19 Mar 2007 09:57 AM Making Blinkies From Alpha TemplatesMaking a Blinkie using Alpha Channel Templates
This tutorial was written by me. However the templates were sent to me though a yahoo share group so I don't claim to have made them.
This tutorial has many steps to it for that I apoligise blinkie making is a lot of little steps and there isn't a shorter way to make clear readable blinkies than this.
I suggest you save all the blanks you make for future use.
You'll find a selection of templates HERE
ok open psp and open a template.
Press shift d to copy the entire template and close the original.
Highlight the bottom layer its called border and flood fill with a nice colour or gradient.
Then highlight the middle layer its called background and go to selections - select all. Then selections - modify - contract by 3 pixel and then selections - invert.
You should get to sets of marching ants choose a colour and flood fill between the lines of marching ants, you might need to zoom in a bit.
Now Go to Layers - Merge all visable
Then layers - duplicate and do this twice So you have three layers in total.
ok now in your layer palette hide the top two layers, and highlight the bottom layer.
Then go to selections - load/save selection - load selection from alpha channel.
If you click the little arrow you'll see you have three lots of selections choose blinkie selection 1 and click load.
This will give you a lot of little marching ant boxes on your blinkie then choose a contrasting colour to your border and put your flood fill tool, check your match mode is on none and click inside one of the little boxes it should fill all the little boxes at once.
ok next highlight the middle layer and unhide it.
Then go to selections - load/save selection - load selection from alpha channel and choose blinkie selection 2.
Flood fill the boxes.
The unhide the top layer and highlight it.
Then go to selections - load/save selection - load selection from alpha channel and choose blinkie selection 3.
Flood fill the boxes
ok now check none are hidden
Save as and keep it as a psp file.
launch Animation shop and find it.
For a Basic Blinkie.
Now to add your text. I do this in Animation Shop as the wording is clearer.
Open a new transparent canvas in Animation shop.
Select the colour you'd like to use for your text.
Grab your text tool and click on the blank canvas type the wording and your can fiddle about with size and font till your happy remember it has to fit on the blinkie.
ok now to get the text onto the blinkie.
Follow these steps exactly.
Go to your blinkie and go to edit - select all or hold ctrl and type A
Go to edit - propogate paste and checked it selected - (this will get the text into all the frames at once)
Choose the little pointer tool, go to your text then drag it into the first frame of your blinkie. it should go in to all the frames at once. If it has hey if it hasn't edit - undo and try again.
Once your happy . File - Save.
For a Blinkie with flashing text.
Flashing blinkies need more frames so the text doesn't flash too fast.
Open the blank you made in A/S.
Edit - Select All
Edit - Copy
With the little pointer tool click on your last frame.
Edit - Paste - after current frame.
Your blinkie should now have 6 frames!
click the 6th frame and Edit - Paste - after current frame.
Now you have your 9 frame blinkie!
Decide how many changes of of text you want and duplicate your 9 frame blinkie ( shift D) till you have a blinkie for each change.
Follow these steps to get your text onto all your different blinkies.
Now to add your text. I do this in Animation Shop as the wording is clearer.
Open a new transparent canvas in Animation shop.
Select the colour you'd like to use for your text.
Grab your text tool and click on the blank canvas type the wording and your can fiddle about with size and font till your happy remember it has to fit on the blinkie.
ok now to get the text onto the blinkie.
Follow these steps exactly.
Go to your blinkie and go to edit - select all or hold ctrl and type A.
Go to edit - propogate paste and checked it selected - (this will get the text into all the frames at once)
Choose the little pointer tool, go to your text then drag it into the first frame of your blinkie. it should go in to all the frames at once. If it has hey if it hasn't, edit - undo and try again.
Once your finished adding text we need to get all the blinkies together.
Decide in what order they are going to flash.
On the blinkie with your second change of text Edit - select all.
On the blinkie with the first line of text click on the 9th frame then Edit - Paste after current selected frame.
You should now have a 18 frame blinkie with text change!
To add further text changes copy and paste them as you did the first one.
When your happy File - Save as Send this to a friend
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