Introduction to Clouds

In this tutorial we explore the many ways you can be creative with clouds.

Tutorial: Drawing with the Cloud Tool ☁️

The Cloud tool is a powerful stamp-style tool that allows you to add fluffy, stylized clouds to your scenes. Each cloud you create is a unique cluster of soft, circular "puffs," complete with a customizable highlight effect.

How to Draw a Basic Cloud

Drawing a cloud is as simple as a single click.

  1. From the Shape tab, select Clouds from the Mode dropdown menu.

  2. Click anywhere on the canvas. A complete cloud cluster will instantly appear, centered where you clicked.

Customizing the Cloud's Shape

You can change the size, density, and puffiness of your clouds using the sliders in the Shape tab.

  • Puffs per cloud: This slider controls how many circular puffs are in each cloud cluster. Higher values create larger and more complex cloud shapes.

  • Min/Max puff diameter: Each puff that makes up the cloud has a random size. These two sliders control the smallest and largest possible size for any given puff. For big, soft clouds, increase the max diameter. For wispy clouds, use smaller sizes.

Creating the Highlight Effect

The cloud highlight works like a configurable light source, giving your clouds volume and dimension. This effect is created using a shadow that is cast by the filled cloud puffs.

  • Highlight color: Use this color picker to set the color of the highlight. You can use a light yellow for a sunny day or a soft blue for a moonlit night.

  • Highlight Blur: This slider controls the softness and size of the glowing highlight.

  • Highlight X/Y Offset: These sliders move the highlight horizontally and vertically, allowing you to simulate the direction of your scene's light source.

Animating Your Clouds

You can bring your sky to life with a gentle drifting motion.

  • Animate Cloud Drift: Check this box to make all clouds on the canvas begin to move.

  • Cloud Speed: Controls how fast the clouds drift across the scene.

  • Drift Amount: Controls how far the clouds will travel from where you originally placed them.

Coloring Your Clouds

The main body of the clouds is colored using the settings in the Color tab under Coloring for Non-Tree Objects.

  • Single Color Mode: All puffs in all clouds will be the single Object Color you have selected.

  • Cycle Global Palette Mode: Each individual puff within a single cloud will be assigned a different random color from your global palette, which can be used to create fantastical, multi-colored clouds.