new layer and change it's mode to: multiply

3. Type in text with your primary color: white

kirby145pain.jpg

4. Any effects can add

(Here is glow)

kirby145painglo.jpg

"By trying to reinvent the wheel every time we find very often with square wheels" ...X-blaster

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I've gotta say something. This tutorials is:

cmdapprovedbuttonfire.png

:wink:

In all seriousness, this tutorial rocks. Thank you much! :D

I am not a mechanism, I am part of the resistance;

I am an organism, an animal, a creature, I am a beast.

~ Becoming the Archetype

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