Lesson 6

Whooo's Clock is This?
This tutorial is the property of hollys closet.com and has been written as an assignment for Winni's How To Write Tutorials Group. You are welcome to link to it but do not claim it as your own. What you'll need: PSP (I use version X but this can be done in any version)You can get a preview copy of version X2 Here Animation Shop. This program was included with PSP up until the later versions of 9. Look on your old discs if you don't have it installed. Otherwise it's available Here A tube of your choice. Here is the Cheryl Austin tube I used, an artist who has given permission to my forum. Whatever artist you use be sure you have permission to use their work and always remember to credit the artist on your tags in the fashion they require. Mask 10 PointStar. NOTE: For both the tube and the mask just right click the image and Save As in the folder you're using for this tutorial. I used Eye Candy 4000 Gradient Glow which is no longer available but Eye Candy 5.Impact also has this filter. You can get a thirty-day-trial Here For this tutorial I used the font 101! Clock Face. You can find it Here. All settings will remain the same unless stated. Preparation This tutorial takes a bit of time so you'll want to plan on that. Before you open PSP move your plugin to your plugin folder so PSP can locate it at start up. Download and open the text file so it is waiting on your desktop. Open PSP,open your tube and the mask provided. Shift/D to copy tube, close the original without saving changes. If the copyright and tuber information is on the same layer as your image, use the selection tool to select them Copy/Paste as a new Image. You can use this to add the copyright back to your tag. On the tube hit delete on your keyboard to remove the copyright. Crop away the empty space left. From your tube select a dark color as the foreground and a light color for your background in your materials palette. Now we're ready so let's begin. Step 1 Open a new 600x600 pixel transparent image. We need room to work and will resize it later Floodfill with your foreground color New Raster Layer Floodfill with background color. File/Save As your final file name. Remember to save often. Step 2 Layers/New Mask Layer/ From Image Choose 10PointStar Layers/Merge/Merge Group Step 3 Change foreground and background colors to Black or another dark color. Select Text Tool 590 pix stroke 1 Vector Type the capitol letter O. Object/Align/Center in Canvas Right click on layer/convert to raster Step 4 Add a New Raster Layer Select the Text Tool with these settings You will alternate a vector text layer with a new raster layer for each letter of your name or other text you want to use. This is done to make sure each letter is on it's own layer and doesn't combine with the other vector layers before you can arrange them the way you want them. These layers will also contain the background color in the next step. Step 5 Return the foreground and background to the original color. Arrange each letter around the clock as you wish. To easily move the letters select each layer on the layer palette. Step 6 When you are satisfied with your arrangement right click on each vector layer Convert to Raster Layer Right click on your layer palette View/None Unhide and select each letter layer and select the inside of the clock with your magic wand With letters such as O hold down the shift key and click inside the circle as well. Selections/Modify/Expand/5 Unhide and highlight the layer below that text layer and floodfill with your background color Highlight the letter layer and Layers/Merge/Merge Down Selections/Select None Repeat these steps with each letter around the clock Pay attention here and make sure you're on the right layer and remember to switch back and forth from Magic Wand to Floodfill. I found it was easiest to start from the bottom layer, unhide the empty layer and the text layer each time. When you complete your floodfill and go to your text layer to merge, you can right click on that layer and select Merge/Merge Down. Right click saves a lot of time every day. Step 7 Right click your layer palette View/All Since we will be animating the letters this would be a good time to add your copyright and watermark. Use separate layers for each, place them where you want them and adjust the opacity. Hide your individual letter layers Highlight your Clock Layer Layers/Merge/Merge Visible Unhide the letters by right clicking the layer palette View/All Open your tube and copy/paste as a new layer. Resize, with all layers unchecked, so it fits. Arrange it where you want it. Make sure you save a copy of this psp file now. Name it "final" for identity. When you close PSP be sure NOT to save changes to this file. Step 8 Now we will begin the animation. In PSP close all letter layers. Edit/CopyMerged Open Animation Shop Edit/Paste as a New Animation Back in PSP open the first letter. Edit/CopyMerged In AS Edit/Paste after Current Frame Back in PSP open and add the second letter Edit/CopyMerged In AS Edit/Paste after Current Frame Continue these steps for each letter until you have pasted all of them in AS Step 9 Back in PSP hide all the layers except for the tube and the letters Layers/Merge/Merge Visible Effects/Eye Candy 4000/Gradient Glow Right click the layer pallette and View/All Save this image as "merged" Edit/Copy Merge In AS Edit/Paste after Current Frame Edit/Select All Animation/Frame Properties/change Display Time to 30 Select the last frame Animation Properties/change Display Time to 100 Step 10 Animation/Resize/500x500 File/Save As/original file name Complete the optimization process. And you're finished. I know it has taken some time to make this tag but I think you will enjoy having it. Here is another sample I did as a test.

This page was developed June 24, 2008 and

Whooo's Clock is This?