



Vector layers and Flame Painter 3 Pro Tutorial

flame Painter 3 Pro and vector layer flames

How to use the vector layers / paths in Flame Painter 3 Pro tutorial, how to manipulate the vector path. . In most cases, the Flame Painter 3 Pro works with raster but you can create amazing flame designs using vector layers and a single vector path per layer (does mean you can use many vector paths in the same image and they can all be set to different settings and path directions). You can create a short vector path with Flame Painter 3 or a long more complex path. You can edit the vector points as well as remove them via the edit vector layers command (you can find the "edit vector layers" via the tilde or squiggle along the top of the tools panel in Flame Painter 3.. While editing the flame vector layer, you can still interactively modify the flame settings in the flame panel. You can see the edit vector layer tools when you have selected the edit vector layer button and the tools offer add / remove, curve transform, init curve transform etc. You can transform / scale / rotate etc the flame painter vector path in the layer usinhg the curve transforms. You can also make changes to the vector layer path by using the fill / lines option for the vector flames. You can create multiple vector layers (and multiple paths) in Flame Painter and change the settings independently. You can also change the applied brush. This tutorial shows you how to use vector layers / paths in Flame Painter 3 Pro and how to edit the path and change settings and combine the results


Basics for the Flame Painter and vector layers

1. Layer

2. New vector layer

3. Apply brush stroke

4. Change the settings via the edit vector layer (little tilde on the top of the tools panel) as well as the flame and brush etc by clicking edit vector layer at the top of the tools


Quick path for the vector layer

I would recommend adding a quick brush stroke with the vector layer, so it only generates a few points. You can create a huge vector path (only one per layer) with the Flame Painter 3 Pro and you may find it hard to edit the path as a lot of points will be added on top of each other. A small simple path is probably easiest to tryout but you can easily go for a longer brush stroke vector path later.


1. Apply quick brush stroke Very short)

2. go to the top bar and select the edit vector layer tool (last in the line)

3. click the edit tool in the edit vector layer line of tools and you will see the points.

4. click on a point and move it back and forth to see the flame painter effect change

5. You can also click on the + and - button and that means you can add a point (where there are none) or click an existing point to remove / delete it.

6. Change some settings in the flame as well as the brush.


With the short path, you can also just straighten out the path by using the edit tool as well as perhaps remove some points by using the + and - button. You can make a single path with two points. You have to have two points so once you have deleted the others, you will have a start and end point. As you delete points, you will see more and more of the flame paint effect disappear but at least you end up with the core line (it is a pity that the tool doesn't offer a small selection of default paths for you to use such as a basic curve or wave and a straight line)


Flame settings with the Flame Painter 3 Pro Vectors

With a very simple straight path and using the flame brush, you can see the effect at close hand. Obviously you don't have to go to just create a very basic path and you could just create a truly extreme path and then shift points around to create intense flame designs in all kinds of ways but with the basic path you can see how changing settings affects the end result.


Set the size low and the flame lines vanish, set the size high and you will see a lot more lines spewing out towards the end point. Set the speed high and the lines become a fuzz of lines and are hard to make out. Changing the center controls the spread of the flame painter lines that make the overall result. Set the focus focuses the lines and set it to zero and lines all but go everywhere. Chaos is also a spread control as well. Some of the controls interact to generate different results so it is not a case of one pushes the lines one way and that is that, they often require the other settings to be set at a certain value, high or low or in the center (don't forget that either)


OK, the straight line path is quite boring and rarely achieves much so please create a slightly more dramatic brush stroke by using one of the default brushes


1. Create a new vector layer and paint a more complex path with more points using one of the standard tools - creating an intense flame design

2. Now when you click on the edit vector layer and edit tool, you will see a lot more points to work with

3. Select one of the middle points and drag away from the line and you will see the flame follow the new path

4. reduce the size setting and you will see the flame shrink (such as on the right) even though it is the same path as the one on the left.


You can also modify other settings such as the speed and center and focus and you will see the dramatic changes to the flame effect when you do. Speed is a pretty key one for spreading the flames around the image and away from the center line even with a low size setting. The other settings will have little impact when the size is low but speed really changes the spread of the artwork. Soft is an unusual setting and increasing it will make the flame shrink back to the initial point.


Curve transform and the Flame Painter 3 Pro Vector Layer

One of the more interesting tools to manipulate the flame path is probably the edit vector layer 'curve transform' as you can then re-size the entire flame and also rotate it


1. go to the edit vector layer line

2. select the curve transform

3. re-size using the bounding box as well as rotate the angle of the entire path


The path to the left is the same number of points etc as the path above and above right but it has been transformed and the flame then becomes alive and much more dramatic. Of course, you can also modify the other settings such as size but the real effect comes from the transformation


There is also another curve transform and that is beside the previous one and it is the init curve transform which modifies the source point and the birthplace of the flame. Turning and re-sizing the init curve transform changes a variety of spreading and how the lines squeeze together and you can rotate and scale as well as shift the initial point. The display shows a complex red grid of lines but they are not editable and perhaps that is the key source for the flame paint.


Fill and lines

Some of the dramatic differences in the flames can be from moving from fills to lines.


1. click the fill or lines (found next to the fade slider)

2. use the edit tool to manipulate the lines


If using lines, you can see the flow of the flames much easier though the result looks less like actual flames and more abstract


On the right, basically the same flame but by increasing the dist setting to the max, most of the lines look very faded or just not there reducing the complexity considerably


Multiple layers with the vectors

You can duplicate the vector layers via the layer panel or via the layer menu and duplicate command. You can repeat this and create multiple vector paths. You can also create a new layer and then add a new vector path to that.


Once you have multiple paths, you can also change the vector paths using the edit vector tools and you can create all kinds of unique flame designs using the different paths. You can also then use the powerful blending modes in the Flame Painter 3 Pro layers panel. You can also change the settings and add and remove points for each path.


You can also change the color of the individual vector paths so one path can be in yellow and one can be in red and another can have a blending mode of darken or difference etc. You can then build up all kinds of complex designs of flames


Adding different brushes to same vector paths

If you want a totally different flame applied to the flame painter 3 pro path then you can go to the brushes panel and just click one of the presets and then that is added to the existing path (the path is not deleted) and all the points etc are the same.


1. select the path and layer

2. go to the brushes panel

3. apply a brush to the vector path


Other tutorials

1. Flame Painter 3 Pro and smoke / mist brushes tutorial

2. stunning flame filter render in Photoshop tutorial

3. Paint dabs and layers and Flame Painter 3 Pro tutorial


Other resources

You may find the following of interest

1. Flame and fire pattern designs for Photoshop, psp etc

2. Flame and fiery brush strokes for Photoshop, Affinity Photo etc


Video tutorials

1. Youtube video on how to edit vector layers etc in Flame Painter 3 Pro