Make Your Own Candle "Flame" Video Clip

[debngar Profile Private message]

I have been asked by a number of people if I would share with them my flame video that I used on the candle on top of the birthday cake that appears in this show:

"The Year That Was" - 3:09 min
http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... 1064&alb=0

Rather than do that, I'll share with you how to make one yourself. I didn't purchase the flame clip. I figured out how to make one with my old Canon A95 point & shoot camera which has a video mode to capture short video clips. By making one for your own use, you can avoid dealing with copyright issues.

Here are some tips...

1. Use a tripod.

2. Adjust camera settings to shoot video with the best resolution possible.

3. Set the camera either on macro focus or manual focus setting and find the best image in the screen you can get. Otherwise, it will come out like a big white shapeless blob.

4. Use a black background and set it a ways behind the flame. I used black foam core board behind my skinny candle.

5. Trim the top of the candle so it tapers toward the wick. Shoot so you can only see the flame, no candle.

6. Leave a nice length on the wick - not so much so it smokes but you want at least 1/2 inch I would say.

7. Have a nice piece of cardboard handy to create an occasional VERY GENTLE side breeze.

8. Start the video clip shooting while the candle is still and end shooting while it's still. This will allow decent looping if you need that later. Shoot 4 or 5 samples 10-20 seconds each so you have some to choose from.

9. Mine was about 20 seconds. But 12 is good, probably better if you can swing that - less in file size etc. But you can edit it. Watch for stillness of the flame and cut it there.

10. Download the avi off your flash card to get it into your PC. I have used both Roxio and also Photoshop Elements. Then import the clip into Windows Movie Maker for editing etc.

11. Mute the audio when editing in Windows Movie Maker. If you don't mute it, you will get background noise. Clip>Audio>Mute

12. Finish editing and give your video a name via Movie Maker, save as NTSC file and then insert it into your show.

13. Play with the chroma-key feature in Producer to remove the background and ugly blue line (Key Color Black, Intensity Threshold 33%, Intensity Drop Off 20%) and set opacity to 85% so it doesn't look so cartoon-ish when layered on the top of a candle.

Have fun and hope that works for you!

Debbie

[mrkitzel Profile Private message]

Debbie,

Thanks for the tip. Clear and well explained.

Steve.

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Excellent instructions, Debbie. My own camera doesn't have a video mode, and this might be true of others here with SLR's, but everyone knows someone who has a camera capable of this--a friend, a relative, whatever--so it shouldn't be very difficult to capture a candle flame.

Something I discovered when deeply involved in photographing smoke is that nothing more than the slightest puff of air will disturb both smoke and flame. It might be easier to just blow a small puff of air at the flame since there are those of us, me for instance, who find cardboard a wild and uncontrollable monster.

Barbara

[debngar Profile Private message]

It might be easier to just blow a small puff of air at the flame since there are those of us, me for instance, who find cardboard a wild and uncontrollable monster.

I tried that too at first and decided that I preferred using something larger to gently fan the air from the side to create the larger area of breeze instead and also so I could observe the resulting flame action in the camera screen as it was recording. If the breeze comes from the front, the resulting flame action was not as desirable to me as compared to coming from the side.

Whatever works to get the desired flame movement is fine. It's easy to overdo the air. I think I fanned from at least 3 feet away or so.

Debbie

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

There's the difference. I use a cable release for my shudder, so I don't have to be looking through the lens. That said, you're talking flame, and I'm talking smoke, which I'll bet makes a huge difference. Smoke has a special kind of movement that is extremely sensitive to the least bit of air disturbance. I'd probably end up with a piece of cardboard too.

Barbara

[debngar Profile Private message]

I remember your wonderfully intriguing smoke images. I was referring to the process I used to create a video clip of the flame movement and was not taking still images with that camera. Guess I wasn't clear on that and so I've edited the subject title in the original post to reflect that information.

Debbie

[sheldonk Profile Private message]

Debbie,

Great info!!!

Thanks alot!

Sheldon

[nannybear Profile Private messageWebsite]

Awesome instructions. I had tried doing the candle thing with a "blue screen" but it just didn't work as well so I went to black as well. Thanks for sharing Debbie! Cheers Jan

[jeanc Profile Private message]

Thanks for the tip! I need to try it now.

Smiles,
Jean

[debngar Profile Private message]

You're welcome.

Now get out there and show us your home made clips!!!

Debbie

[Bighousedaddy Profile Private messageWebsite]

Debbie, your video titled "The Year That Was" is fantastic. It was one of the rare videos I've watched all the way to the end. You can't see it but I'm applauding you... I'm clapping.

Ken

[debngar Profile Private message]

Thanks Ken...

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Ken, all of Debbie's work is worth watching from beginning to the end.

Barbara