Bouncing name

Bouncing Name

All of the text and images in this tutorial are copyrighted. Have a peek at the link below to see what "copyright" means

Open a new image 700 X 700 transparent. I realize that this is a HUGE image, but it will be cropped later.

Select a fat font. Make your text big. Here are my settings. Yours may be a little different depending on the length of your name.

Your text will look like this.

Use your lasso tool set to freehand and draw around the first letter of your name.
Click on the letter to make the selection conform to the letter.
Click Selections > Promote to layer

In your layer palette, you will have 2 layers. One is named Promoted layer.
Rename that to the first letter of your name. This layer contains only the first letter.
The bottom layer contains all of the other letters.

Activate the bottom layer, Select the next letter, promote it to a layer and rename it to the next letter in your name.

Continue until each letter in your make is on a separate layer and each layer is renamed.

Go to each layer, one by one and select all, click on the letter and color with the color of your choice.
Apply any inner bevel you like but keep the bevel amount low as you want it to be more flat then round.

You can use your mover tool to move the letters closer together if you like.

Here are the bevel settings that I used.

Make a duplicate of your image.
In the new image, resize all layers to 105 percent of original.

Reapply Inner Bevel using a rounder setting.

In the original image, merge visible layers.

Save each image in psp format.

Open Animation Shop.

Click File > Preferences > General program preferences > Layered Files.
Make sure that "Keep layers as separate frames" is selected and click OK.
Open Both images.

Your images should look like this.
One has only one frame with all the letters on it.
The other has a separate frame for each letter.

Select the image with all the letters on the same frame.
Duplicate it so that it has one more frame then the number of letters.
Example..my name has 3 letters, so I need 4 frames.
If your name has 6 letters, you will need 7 frames.

Activate the animation with each letter on a separate frame.
Click on the first letter of your name to select it. Copy.
In the animation that you just duplicated, click on the first frame.

Click on the eraser tool using the settings shown below.

Erase the top of the first letter on your name.

Paste into selected (CTRL + E). Place the larger letter directly over the smaller letter.

Activate the animation with each letter in a separate frame. select and copy the next letter.
In the "all on one" animation, select frame 2.
Erase the top of the second letter.
Paste the second larger letter directly over the second smaller letter.

Repeat for the next letter. Continue until you have used all of the letters in your name.
You should have one frame at the end with no larger letters pasted onto it.

Select all. Right click and select frame properties from the drop down menu.
change the speed to 20.
Click on the last frame so that only that frame is selected. Change the speed of that frame to 50.

Crop and you're done.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any comments or questions, email me at:

kim@pixelbit.com