Animated Magnifying Glass
by kim@pixelbit.com

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

Open a new image 400 X 400 transparent.

Use your preset shape, ellipse.

Un the toolbar, select circle.

Show nodes and vector unchecked.

Line size=10

In your color palette, set the foreground to a metal pattern or gradient. background=Null.
Place a circle on your image the size of your magnifying glass.

Copy > delete and paste as a new layer.
make a new layer.
Use your preset shape, rectangle to make the handle.

Use deformation to rotate the handle and place it where you would like it.
Merge visible, apply the inner bevel of your choice.

Do not move the magnifying glass by hand. Make your mover tool active. Click ok the magnifying glass.
Use your left arrow to slide it over near the left edge.
In your layer palette, duplicate your layer 7 times for a total of 8.
Rename your layers m1 thru m8 (m is for magnifying glass)

In your layer palette, Turn off all layers except m1.
make m1 active.
Use your magic wand and click on the inside of the circle.
With the selection in place, make a new layer named L1. Apply the cutout settings shown below.

**SUGGESTION**
Personally I think this image looks best WITH the L layers.
To make your image with a transparent background,
omit the L layers altogether. Follow the rest of the tutorial as written.

Turn m2 on and make it active.
Use your mover tool and click ok the m2 on the image (not the layer palette.)
Press and hold your SHIFT key and tap your right arrow three times.
 

Use your magic wand tool to select the center of the m2 magnifying glass.
Make a new layer named l2. Apply the same cutout.

In your layer palette, turn on your m3 layer.
Click on the m3 magnifying glass.
Press and hold your SHIFT key and tap your right arrow SIX times.
(has to move twice as far as the previous m layer.)
Select the inside of the circle, make the l3 layer and apply cutout.

Continue until each M layer has its own L layer as shown below.

Open a new image, same size, transparent.
Use your text tool to make the text that you would like.
Remember to make your text considerably smaller then the magnifying glass.
Apply the inner bevel of your choice.
Copy your text.

On your magnifying glass image, paste the text as a new layer.
Move this layer to the bottom.
Your text should appear right in the center of the circles.
If not, use your mover tool to place it there.

If you did NOT have to move the text, simply paste as layer 7 more times.
If you did have to move it, make 7 duplicates of your text layer.
In your layer palette, place a text layer UNDER each M layer.

To help you keep track of layers, it might be helpful to rename the text layers t1 thru t8.

In your layer palette turn off all layers except the three "1" layers (t1, m1 and l1)
Make m1 active.
Use your magic wand tool to select the inside of the circle.
Make sure sample merged is UNCHECKED, contiguous is CHECKED.

With this selection active, make your T1 layer active.
Use your selection tool to click on the part of the text that you can see
through the circle to form the selection around the letters..

Press CTRL + X to cut.

your selection will be gone.
make your M1 layer active and reselect with the magic wand.
CTRL + SHIFT + L to paste into selected.

Select none. With the "1" layers still the only layers that are on, merge visible.
Turn the merged layer off.
Turn on your "2" layers.

here are the steps again.

M2 active, select the center of the circle.

Make T2 active and form the ants.

Cut.

make M2 active, reselect the circle and paste into selected.

Deselect, merge visible.
Turn off merged layer and turn on the next number layers (in this case the "3" layers)

Repeat these steps for all of the other layers.

Turn all layers on.
Use your crop tool.
Click on the Merged Opaque crop setting.
Double click inside the box that has formed on your image to apply the crop.

Save your image in psp format. Open Animation shop.

File > Preferences > general Program preferences > Layered Files.
Set your preferences as shown below, click ok and open your image.

Press SHIFT + D to make a duplicate of your image.

In the duplicate image, delete the first and last frames.
Select all. Animation > Reverse frames, copy.
On your original image, select the last frame. Right click. Paste > after current.
Select all. press ALT + ENTER and change the speed to 25.
Click Animation > properties. Select Opaque and white, click ok.
(More advanced animators can give this a pattern background)

Resize to your liking and you're done.
I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial.