Explore Flame Painter’s tools
In this second instalment of the series, Harvey Bunda shows how to use the program’s new tools including Symmetry, and its Photoshop plug-in
Harvey Bunda shows how to use the program’s new features.
As well as helping to make your artwork pop with its extensive range of particle effects, the latest version of Flame Painter has several new features that will enable you to streamline your creative process and save time. Version 4 introduces a range of features that include the advanced Brush Creator, the Symmetry tool, a Photoshop plug-in and complete support for multitouch gestures when using a pen display, such as one from Wacom’s Cintiq line-up. Furthermore, artists can take advantage of the new Navigator panel, a range of new Filters, Selection and Canvas Size tools, and an Advanced Palette panel.
These additional features have been thoughtfully incorporated into the Flame Painter interface, which means navigating the program remains an intuitive process. In the same vein, switching between Flame
Painter and Photoshop becomes a seamless operation.
I’ll be giving a brief overview of all these additions in this month’s instalment. I’ll also be looking at the Symmetry Tool in a bit more detail. Once you get the hang of this tool, you’ll be able to create a range of dazzling effects for your character and environment compositions. I’ll also showcase how it’s possible to customise some of the new tools using the Properties panel.
1 Investigate the packed Tools panel
The Tools panel lies at the heart of Flame Painter. Open it to access the Brush, Pen, Eraser, Fill, Pick Color, Edit Vector Layer and Symmetry tools. You can also set the Canvas size here, and choose the Selection, Transform, and Undo/redo tools.
2 Painting with the Symmetry tool
The Symmetry tool makes it possible for you to paint symmetrically with the Brush tool. You can toggle the Symmetry tool on and off on its Properties panel, and set the number of Rotational Symmetry Lines from zero to eight. You can also toggle the Mirroring effect on or off.
3 Relocating and transforming your effects
Sometimes it’s hard to paint your particle effects exactly where they need to be. In these instances I usually use the Move and Transform tool to place my effects in the right location on the canvas. You can also use this tool to rotate and transform your particle effects.
4 Getting to grips with the Brush Particle system
The Brush Particle system lies at the core of Flame Painter, and enables you to adjust all of the settings of your chosen brush, including its overall size and dots size. It also has its own blending options: you can access Normal, Lighten and Darken modes from this panel.
5 Launch Flame Painter Connect to work with Photoshop
Flame Painter Connect is a plug-in for Photoshop. It’s a communication channel between Photoshop CC and Flame Painter 4 for transferring layers between the two programs. Download and install Flame Painter Connect from the registration email you receive once you’ve bought Flame Painter, or by accessing your Flame Painter Community account.