Software Needed:
Paint Shop Pro - trial version here
I use PSP9- can be done in other versions.
Animation Shop
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Plugins Needed
Ulead Particle
Eye Candy Impact
AAA Frames - Foto frame
Make sure to install all your plugins before you start. |
Materials:
Background photo
Reindeer tube
Bells tube
Gradient:
CJ_Cold Steel
Move CJ_Cold Steel.jgd to your gradient folder.
C:\My Documents\My PSP Files\Gradients |
Open the tubes and photo in Paint Shop Pro.
Set your foreground to CJ_Cold Steel gradient.
Set your background to NULL.
Open a new image
1024 X 768 (Desktop) - Raster Layer - Transparent
Flood fill with CJ_Cold Steel - Angle 52, Repeats 0, Style
Selections > Select All
Layers > New Raster Layer
Copy the background photo.
Make sure the top layer is selected in your desktop image
Edit > Paste > Paste into selection
Change the layer properties to Screen
Lower the opacity to 50%.
Layers > Merge > Merge visible
Select None
Effects > Plugins > AAA Frames > Foto Frame at the default settings.
Copy Layer 1 of the bells and paste as a new layer in your image.
Use the mover tool to move it to the left and above the center.
Copy the second layer of the bells and paste it as a new layer into your image.
Position it where you want it.
Copy the reindeer tube and paste it into your image.
You can close all of your tubes and the background photo now.
If you want to resize your bells or reindeer, resize them at small intervals (90% - multiple times) all layers unchecked.
Arrange your tubes in the center of your image. DO NOT MERGE your layers yet.
You can mirror your tubes, duplicate the bells and resize them in any arrangement you like.
Add a drop shadow to each of the bells and reindeer layers.
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Your image should look something like this. |
Preset shapes > Ellipse tool > Create on Vector CHECKED
Foreground >Cold steel gradient
Background > Hidden
Draw a large ellipse around the outside of your tubes - large enough to give your tubes a little room all around them.
Objects > Align > Center in canvas
Convert to Raster Layer
Now you can arrange your tubes using the mover tube to however you want them, making sure that they fit inside the ring you drew.
Make sure your ellipse layer is selected.
Use the magic wand with these settings to click inside the ellipse and select the blank area.
Selections > Load/Save Selection > Save to alpha channel. Do NOT DESELECT
Layers > New Raster Layer
Effects > Plugins > Alien Skin Eye Candy 5: Impact > Glass
Using these settings.
Drag this layer to below the ellipse layer.
Select none.
Ellipse layer
Inner bevel.
Check to make sure that your tubes are placed exactly where you want them under the glass.
Hide the bottom (background layer)
Make sure one of the top layers is selected.
Layers > Merge > Merge visible
Unhide the bottom layer.
Selections > Load/Save Selection
Load Selection from Alpha Channel
Right click on the bottom layer in the layer palette
Promote Selection to Layer
Do NOT DESELECT
Duplicate the promoted layer twice.
Hide the top two copies of the promoted layer.
Make sure the Promoted Layer is selected.
Effects > Plugins > Ulead Particle
These settings are not cut and dried. Ulead Particle gives you a good preview window. Look closely to see how much or how little snow you want to apply.
Hide the Promoted Layer and unhide the layer above it. Make sure it is selected in the layer palette.
Apply the snow plugin again, this time changing the settings to:
And again with the top layer of the selection.
Select none.
Save your work as a jpg desktop at full size, export it now. Make the a snow layers is visible.
File > Export > Jpg Optimizer > Compression value 8 to 20. (I prefer a lower compression but this is your choice.)
Resize your image to a workable size. I've resized mine to 490 X 368. I achieved this size by resizing at 90% intervals seven times in a row. By resizing at small intervals, you don't lose the clarity of your image. There is seldom a need to sharpen your image if you resize in small increments instead of large steps.
Launch Animation Shop
Hide the copies of the promoted selection, leaving the bottom, top and 1st promoted layer visible.
Edit > Copy > Copy Merged
In Animation Shop, right click on the blank workspace
Paste as new animation
Hide the promoted selection
Unhide the layer above it
Edit > Copy > Copy Merged
In Animation Shop, right click on the first frame of your animation.
Paste > Paste after Current Frame
Hide Copy of Promoted Selection layer
Unhide Copy (2) of Promoted Selection Layer.
Edit > Copy > Copy Merged
In Animation Shop, right click on the 2nd frame of your animation.
Paste > Paste after Current Frame
View > Animation
View > Preview in Web Browser
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This window will open.
Choose Animated Gif
Choose a Browser.
You can change the color of the background if you want.
Click Preview |
The next window gives you some choices.
Push the slider up to Quality.
Click on Customize - use these settings for the highest quality. There's no sense in spending this much time on an animated gif to deteriorate the quality of your image now. Go for quality!
Under the Optimizations tab, UNcheck all of the options.
Click OK.
Click through the next screens until it gets to the preview in your browser.
If you are satisfied, close the browser window.
Click the preview window in Animation Shop.
Save your animation as a gif.
I hope you enjoyed this tut as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.
vetch
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