Animated Hourglass

Animated Hourglass
by kim@pixelbit.com

This tutorial is copyrighted.
Feel free to visit as often as you like,
but don't steal my work.

If you are using PSP9, download the hourglass preset shape (link below) and click here

Open a new image 200 X 200 transparent.

Make your preset shapes tool active. Select your tear drop shape.

In you color palette, the color does not matter as long as there is something in both foreground and background.
Make a teardrop that fills the image without cutting any of it off.

Change the canvas size to 200 X 400.
Make sure that the bottom arrow is selected in the placement section.

In your layer palette, duplicate your layer. CTRL + I to flip.

Make a new layer.
With your preset shape tool still active,
select your rectangle shape and make a small rectangle to join the two tear drops.

Merge visible layers, Make a new layer.
In your layer palette, make the merged layer active.
Select all, float, defloat.
Make the top layer active and apply the cutout shown below.

In your layer palette, delete the merged layer.

Merge, flatten.

Promote back to a layer

Use your magic wand tool.
Select the areas outside the hourglass and press delete.

Copy.

make a new image 500 X 500 transparent, paste as a new layer.
Rename this layer "hourglass".

Make a new layer.
Use your selection tool set to ellipse.

Place your mouse just above the top of the hourglass and make an ellipse.
Fill with a wood pattern.

In your layer palette, duplicate your top layer.
Use the mover tool to push the top layer up a tad.
With the top layer still active, apply Drop shadow with the settings shown below.

In your layer palette, turn OFF the hourglass layer.
Merge visible layers, Turn the hourglass back on.
Feel free to use the deformation tool to fine tune the size of your hourglass top.
Rename this layer "top"

Duplicate your merged layer.
Use the mover tool to slide it down so it will serve as the bottom of the hourglass.
move this layer to the bottom.

Make your top layer active and make a new layer named "pole".
Use your selection tool set to rounded rectangle.
Make a long thin rectangle as shown below.
Fill with the same wood pattern.
Apply the inner bevel of your choice.

Make a new layer. Make three very small ellipses and fill with your wood pattern.
Place these ellipses in the center of the pole.
Right click on your ellipses layer and merge down to join the ellipses and the pole.

In your layer palette, duplicate your pole layer. Use your mover tool to slide the second pole into position.

Make the layer named "top" the top layer in the layer palette.

When you are satisfied that everything looks ok, merge visible.
Increase the canvas size to 700 X 700, Center position button checked.
We will need this extra room for the rotating effect.

Save in psp format.
Open Animation shop. Open your image.

Duplicate your frame till you have SIX frames.
With frame 6 selected,
Effects > Insert Image Effects > Rotate.
In the rotate window, here are the settings that are located in the lower left corner.

Click the customize button. Set the Maximum angle to 180.

Click ok to exit the customize window.
Click OK to apply the rotate effect.

Double click on the crop tool to open the crop properties.
Click on Surround Opaque, click OK.

Click Crop in the toolbar to apply the crop.

Select all > Export > To paint shop Pro.
You will be taken back to psp with an image that looks like the one below.

Make your paintbrush tool active, In your color palette, select the color of the beads inside the hourglass.
set your paintbrush to the settings below.

I chose size 16 because that is the size that would fit comfortably through the center of the hourglass.
If 16 doesn't work for you, adjust the size.

delete the top layer.

RULE OF THUMB...ALL beads will be added to a SEPARATE layer.
In your layer palette, turn OFF all layers except the bottom layer.
make the bottom active. Make a new layer. Your new layer will appear directly above the active layer.
Click your mouse twenty times in the top part of the hourglass to add 20 beads.
IMPORTANT. DO NOT DRAG YOUR MOUSE.
Dragging your mouse will make a line instead of a bead.
When your beads are in place, apply the inner bevel of your choice. Right click on the bead layer and merge down.

For the bottom layer only...once the beads are in place, duplicate and move the copy to the top.
This is the ONLY layer that will be duplicated.

Repeat this process for all layers one at a time.
The diagram below will show you where to place the beads in each layer.

a=bottom layer

b=layer above bottom

c=layer above b

etc

n=not only top layer but also a duplicate of a.

Once all of the beads are added, beveled and merged down,
TURN ALL LAYERS ON
Edit > update back to animation shop.
Close your image without saving.
**HINT** If you would like to save it, SHIFT + D to make a duplicate and save the dup.

ok Here we are back in Animation shop.
Select all. Press ALT + ENTER and change the speed to 20. Currently some frames are 20 and others are 10.
This will make them uniformly 20.
Resize to your liking and save.
You're done.

I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial.
If you have any questions, email me at:
kim@pixelbit.com

PSP9

Make a new image 500 X 500 transparent.
Set your color palette to foreground=black, background=white.
Use your preset shape tool. line width=1, shape=hourglass.
Make an hourglass shape on your image leaving enough room on the
top and bottom for the rest of the hourglass image (appr. 3/4 inch)
Use selection tool set to rectangle
to select the transparent area in the center and fill white to match the rest of the shape.
Select all, float. Apply cutout.
Vertical and Horizontal=0
Opacity=100
Blur=14. Click here to continue with e rest of the instructions