[Plasma Snake]

In this tutorial, I will show how to make fog (could also be smoke or anything else) seem as though it is moving across the screen. This is the final product:

Step 1: Create a new image. The size doesnt really matter, I use 450x100.
Step 2: Go to Filters>Render>Clouds>Difference Clouds. You can change the settings to whatever you want. Im leaving the settings as is. That will leave you with this:

Step 3: Duplicate the cloud layer. Then move the copy layer to the right until the left side of the copy layer touches the right side of the original layer (Yes, it will not be seen in the image). Then merge down so there is once again, one layer. Now you should have this:

Step 4: Move the layer over so you can see the line that is in between the two sections.

Select the smudge tool and smudge across the line going from the lighter regions to darker until the line cannot be seen.

Then select the blur tool, and set the rate to 100. Run it over all of the harsh edges to make it blend.

Now move the layer back to its original position like so:

Edit:An easier way to do the above comple steps that I didnt realise is to either use solid noise and make tileable or do Filters>Map>Make Seamless.
Step 5: If you have GAP (GIMP Animation Package) then there is probably an easier way to do this, but if you dont, read the rest. Duplicate the layer and move it a tiny bit over. You will repeat this process a lot of times to pick an increment that you can remember. I chose to do this:


This will decide how fast it will move across the screen. A smaller increment will make it go slower while a bigger increment will make it go faster.
This will leave you with the finished product I already showed you. If you want to put something behind the fog like this:

Then you have to lower the opacity lower and then put what you want behind it under each of the fog frames and then merge them.
Edit: A suggestion by Oregonian was that you can change all of the frames to Grain Merge instead of lowering the opacity.

[Zenma]

Hey, I remember you from the MW2 forums. :P

Nice tutorial.

[Plasma Snake]

haha thanks. No one else seems to like it though.

[saulgoode]

I like it.

[2-ton]

It's really a cool tut, I likey.

[Plasma Snake]

Woot! More replies!

[molly]

Woot, I like it.....

[2-ton]

this is a great tut what with Halloween coming up!

[Oregonian]

What a good idea you have there for fog. I love the tutorial. It's very versatile and invites experimenting. :mrgreen:

I went ahead and gave it a try using the tileable option and animated it with GAP. I made a mistake and used solid noise instead of clouds difference. I'll have to try one using the right filter. My stuff is moving much faster so instead of fog creeping, it's a storm.

I only made 10 frames so couldn't slow it down enough to creep. Also, instead of lowering the opacity, I used the Grain Merge layer mode.

2-ton said:

this is a great tut what with Halloween coming up!

Yep! Can't you just see a witch flying in that? Woo Hoo!

[Oregonian]

RobA - need a filter to change the layers to a mode. That witch animation has 30 layers and the clouds all needed to be Grain Merge mode.

Couldn't find anything in GAP to do that for me.

[Plasma Snake]

Oregonian said:

What a good idea you have there for fog. I love the tutorial. It's very versatile and invites experimenting. :mrgreen:

I went ahead and gave it a try using the tileable option and animated it with GAP. I made a mistake and used solid noise instead of clouds difference. I'll have to try one using the right filter. My stuff is moving much faster so instead of fog creeping, it's a storm.

I only made 10 frames so couldn't slow it down enough to creep. Also, instead of lowering the opacity, I used the Grain Merge layer mode.

2-ton said:

this is a great tut what with Halloween coming up!

Yep! Can't you just see a witch flying in that? Woo Hoo!

Thats really good! Ill add your suggestion in there, with credit to you of course!

[Oregonian]

There is a way to make a layer Grain Merge in GAP. In the Move Path dialog, near the top there is Mode: Click the down arrow and select Grain Merge.

This is the fog I used: Make a new image and fill the layer with white.

Filters > Render > Clouds > Fog. I used gray (858585) for the fog. You will have two layers. Merge the fog (says Clouds) layer down to the white layer - it won't work in GAP with the transparent fog.

Filters > Map > Make Seamless. If you don't like what you got from that, fill the layer with white and start over until you get something you like.

This witch has 30 layers and I think she looks pretty good.

I opened the witch, duplicated the witch layer, and did Filters > Alpha to logo > Neon. I made the color a yellow-green (dbff26), and used the default settings. When finished, I deleted the black background layer, and the Neon Tubes layer. Then I moved the extra witch up above the Neon Glow layer.

Fill the background layer with a night sky and merge the witch down to it.

[2-ton]

Very cool!

[Plasma Snake]

Oregonian said:

There is a way to make a layer Grain Merge in GAP. In the Move Path dialog, near the top there is Mode: Click the down arrow and select Grain Merge.

This is the fog I used: Make a new image and fill the layer with white.

Filters > Render > Clouds > Fog. I used gray (858585) for the fog. You will have two layers. Merge the fog (says Clouds) layer down to the white layer - it won't work in GAP with the transparent fog.

Filters > Map > Make Seamless. If you don't like what you got from that, fill the layer with white and start over until you get something you like.

This witch has 30 layers and I think she looks pretty good.

I opened the witch, duplicated the witch layer, and did Filters > Alpha to logo > Neon. I made the color a yellow-green (dbff26), and used the default settings. When finished, I deleted the black background layer, and the Neon Tubes layer. Then I moved the extra witch up above the Neon Glow layer.

Fill the background layer with a night sky and merge the witch down to it.

Your are really improving on this idea :). I dont have time to edit it in right now but I will at some point. Btw, is your sig using the same basic concept?

[Oregonian]

Plasma Snake said:

Btw, is your sig using the same basic concept?

Yes. I have also been experimenting using Overlay for the layers, making the fog black and merging it to a white layer. There are a jillion possibilities with your tut. You got me started and I just keep going. :mrgreen:

These bats were done using black fog and Overlay mode over Neon'd bats.

[Oregonian]

Rather than changing your post, just experiment with different Clouds and layer modes. If someone does it in GAP, different results with the different layer modes show.

[So6p]

links are dead

[Plasma Snake]

So6p said:

links are dead

Ya Ive been having some bandwith issues on photobucket. I had to delete the finished product to save bandwith. If you need a picture of the finished product, theres quite a few in this thread.

[sahara]

how to do this using GAP? pls help?

[Plasma Snake]

sahara said:

how to do this using GAP? pls help?

Follow the steps up until the point when you duplicate and move. Then open up the move paths box and just have it move across (if you dont have any clue what Im talking about, I suggest finding the Basic GAP tutorial thats on this site).