(Untitled)

[beetle_breath]

By request, a two part tutorial on basic text animation. This technique requires moderate knowledge of Photoshop & various terms. If you are using a mac, the short cut "ctrl" translates into the apple key. (The one with the weird square clover looking thing)

Remember, don't hesitate to ask questions if you're confused!!

That all aside, now for the

Comments

[naughty__pixie]

sorry.one problem. how exactly do i do this bit?:

Link your duplicated base with your text

also my photoshop SC2 isn't show two lines of little squares (where your first link thingy is this example

help, please?

[beetle_breath]

Oh, CS2 is strange. From what I remember, you have to select all the layers you want to link and then click to the side of one of them. I'm sorry if that doesn't make sense...I'll try and get a screencap from the lab here later.

Does the rest make sense?

[naughty__pixie]

Oh! huh. *kicks CS2* sorry for the hassle. I ...actually never got past that bit. it certainly *looks* very comprehensible. Thank you so much for doing this! I have been *dying* to try this and have been unable to figure it out before now. btw, i am madly in love with your icon. i loved cowboy beebop but the butterflies always got me... *hearts*

[naughty__pixie]

huh. ok. so it *does* link them the way you mentioned BUT .. ok my letters say "best" and the base is red(copied), so when i like them, *only* the red (copied) base shows up and it does not merge them (are they supposed to merge? they are, right?) even if i click the little eye icon on the text, it still only shows the red (copied) base. um. what am i doing wrong?

sorryyyyyyy!!!!!!

[naughty__pixie]

ok. right. so i'm an idiot. you actually explain that. HOWEVER, stupid CS2 doesn't seem to have the command. it *does* have the option to either "group into new smart object" or "merge layer"... thing is, i am not sure its either. sorry. help?

[beetle_breath]

No, that's not what you want. I know there's a way to link all the layers, the same way you turn visibility on or off. If all else fails, you can merge the layers you want together, but be careful that you link the right layers in the right order.

Hope that helps.

Also, re: your visibility problem: if you have two layers that are basically the same on top of each other, you probably won't be able to tell which is which unless you go back and turn each layer on and off until you know which is which. Does that make sense?

[naughty__pixie]

Yes. i ended up having to merge them. but i still messed up somewhere because i ended up with a base, then with *only* letters visible, then with the merged layer and so on.. i can seem to get the base *and* letters to show up together. its driving me insane! everything else seems to be working but that. any idea what the hell i might have done wrong? i'm really sorry to have to bother you so much, and thank you for all the help. really.

[beetle_breath]

Where are you, in Photoshop or in ImageReady? I'm a bit confused as to what exactly the problem is--can you maybe screencap the problem?

Don't worry about the trouble! I'm here to try and help, so ask away. =)

[naughty__pixie]

um. i'm a bit ashamed to admit this but i have no idea how to screencap it.(if its really easy you can tell me and i can post it? or um.. my gmail is naughtypixiehead AT gmail DOT com ..(and AIM is the same) if that helps?) I am in photoshop. i am having an impossible time going from your screencap 1 to screencap 2.

[beetle_breath]

OH, ok. To merge your text layers to your base, just click the little arrow on the layer palette and hit "merge down" or whatever it says. Does that help at all?

And to screencap, just hit the print screen key on your keyboard, then open a new document in Photoshop. After that, you can just hit ctrl + v to paste the cap and crop out the unnecessary stuff.

If you still are having trouble, you can IM me @ crossing of two

[naughty__pixie]

i'm sorry. i have yet one more problem. i made it to realplayer. but every time i try to deleted the extra stuff, all the layers get reverted back to half blank. i made a screencap of it.. any idea what i could possibly be doing wrong? Thank you again!!

[beetle_breath]

Are you sure your background layer is visible?

...What are you doing in real player?

[naughty__pixie]

yes and *headdesks* i meant Imageready. it looks just like what its suppsed to, but with the extra background. so i go to delete the background (after its all done) and it deletes half the background of the other squares. i have a feeling i messed up somewhere in the grouping, but i have went back half a dozen times and changes it different ways and still it doesn't work. i have the screencap if you are still willing to put up with me... i am totally hopeless, i know. :(

[beetle_breath]

DON'T delete the background! That's probably your problem...

When I say delete, I mean delete the extra FRAMES, not the LAYERS.

[naughty__pixie]

it was the frame i tried to delete. (i think) not the layer. i think, no i am almost sure that i screwed up the grouping somehow.... see i have background with no letters first, then with letters, then with blur (which has the background, yes), and then letters again, and blur again, and letters again and then another extra background (which i have no idea where that came from but)