Howdy! You are welcome to save and print this tutorial for your own personal use and practice. Please help keep tutorials FREE by respecting copyright laws, observing the terms of use on all tutorial websites and visiting our sponsors. Thank you ;-) Arizona Kate
Animated Dancing Bear
This tutorial was written for Animation Shop v.3 Tutorial is offered here free of charge for personal use only ... please read terms of use (TOU/FAQ).
With this tutorial you'll learn a quick and easy way to animate some clip art to look like it's doing a little happy dance. You'll also learn how to import Paint Shop Pro layers as animation frames.
This tutorial was written for Paint Shop Pro v.7 and Animation Shop v.3. Users of newer versions of Paint Shop Pro will have to change file type before saving file. We'll explain below.
In addition to the software, you will need a PSP .tub image or some clip art of a character to animate! For this tutorial we'll use a teddy bear from the dingbat font "Teddies" created by www.fontfreak.com. I've added some color to the dingbat and made the bear into a .tub file for easy download.
We'll be using an easy mirroring technique to create this animation. The first step is to make a layered image in Paint Shop Pro using the teddy bear tube. We'll save it in .psp format without merging layers. Then we'll import it into Animation Shop. Each layer will be imported as a separate animation frame.
The .pspimage file format used by newer versions of PSP will NOT work in Animation Shop. We must use the old .psp format. When you save your file, use 'Save As'. In the 'Save As' dialog box, set File Type as 'PSP Animation Shop' or 'Animation Shop' or 'PSP7 compatible'...however it's worded in your version of PSP.
OK, let's get started! In Paint Shop Pro, open your image (DancingBear.tub). Duplicate the image and work with a copy instead of the original. Close original. It's good work practice to always work with a copy and save your originals in case you have to start over. ;-)
Use a transparent background or a color that matches your webpage. Your choice. Bear should be the first layer. Do NOT use separate background layer for this image or there will be an extra frame when you import it into Animation Shop.
The animation will have 3 frames...so we need to have 3 copies of the bear...one for each of the 3 frames of the animation.
On the Layer Palette, right click and duplicate the first layer.
On layer 2, reverse the position of the bear using image>mirror.
Right click the Layer Palette and duplicate the second layer.
You should now have 3 layers, 1 bear facing one way and 2 facing the other. SAVE...do not merge layers.
To keep the animated dance from being too jerky, we must double-check each bear to make sure it is properly aligned with the bear on the other layers. Because the bears won't line up perfectly (after all, they are facing 2 different directions) we'll just make sure the shoulders are aligned with each other.
To check the alignment of layer 2 with layer 1, hide visibility for layer 3. Reduce opacity of layer 2 to about 30%. Zoom in very close to see better. The shoulders on layer 2 should be close to the shoulders on layer 1 as shown in the screenshot below (red arrow). The noses are also fairly close (yellow arrow).
Now hide the visibility for layer 2 and reveal layer 3 to see if shoulders align there, also.
Now that everything is aligned...we're going to change things just to add a little interest in the animation. Add a little "hop" to the dance by moving the bear on the middle layer UP just a tiny bit...a graceful little hop (see red arrow). Save again, leaving the 3 layers separate.
Close file and close PSP.
Animating the image:
Launch the Animation Shop program. Important: Your Animation Shop preferences MUST be set to "Keep layers as separate frames". To check your settings, select: File>preferences>general program preferences.
Under the layered files tab....keep layers as separate frames should be checked, as shown below.
We'll be using the 'Animation Wizard' to create the animation.
Select the Animation Wizard button or select from the menu: file>animation wizard
Answer questions in dialog box as follows:
pg 1: Same size as the first image frame
pg 2: Transparent (or opaque if you prefer to use your webpage color)
pg 3: Upper left corner of the frame With the canvas color
pg 4: Yes, repeat the animation indefinitely Display time: 30
pg 5: Add image....browse to find the PSP file with the 3 layer bear image; then select NEXT
pg 6: Finish
All 3 frames of the animation should be visible in your workspace. If only one frame is visible, use your mouse to grab the edge of the animation filmstrip and drag it to right to reveal all frames.
I think the animation would look better if we speed up the movement in the middle frame (the one with the little hop)....but just a little bit! If we lower the display time to 20, it will speed up the movement.
To adjust display time, first select frame 2 (click with pointer tool...a blue border indicates frame is selected) and then, on the menu, select Animation>Frame Properties. Enter 20 for the display time.
Now select the View Animation button to preview how your animation will look! (or use menu view>animation)
If the dancing looks a little jerky, maybe the bears are a little mis-aligned. A few pixels can make a big difference. Close the Animation Preview and enable the onionskin preview so you can make adjustments to the bear's position. Onionskin preview places a transparent overlay (a ghost image) of frame 1 in frame 2, and frame 2 overlays frame 3, etc, for all frames.
Use the Mover Tool to realign the bear in each frame if needed, using the onionskin overlay as a guide.
Click the view animation button and preview again. Look OK to you? Good! But, wait! Before we save the animation, let's crop it to make the canvas size and the file as small as possible. The smaller the file size, the faster image will load.
Select the crop tool. When you do this in Animation Shop, three new buttons appear on the menu bar above the crop tool.
They are....options...crop....clear
Select the options button. In the crop options dialog box, select surround the animated area, then select OK.
A box, or lines, now appear in each frame to indicate crop size. Select the crop button (next to options) and your canvas size will be reduced to minimum.
SAVE your animation in GIF format. Select File>Save and a dialog box will appear to give your file a name. Next the GIF Optimizer will appear...
Move slider to top for "better image quality".
On this same page of the dialog box, select customize. Under that tab the following should be selected:
256 colors (actually 255)
Optimized Octree
Select OK, then next, then next again.
A preview of the optimized file will display.
Select next again, and your final file size and approximate load time will be displayed. Then select finish.
Hope you enjoyed making this dancing bear! Now that you've learned this easy mirroring technique, why don't you try making another animation using a different image! When choosing which image to use, the position of the feet is important. One foot upraised seems to work the best....like this jolly lamb!
Content and images* are the exclusive property of ArizonaKate.com. This tutorial may not be copied, sold or distributed in any format, including sending by email or posting in forums, without first obtaining permission from Arizona Kate.
Graphics Groups may link to tutorials, but may not copy. Please take the time to read Terms of Use and FAQ. A limited license is herein granted for personal use only. If you are interested in a license to reproduce tutorials or images, please contact Arizona Kate.
*Copyright Exclusions: Fonts and dingbats will sometimes be used to create tutorial images and I do not claim copyright for these. Banners and logos linking to other sites are property of the respective website. Scripts have been used with permission as noted in source. Many 'Arizona Kate' character images created from commercial clip art or photos and from dingbats.
With this tutorial you'll learn a quick and easy way to animate some clip art to look like it's doing a little happy dance. You'll also learn how to import Paint Shop Pro layers as animation frames.
With the canvas color
If the dancing looks a little jerky, maybe the bears are a little mis-aligned. A few pixels can make a big difference. Close the Animation Preview and enable the onionskin preview so you can make adjustments to the bear's position. Onionskin preview places a transparent overlay (a ghost image) of frame 1 in frame 2, and frame 2 overlays frame 3, etc, for all frames.
to realign the bear in each frame if needed, using the onionskin overlay as a guide.
