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Light & lasers effect

Luma Swarm

Luma Swarm is a neon and laser effect in FRCTL, the browser VJ studio. A swarm of particles running along the contours of the picture it is given.

Runs live on video, images, a camera or generated art. Stack it with any other effect, and route LFOs, envelopes or any of ten audio bands to its controls so it moves with the music.

Try Luma Swarm free All effects

The untouched demo art: an eye inside a triangle over wavy teal, blue and peach lines — Source

The eye-in-triangle art glittering with teal and white particles strung densely along its lines, backdrop dimmed — Luma Swarm, default settings

What Luma Swarm does

Sets 8,192 particles running along the picture's brightness contours rather than flying free, so the linework comes back as moving glitter. The population hands over to a fresh one every 6-26 seconds, set by Cycle. Flow sets how hard the picture steers them, Settle how quickly they lose momentum and cling to a line, and Recede how far the picture dims behind them.

Using Luma Swarm

Where it works: Line art, logos and high-contrast portraits, where the swarm redraws the shapes in motion. It's the particle effect for a Reel or loop where the art must stay recognisable, whereas Spark Burst throws particles off it.
With the music: Motion comes from the simulation, not the audio. Send B1 kick to Flow so the swarm surges along the contours on each kick, and B8 hats to Size to make the glitter shimmer with the top end.
Starting point: Flow at three-quarters, Cycle at centre, Settle at a quarter, Size at a quarter, Tint at centre, Recede at three-quarters so the contours glow against a dark frame.

Controls

Flow: How hard the picture pulls the swarm along its contours.
Cycle: How long before the swarm is handed over to a fresh population.
Settle: How quickly a particle gives up its momentum.
Size: Size of one particle.
Hue: Swarm colour.
Tint: Pulls each particle towards the colour of the picture beneath it.
Recede: How far the picture drops back behind the swarm.
Speed: Rate of the effect motion. Centre is the authored speed, hard left a tenth of it.

Pairs well with Luma Swarm