Download an archive that contains the footage that will also be used later for the first Compositing exercise.

Copy these files in your Flame system: for example under the /usr/tmp directory.


Footage courtesy of: VERSION 2, NYC
Flame artist: Kieran Walsh
Images are subject to copyright: please read the disclaimer at the end of this tutorial.

To complete each of the exercises, you need to download the footage and the setup files.
Copy them to your system and unzip the clips and the setups. You may use an existing folder on the system, or create a new one.
You could use for example the temporary directory /usr/tmp which has opened permissions.

1. If not done already, download the exercises files and copy them to your system.
2. If you haven’t unzipped the files, access the Linux file Browser and navigate to the folder that contain your files.
3. Right-click the footage file “Comp1_Terrarium_Clips.zip” and choose Extract Here.
4. Also unzip the setups “Comp1_Terrarium_Setup.zip” for a later use.

To access the system file browser and other applications without exiting Flame, press ALT TAB. You can also toggle between all opened applications using ALT TAB.

1. On the Flame desktop, click on the Library popup menu.
2. Choose create new library.
3. Type a name for your library and press ENTER.

A Flame archive is a useful format that retains the Library structure as well as the clips edits and history. It can also be used by other Autodesk post-production applications such as Smoke.

1. On the Flame desktop, click on LIBRARY.
2. Select the Archive menu.
3. Click on the file archive field.
4. Browse to the location that contains the archive file.
5. Select the file header “Comp1_Terrarium_clips”.
Note: Don’t select the segment file.
6. Click Open in the Archive tab.
7. Press Load and click on the desktop, inside any reel.
8. Expand the Backup Set archive.
9. Click on the Comp1_Action2D_Terrarium reel folder to select all the clips underneath.
10.Click on Load in Library.
11. When it’s finished, press Close and Exit Archive.

You can create desktop and reel folders to keep your libraries organized. For example, this library can contain a desktop for each tutorial module, and a reel for each exercise. The library is the top level; then you have desktops that contain reels where you put the clips. Desktop folders are blue and reel folders are green.

1. On the Flame desktop, click on one of the Load button to access the library.
Press New Desktop to create a desktop folder.
2. Give a name to the folder, call it Compositing1.
3. On the left top corner, verify that Move on Drag is selected, not Copy on Drag.
4. Drag the reel folder inside the desktop folder.
5. You can play clips inside the library; press the little arrow on each clip to play the thumbnails or select a clip and Go To Player.

You can load clips to the Flame desktop by selecting a desktop, a reel or a selection of clips and then press Load.