Fire Animation

By rhyging5 (Original Post).

1. Create a layer mask. This must have the form you want for the flames. In this case, needs to be shaped more or less like the sword. Note that the outline of the mask should be totally blurred, particularly the upper zone (where the flames will die out).
2. Draw the flames in pixel art. Their size will affect subsequent animation, so take a look at the image you're working with to get an idea of the appropriate size. We must also decide on the color and appearance of the flames. For that purpose I use a number of Photoshop filters, such as brightness and others.
3. Make a vertical tile of theses flames to make the loop of the animation. Why vertically? Because fire expires from the bottom upwards.
4. Apply the mask you made in first step to this tile.
5. To emphasize the brightness we can make another layer like this.
6. Move the tile up 1 or 2 pixels for every new frame, but keep the mask anchored where it is.
7. Additionally, we can make a different light/shadow effects that the fire produces on nearby objects, in order to give a more realistic look (not included in this tutorial).

As you can see, with a little work, we can get some excellent fire effects!

See Also

• Create
• Art Tutorials