HHR_PSP9LetsWiggle

Let's Wiggle

A simple animation

You will need :-

PSP and Animation Shop.

This tutorial works for any version of psp but the screenshots may differ.

A picture tube

If you'd like to use the picture tube used in this tutorial please click here to download. Save to a folder on your pc. You can use the eraser tool to remove the watermark on the tube if you wish

A font of your choice, or one already in your PSP programme. I've used 'Unicorn' for this tutorial.

If you have downloaded a font, find the fontfile in your folders and double click to open it. Leave it onscreen or reduce it to your taskbar. While it remains open it will appear in your font menu when you come to use the Text Tool.

Open your PSP

Go to 'File' 'Browse' and locate and open the folder where you've saved the tube you wish to use. Double click to open the file then go to 'File' 'Export' 'Picture Tube'...type in the name for your tube and 'OK'. The tube will now be in your menu when you come to use the 'Picture Tube Tool'.

Go to 'File' 'New' and open a new transparent image 400 x 400 pixels.

Click on the 'Picture Tube Tool' and onto the picture which you currently have showing in the preview box on the 'Tool Options' palette. This will open the menu...

......click on the tube you wish to use and it will appear in the preview box.

Alter the scale down to about 50....

...and click in the centre of your blank canvas to place the tube, using the 'Move Tool' to move it towards the top, leaving room underneath for text.

Resizing a tube makes it a little blurry so go to 'Adjust' 'Sharpeness' 'Sharpen'

In the 'Layer' palette, right click on 'Raster1' choose 'Rename' from the menu and rename your layer 'Picture'

In the 'Layer' palette again, right click on 'Picture' and select 'Duplicate' from the menu.

You will now have 2 layers showing in your palette

With the 'Copy of Picture' layer active [it will be highlighted blue in your 'Layer' palette] go to

'Image' 'Mirror' and you'll see the 2nd image as a mirror of the first.

It may be necessary here to use the 'Move Tool' to adjust the placing of your mirrored image. You want to aim for it being practically over the top of your first one,in some cases it might help if you line up the feet. It depends on the sort of image you are using and also where youve placed it on your canvas. If the mirrored image is too far away from the first one then your animation will jump rather than wiggle .

Now for the text....go to 'Layer' 'New Raster Layer'.

In your 'Layer' palette right click the new layer , select 'Rename' from the menu and rename it 'Text'.

In the 'Materials' palette select colours for both the outline and the fill of your text by clicking on the colours which appear in the boxes and choosing colours from the palette.

Click on the 'Text Tool' and onto the little down arrow to the right of the 'Font' bar.This will open the fonts menu.

Click on your chosen font and it will appear in the bar

Set the size..... Ive used 48 here, and set the 'Create as' to 'Floating'.

Set the 'Stroke Width' to '1.0' .... 'Line Style' should be a solid line

Click on your canvas to open the 'Text Entry' box ...type in your text and 'Apply'

Your text will appear on your image with 'Marching ants' round it

While it has the 'Marching ants' , if you move your cursor over the text it will change to that of the 'Move Tool' and while it is in this mode you can click and drag your text into position.

Go to 'Selections' 'Select None' to deselect.

You can apply an effect like an inner bevel to your text if you like...make sure the 'Text' layer is highlighted in your 'Layer' palette and go to 'Effects' '3D Effects' 'Inner Bevel'.

These are the settings applied here......

Alternatively, you can click on the dice icon and it will throw you random settings.

In the 'Layer palette' right click on your 'Text' layer and select 'Duplicate' from the menu. You will now have 4 layers altogether.... 2 picture layers and 2 text layers.

Now for a background colour.

Go to 'Layers' and open a 'New Raster Layer'

In the 'Layer' palette, right click the new layer and rename it 'Background'.

Click hold and drag the 'Background ' layer to the bottom of your 'Layer' palette as we need the background to be behind the picture and the text.

Select a colour for your background in the 'Materials' box [Foreground and Stroke Properties]

Click on the 'Floodfill Tool' and onto your image to floodfill with your chosen colour.

In the 'Layer' palette, right click on the 'Background' layer and select 'Duplicate'

Arrange the layers in your palette[by click hold and dragging them] to look like this........

........'X'ing out the top 3 layers by clicking on the little 'eye' icon at the end of each row and click on the 'Background' layer of the remaining 3 layers to activate [highlights blue]

Go to 'Layers' 'Merge' 'Merge Visible'

'X' out that 'Merged' layer and un X the top 3 layers, click on 'Copy of Background' to activate

Go to 'Layers' 'Merge' 'Merge Visible'

You will now have 2 'Merged' layers in your 'Layer' palette.

Un X the merged

Now to animate.

Open your Animation Shop [or 'File' 'Jasc Software Products' 'Launch Animation Shop]

Back in PSP, click on the bottom 'Merged' layer in your 'Layer' palette to activate it...go to 'Edit' 'Copy'

Over in Animation Shop click on 'Edit' 'Paste' 'As New Animation'

Go back to PSP, click on the other 'Merged' layer, go to 'Edit' 'Copy'...over to Animation Shop and click on 'Edit 'Paste' and this time 'After Current Frame'

To see your two frames click on 'View' 'Normal Viewing (1:1)

[I've scaled down a little here so they will fit on this page, yours will be larger images]

You will notice numbers and letters at the bottom of your frames. F:1 and F:2 are the frame numbers.

D is for the 'Display Time'

Click on the 'View Animation' icon and you will see your animation is a little too fast so we will slow it down.

Click the 'View Animation' icon again to close the animation.

Go to 'Edit' 'Select All' and you will see both of your frames are now 'selected'...surrounded in blue.

Now click on 'Animation' and on 'Frame Properties'. You will see the 'Display Time' set to '10'. The higher the number you put here, the slower the animation will be...so change it to about '60' and 'OK'

Click the 'View Animation' icon again and you will see your animation is a lot slower.

If you are happy with your animation, click on the 'Crop Tool' and in Frame 1 draw the crop around your graphic .... you will see it auto draw round the 2nd.

Click 'Crop'

Go to 'File' 'Save as' ..give your file a name and save as a 'CompuServe Graphics Interchange(*.gif)

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial

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This tutorial was created and written for and for Upsited and High Heel Renders. Please do not reword or upload the tutorial onto another website or group. You may however link to the tutorial by using a text link to the specific page.

Have fun

Revised 2007