Shooting star up tree effect

[aERonAUtical96]

lack of better terms, I called it a shooting start.  I used 8 strands of lights that wrapped around my megatree from bottom to top.  I would chase the 8 strands up and then light the star at the top.  Imagine "Tinker Bell" flying around and up the tree and then lighting the star.

How the heck can I do something similar given the current effects?  Looking for ideas.  I tried garland, spiral and can't get the effect.  I'm thinking of putting together a bunch of images to get the effect.

[Gilrock]

So you don't have the 8 strands spiraling around the tree anymore?

[nutz4lights]

How about a spiral effect, pick white as the color (for subsequent masking), pick the number of spirals and their width, and set the movement to zero so it just stays fixed, THEN do a morph UP in a second layer and then figure out the layer 1 is mask/unmask etc.  I forget exactly how those masks work but I am thinking that if the spiral is white and you set it as the mask, then the morph on a later below going up should only show the color where there is white and the spiral should fill.

Louie

[aERonAUtical96]

Gil... no I don't... went from 360 tree to 180 and did not install the spiral.

Louie... thanks for the suggestion.  I see how it could work... just need to figure out the settings.

[nutz4lights]

I may try this as well because it sounds like a cool effect and I love playing with the masking!

Louie

[Gilrock]

You can use the galaxy effect to do some cool arcing effects.  Place the X/Y position down in a corner to start and change the rotation to be less than 1 like 0.35 or something and you can do some cool elliptical arcs.

[kevinp]

You can use the galaxy effect to do some cool arcing effects.  Place the X/Y position down in a corner to start and change the rotation to be less than 1 like 0.35 or something and you can do some cool elliptical arcs.

I just finished a new sequence the other night and I used the Galaxy effect to create some hearts (to the best of my ability) on my mini mega tree.

[nutz4lights]

Ok, so I just did this with the following settings and it is pretty cool!  I definitely plan on using it.

Megatree with two layers
Put Spiral effect on top layer
     I set the palette rep to '1' and set the spiral wraps to '10' with a thickness of '7'
     Pick the color (or colors you want, with the palette rep set to '1' I tried it with just green also both green & red
     Over in Layer Blending, set the drop down box to '2 is Mask'
Put Morph effect on the bottom layer
     I selected the Morph Quickset Option for 'Full Sweep Up'
     I set both the start and end head length to '50'
     I modified the head duration to alter the speed with which the effect shoots up and around the tree

I can't wait to see this effect on the tree.

Let me know if that was not what you were thinking or if you like it.

-Louie

[danj]

You could also try using meteors with small numbers of meteors, going up.  I have that on Mannheim steamroller's version of Silent Night and I like the look.   I was just going for a slow, peaceful look using blues & whites.

[aERonAUtical96]

Louie,

I did get that effect working yesterday, but I'm looking for the reverse.  What I see is the spiral displaying, then the morph up the tree so the spiral disappearing briefly.  And then on the backside of the morph is the spiral building up the tree.  That backside effect is what I'm trying to get...

While typing this... I had an idea... try to mask with another layer up to the point of the backside of the morph...

[aERonAUtical96]

Ok, so I think I have something that I like...

3 layers...

Let's say the whole effect takes 1.35 seconds

layer 1:  off event for 8*50ms
Layer 2:  spiral with your values 24*50ms
layer 3: 2 morphs
   morph 1:  length 15*50ms
                   start head length 20
                   end head length 20
                   head length  34
   morph 2:  length 10*50ms
                  start head length 8
                  end head length 1
                  head length 11


                   

[nutz4lights]

Hmmm, I will certainly try that when I get home.  I was completely loving what I created, but this could be even better!

Louie

[aERonAUtical96]

Hey Louie,

I see that you moved up to Suntree.?  Not that I was cyber stalking or anything   Saw your video you posted and noticed it was a different house.  I will have to swing by one night and check it out.

Rob

[nutz4lights]

I guess I didn't recognize the name, but you're up in Viera right?  Where were you at in Viera?

We moved from our old house in West Melbourne up to our new house in the fall of 2012 and it has been a bumpy 3 year ride converting everything over to RGB (I can thank LSP for that one...).  I really should have had music last year as I was pretty comfortable with RGB in my second year and it just wouldn't work (the sequencing).  This year, I honestly couldn't be happier... I feel like 2007 all over again when I was excited to finish my first musical sequence.

Definitely let me know if you want to stop by, try to do it in the next week and a half because then we get busy with family commitments before and after Christmas.

-Louie