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Animated Christmas Lights
All of the text and images in this tutorial are copyrighted. have a peek at the link below to learn more about what copyright means.
Recommended tools. (Not needed) Christmas lights tube provided by Jasc. Click on Free Download, then on Picture Tubes
Open a new image 500 X 300 Transparent.
Fill with black. This layer will be deleted but for now you have to see what you're doing. Make a new layer called String. In your color palette, set the foreground color to the color of your choice, the background to null. Use your draw tool set to Bezier Curve, width 3.
Make a small curve on your image as shown below.
Use your mover tool to place your curve in the right place, copy and paste (CTRL + E) to place the rest of your string on your image.
Make a new layer called bulbs. Use your picture tube tool and place the first bulb. Use your selection tool to select it. Click on the selected bulb and the selection will form around the bulb. Use your deformation tool to rotate the bulb and place it on the string. Repeat for each bulb. Save your image
If you have chosen to make the bulbs yourself, in your color palette, set your foreground to null, background to white. Use your teardrop shape and place one bulb on your image.
Use your mover tool to place it in the proper place, copy and paste the rest of the bulbs.
Use your selection tool set to rectangle and selection the first bulb. Click on the bulb and the selection will form around the bulb. Fill with the color of your choice. Deselect and select the next bulb. Continue until all of the bulbs are filled with a different color.
Apply Inner Bevel. I prefer the round preset but you can use the settings of your choice. Save you image.
Open Animation shop. Click File > Preferences > General Program Preferences > Layered files. Be sure that Keep each layer in a separate frame is checked and click ok. Open your image. You will have three frames. Click on the last frame, the one with the bulbs. Click Effects > Insert Image effects Select the Rotate colors Effect, click ok.
You will now have 13 frames in your animation. Select frames 3 through 13. (holding your CTRL key will allow you to select more than one frame) Press CTRL + X to cut.
Delete the black frame. Select your string frame. Duplicate until you have eleven string frames. Select all of the string frames, paste (CTRL + E) your bulbs onto your string.
If you used the light bulb tube from Jasc, you may want to use a background color or image to avoid the shadow while saving.
Using the background for your page as the background for your image works well
To do this, visit my tutorial on how to add a background to a transparent animation http://www.pixelbit.com/tutorials/adding_background
If you like, you can open a sparkle tube and place sparkles on the lights in a random pattern, but as you can see from the images below, that the transparency may be a problem
A suggestion, Use the background for your page as the background for your animation as well
To do this, visit my tutorial on how to add a background to a transparent animation http://www.pixelbit.com/tutorials/adding_background Use your crop tool to crop off any unneeded transparency and save your image, you're done. GREAT job!
Now you can apply your lights to an image
Visit my Christmas Lights Text to have more fun with lights. If you have any questions or comments, free free to email me at:
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