Easy Animated Lake
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Needed Tools:
If you don't have rock tubes, you can download a few here.
Open a new image 500 X 500 transparent
Set your selection tool to circle and draw a circle in the center of your image. Fill with any water like pattern that you like. If you don't have a water pattern, fill with a light blue and apply a texture effect to it so give it a texture throughout.
Example
Start with a solid blue
apply Effects > Texture Effects > Tile
HINT, you can also use your lasso tool set to freehand to make the selection if you prefer a shape other than a circle.
In you layer palette rename this layer Lake.
Make two duplicates for a total of three lake layers.
Add a new layer. Be sure that the new layer is at the top in your layer palette.
Add any scenery tubes you like.
You can make as many layers for the scenery as you like.
Be sure that the edges of the lake are covered. I covered mine with rocks.
In your layer palette, turn off the lake layers and merge the scenery layers.
Turn ON all layers.
Activate the top lake layer.
Apply Eye Candy 4000 > Jiggle. Click on the settings button and select Subtle Bubbles
Increase the Warp Amount to 4.66
You can change this setting to your liking.
Click ok.
Activate your middle lake layer. Apply the SAME Jiggle effect but click on the Random Seed button before clicking on ok.
Repeat for the bottom lake layer.
Save your image.
Open Animation Shop.
File > preferences > General Program Preferences > Layered files.
Make sure that Keep Layers in separate frames is selected and click ok.
Open your image.
You should have three lake frames and one scenery frame.
Click on the scenery frame and duplicate twice for a total of three scenery frames.
Hold your CTRL key down and click on all three of the scenery frames to select all of them.
You will know that they are selected when they have a blue border around them.
Press CTRL + X to CUT the scenery frames.
Press CTRL + A to select all of the remaining frames.
Press CTRL + E to paste the scenery frames onto the lake frames, make sure that you have it lined up before you click your mouse.
With all frames still selected, Press ALT + ENTER to open your Frame properties window.
Set the animation speed to 30. Click OK.
Use your Crop tool to crop off any unneeded transparency.
Resize if desired.
SHIFT + S to open the resize window.
Save your image.
I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to email me at: