Animated Christmas Bell
Needed tools
Save and open the attached bell outline in psp.
Make your magic wand tool active, feather=0. Click on the upper part of
the bell
Fill with a pastel colored gradient with the settings shown below.
Apply Inner Bevel with the settings below
Select none
With your magic wand tool still active, click on the lower part of the
bell (the ellipse shaped part)
Change your gradient settings
Fill. With the selection still on, press SHIFT + B to open the
brightness/contrast window. Lower the brightness to -50.
Select none.
CTRL + A to select all. Float (CTRL + F) and defloat (CTRL + SHIFT + F)
this will form the ants around the bell and not on a floating layer.
Apply noise with these settings. Select none.
Click Image > canvas size and increase the canvas size to 600 x 600,
centered.
In your layer palette duplicate this layer 2 times for a total of 3
identical layers. Make the MIDDLE layer active.
Press CTRL + R to open the rotate window. Rotate 35 degrees to the left
Your image will look like this
Use your mover tool to move the lower bell so the top is lines up with
the upper bell.
Make the BOTTOM layer active. Rotate 35 degrees to the right. Use the
mover tool to make the top lined up with the other 2 bells
Merge visible.
In your layer palette make 2 duplicates for a total of 3 identical layers
Make the MIDDLE layer active.
Rotate 25 degrees to the left
Line the bell tops up.
Make the BOTTOM layer active. Rotate 25 degrees to the right and line the
bell tops up.
In your layer palette make a new layers named balls
Place the balls layer at the top
now you have 4 layers
tube OFF the bottom 2 bell layers make the make the balls layer active
Use your selection tool, shape set to circle and make one ball. Fill with
your gradient. COPY
Paste as a NEW IMAGE (CTRL + V) You may need to refer to this later.
Back to your bells image.
Select none. Use the mover tool to position the ball directly under the
center bell
Press SHIFT + E to place the second ball and the third ball, each one
directly under a bell.
Now we have to make the right and left balls appear to be behind the
center bell.
With your lasso tool, set to point to point, make the top bell layer
active. Turn off the balls layer
Outline the corner left corner of the center bell
Make the balls layer active, press delete.
Repeat for the right ball.
The top 2 layers are the only ones on (the balls and the top bell).
Merge visible
Turn your merged layer OFF. Make the center bell layer ON and active.
Make a new layer names balls
Make sure the balls layer is above the center bell layer
make your ball image (you pasted it as a new image a few steps ago)
active, copy
Place one ball under each bell. On this layer the balls will be placed to
the LEFT of center
make the center bell active, with your lasso tool, trace the needed parts
of the center bell. Make the balls layer active and delete.
Merge visible
Make turn off the middle layer. make the bottom layer on and active.
make a new layer called balls. Make sure the balls layer is above the
bell layer
Place the balls to the RIGHT of center. Trace the needed parts of the
bottom bell layer and delete from the balls layer. Merge visible
In your layer palette, turn all layers ON
Make the top layer active. Duplicate. Place the dup above the bottom
layer.
Make the top layer active
Make a new layer.
Move the new layer to the top
On this layer place whatever decorations you like on top of the bells
Move this layer to the bottom
Save your image in psp format.
Open animation Shop
In Animation Shop, click File > Preferences > General Program Preferences
> Layered Files
Make sire your settings look like this. Click OK
open your image.
You will have 5 frames. A decorative top and 4 bells.
Zoom out. There are several ways to do this
press the - key on the NUMBER PAD of your keyboard
Use the wheel on your mouse
Click view zoom out
Click on propagate paste
Press CTRL + A to select all frames
Press and hold the CTRL key and click on frame with the decorative top.
This will make all frames EXCEPT decorative frame selected.
with your mouse grab the decorative top and drag it to frame 1 (MUST be
the FIRST bell frame)
and release your mouse
what should have happened is the frame containing the decorative to is
gone and each bell now has a decorative top.
You are almost done
select all frames again (CTRL + A)
Click Animation > Frame Properties (or press ALT + ENTER)
Change the number from 10 to 30, click ok.
Double click on the crop tool to open the crop properties window, Click
on Surround Opaque
Click the CROP button above the toolbar
All that's left is to resize.
Press SHIFT + S to open the resize window.
Resize to your liking and save
That's it. You're done
