Dodo

Hey folks,

Hope everyone's New Year celebrations were more 8} than }P .

As I only dabble in the graphical thing (just saying this to cover myself, even though I spend hours on creating images that look significantly mundane) and do so in a seasonal fashion (i.e. I make graphical cards in jovial celebration of events), I am a bit stumped by how to go about creating artificial fireworks effects that look at least somewhat acceptable. Oh, and this is a firework already in an advanced state of explosion - with the tentacle-like bursts already going their way.

I've seen and tried to apply some of the few firework effect tutorials shown at two or so sites - but they were either too Star Trek light bursty, or a bit too artificial for my tastes. Ulead have a fair plug-in that does a very decent job, but that feels like a bit of a cop-out.

I can create a fair little star thingy that results from the pyrotechnic explosion using the star shaped brush tools with suitable highlights. I can also add a fair little smoke/glare trail following this little star by using the fade effect in the brush options - but only in a straight line. Is there a way to curve these trails/lines so that it looks to originate at the same point, but also to reflect the gravity of the situatioin? I can imagine using paths of some sort to help with this? Maybe then some spherizing?

Any ideas or examples would prove very helpful. Thanks.
(P.S. I searched through the forums for a similar topic, but couldn't find one. If there is already a topic that covers this and I missed it, I can only say "Sorry!")

nitrobutler

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/h...589412,00.html
This was created by Burt Monroy

Dodo

[righton] Thanks. I actually did have a look at that one previously but couldn't make sense of some of the fellow's instructions.[bustagut]

He lost me on : With the Pen tool, create a path that starts outside the fireworks cluster and curves into the center of the cluster. Create a few more paths that start from the outside and work in toward the center.
on the adding of the Wind effect.

In the first place I would think the "fireworks cluster" is the whole blossom of the firework, so to speak. So by starting outside it you start outside your first set of fireworks? So no overlapping etc.? Then Mr. Monroy adds the wind filter - on my image it looks a bit, how shall I say it ... "crappy". Obviously I must be doing something wrong.

In the final step - which is a nice effect in itself - Mr. Monroy asks me to "Paint a glob in the center of the fireworks." with the selected brush. Now does he mean the center from where the explosion originated or does he mean on each little firework ball (sorry - I have limited firework terminology here).

Are there maybe any other beginners who've tried this tutorial "just for fun"? I'd like to see their results because my comprehension is obviously lacking here.

Thanks.

nitrobutler

I gave it a try.

Joy Foraker

Nice nitro very pretty pattern and colors [righton]

nitrobutler

Thanks Joy, the instructions were a bit long winded, but I endured.

Dodo

Thanks for taking the trouble Nitro - it was a vast improvement on anything I could come up with. I think perhaps the tutorial is more looking at the animation side of it rather than a still image of the pyrotechnics - that's the only sense I could make of it.

I played around with my new founded knowledge of the Linear Dodge lighting effects (as shown by the planet tutorial of Greg Martin http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/t..._a_planet.html). This helped to give a nice glow to things I reckon. But it's still pretty far off anything that's almost slightly realistic looking. The main thing that still bothers me is ther failure of gravity - making the tails of each flare droop. Any ideas?

Rantin Al

Dodo, Try playing with the Brush Dynamics.

Turn on Other Dynamics > Fade, and Minimum Size.

Now, a stroke with a soft brush will taper off.

Use the Shear Filter to create the bend. You need to have the stroke vertical for this filter.

Or, use the Twirl filter for a similar effect.

Duplicate and rotate for the kaboom!

(It will probably be more realistic if you don't use black)

Al.

Rantin Al

Distortions: Shear And Twirl.

I know they look a bit like anorexic tadpoles, call it artistic licence. :B

Al.

Dodo

Thanks for the pointers Al. I'll do one from scratch at some point in the near future using the brush dynamics you suggested with some twirl and shear. The brush used in the original tutorial is maybe a bit too uniform as well? Maybe.

Another thing that bothered me is the cluster density - it's definitely wrong on my second image - there should be larger but sparser "stars" near the center, with smaller (and fading), denser rings nearer to the outer rim, to create the illusion that the explosion expands spherically from its origin. \:]