Flares

Flares makes an object erupt like the surface of the sun: bursts of hot plasma shoot out from its edge, slow down and fade, while a faint fringe of light flickers along the rim. The roots of each burst burn white-hot and the tips take the colour you choose.

How it works

The flares are drawn on a sheet that always faces the camera, around the object's outline. When the effect is attached to an object, the studio reads the object's actual silhouette from the camera's point of view every frame, so the bursts rise from the real edge of the shape, whether a sphere, a logo or a character. Each burst has a sudden start, a front that races out and then slows, a bright blob at its leading edge and a ragged column streaming back to its root. Several bursts run on staggered timers, each at a new angle and size. With Shooting on, the bursts launch from the centre instead of the edge.

Settings

• Color: the colour of the flare tips.
• Radius: the size of the flare area relative to the object.
• Padding: extra room beyond the edge for the bursts to reach into.
• Shooting: bursts from the centre instead of the rim.

Use it for

Suns and stars, energy cores, power-up and impact moments, glowing logos. Combine it with the Solar Flare corona material or with Bloom.