Tutorial: Creating a Bouncing Text Effect Using PSP and AS3 (v7)

[charliemc]

I'm sure you've seen the popular effect that features letters entering the left of an icon and then seeming to strike and 'bounce off' the right side -- have you wondered how this was done?

Thanks to fellow moderator Brian, I've got a new way to do this myself that's both easy and quick! (Thanks, Brian!)

You'll need to use both Paint Shop Pro 7 (PSP7) and Animation Shop 3 (AS3) for this effect.

Let's give it a try, shall we?

We're going to take this image:


And add bouncing text so it looks like this:

1. Open both PSP and AS3.
   
   
2. Your first step is to decide on the word you want to make bounce. You can use your name or whatever, it really doesn't matter.
   
   
3. I used the font Keep on Truckin' (clicking the link will take you to a free download at DaFont.Com), but you can use any bold font you wish.
   
   
4. Open your icon, whatever it is. I used this one, so feel free to do the same for this tutorial:
   
   
   (Right-click and Copy. Go to PSP. Right-click and Paste As New Image. Or you can right-click on the image above and Save it to your hard drive. Then go to PSP and Open the image you just saved.)
   
   Tip: It's quicker and easier to simply right-click and Copy, then go to PSP and right-click and Paste as New Image. Then you have the option to save, if you wish -- or to skip saving the image entirely!
   
   Let's add a strip of color -- a bar -- to this to use as a background for our text, which will make the text stand out just a little better!
   
   
5. Go to Layers > New Raster Layer > OK.
   
   
6. Go to your tool palette and click on the Selection tool.
   
   Use these settings:
   Selection type: Rectangle
   Feather: 0
   Antialias: selected (check-marked)
   
   Note: Working with the Selection tool can take both practice and patience! I still find it an annoying tool to work with, and I've had PSP (in one version or another) for several years! Don't get down on yourself if you can't get exactly the selection you want the first time -- or first several times -- you try! Just hit the Undo button and try again.
   
   Hint: Sometimes it helps to grab the lower right-hand corner of your image (look for the bold diagonal arrow with points on both ends) and drag it down and to the right. You also have the option to Maximize any image, filling your workspace with that one image. It's very easy to Restore the image when you're finished doing a given step!
   
   Drag the tool from left down to lower right to select your rectangular area, creating a white bar across the lower portion of your icon. You want this to be slightly larger than your text.
   
   
7. Once you've made your selection, leave it active (the marquee will show around it).
   
   If your Colors palette isn't open, go to View > toolbars. Select the Color palette (put a check-mark by it). Then press the Close button. Or you can optionally right-click on a blank part of the Standard toolbar and select the Color palette.
   
   Hint: I think that right-clicking on the Standard toolbar is the quickest and easiest way to turn any palette on and off -- don't you agree?
   
   
8. Go to your Colors palette. Under Styles, click on the dropdown arrow of the first box -- which is Stroke Color. Set this to Solid Color, white (HTML: #ffffff).
   
   Click on the drop-down arrow of the second box -- which is Fill Color. Set this to Null (off).
   
   (Under Textures both should be Null/off.)
   
   
   
   If your Tool Options palette isn't open, right-click on a blank portion of your Standard Toolbar and click on it to select and open.
   
   
9. Go to your Tool palette and select the Flood Fill tool. Use the following settings:
   Blend mode: Normal
   Match mode: None
   Opacity: 100
   Sample merged: not selected (not check-marked)
   
   Click this inside the selected area to fill with white.
   
   
   
   
10. Go to Selections > Select None.
    
    If your Layers palette isn't open, right-click on a blank portion of your Standard Toolbar and click on it to select and open. (You can temporarily close the Tool Options palette at this point, if you wish.)
    
    
11. Lower the Opacity of the white bar layer to 50 by dragging the Opacity number from 100 toward the left. (You can merge these layers if you wish. Go to Layers > Merge All (flatten).
    
    
    
    
12. Go back to your Colors palette. Under Styles, click on the dropdown arrow of the first box -- which is Stroke Color. Set this to Solid Color, black (HTML: #000000).
    
    Click on the drop-down arrow of the second box -- which is Fill Color. Set this to Solid Color, white (HTML: #ffffff).
    
    (Again, you might want to checkmark the Lock area. That will keep these settings in place for all tools.)
    
    
    
    
13. Go to Layers > New Raster Layer > OK. We'll create our text on this layer.
    
    
14. Go to your tool palette and select the Text tool. (It resembles the letter 'A.')
    
    Hint: If you've never paid attention, you might want to try hovering your cursor over each tool. If done carefully, a popup will appear that tells you the name of each tool! Handy, isn't it? (smile)
    
    
15. Click your Text tool on your icon. Use these settings in the Text Entry window:
    Name: Keep on Truckin'FW
    Size: 12
    Kerning: 0
    Leading: 0
    Auto kern: check-marked
    Styles
    Stroke: Black
    Fill: White
    Textures
    Stroke: null (off)
    Fill: null (off)
    Create as: Floating
    Antialias: check-marked
    
    
    
    Be sure you have the Caps Lock on your keyboard turned on.
    
    
16. Type your word/name. Be sure the entire word/name is showing on your icon. Click OK.
    
    
17. You can use the built-in Move part of your Text tool to position your active text. Drag it until it's centered in the center of your bar, evenly between the top and bottom edges of the bar. Right-click to deselect/defloat.
    
    Optional: You can use the actual Move tool (tool palette) and use this to center your word/name on the bar of your icon, then go to Selections > Select None to deselect/defloat.
    
    
    
    
18. If you have your Move tool selected, you're good to go. If not, go to your tool palette and select the Move tool!
    
    You're now going to grab and drag your text to the far left, until you can barely see the first letter entering the bar.
    
    
    
    
19. Right-click and Copy Merged.
    
    
20. Go to Animation Shop 3. Right-click and Paste As New Animation. This is frame one!
    
    
21. Return to PSP.
    
    
22. Again use your Move tool to drag the text a bit further into the icon. You can do this letter by letter, or use your own judgement and do a bit more at a time. Once you've got your text positioned, right-click and again Copy Merged.
    
    
    
    
23. Return to AS3. Right-click > Paste > After Current Frame. This is frame two of your animation.
    
    Hint: You can use your cursor to 'grab' the right-hand edge of your animation and drag it toward the right. (You should see a bold arrow pointing left and right with a point on each end.) This will display more frames!
    
    
24. Return to PSP.
    
    Keep using these steps to create animated frames until you've got your text exactly centered (once again) between both sides.
    
    
    
    
25. Then take your text and move it so it's touching the far right-hand side of your box/icon. Again Copy Merged.
    
    
26. Return to AS3. Right-click > Paste > After Current Frame.
    
    Now it's time to create the actual bounce effect!
    
    
27. First, turn your Layer palette on. Remember, the easiest way to do this it to right-click on the Standard toolbar and select Layer palette!
    
    
28. We're going to create an additional layer for each version of text we do. So go to Layers > New Raster Layer > OK.
    
    
29. Again select your Text tool.
    
    Note: The settings for your Colors palette should be the same as before!
    
    Use the following settings for your Text tool:
    Name: Keep on Truckin'FW
    Size: 12
    Kerning: -90
    Leading: 0
    Auto kern: off (not check-marked)
    Styles
    Stroke: Black
    Fill: White
    Textures
    Stroke: null (off)
    Fill: null (off)
    Create as: Floating
    Antialias: check-marked
    
    Using the minus 90 (-90) for your Kerning will compress your letters together!
    
    
    
    Again, be sure you have the Caps Lock on your keyboard turned on.
    
    
30. Type your word/name. Be sure the entire word/name is showing on your icon. Click OK.
    
    
31. Once again you can use the built-in Move part of your Text tool to position your active text. Drag it until it's centered in the center of your bar, evenly between the top and bottom edges of the bar. Right-click to deselect/defloat.
    
    Optional: You can use the actual Move tool (tool palette) and use this to center your word/name on the bar of your icon, then go to Selections > Select None to deselect/defloat.
    
    
    
    
32. If necessary, go to your tool palette and select your Move tool. Use this to position your new layer of text so that it, too, is up against the far right-hand side of your box/icon, directly over the previous text layer.
    
    
33. Once you have the new text positioned, go to your Layer palette and turn the bottom/previous layer of text off. (Click on the Layer Visibility Toggle, which resembles glasses. When you see a small 'x' there it's turned off.)
    
    You only want to see the top/new text layer displayed on your icon!
    
    
34. Right-click and Copy Merged.
    
    
35. Go to Animation Shop 3. Right-click > Paste > After Current Frame.
    
    
36. Return to PSP.
    
    You're going to repeat the previous steps, making another new layer of text. This time set your Kerning to -180. You'll repeat this changing the setting to -270 and then to -360. This should give you a total of four compressed text frames.
    
    Are you still with me? Good!
    
    Now we need to make copies of several frames. This is what we do!
    
    
37. Go to the first frame to the left of the most compressed/bunched (last) frame of the animation. Right-click > Copy.
    
    
38. Go back to the last frame. Right-click > Paste > After Current Frame.
    
    
39. Remembering which frame you just copied (important!!!), move to the next frame left of it. Right-click > Copy.
    
    
40. Go to the last frame. Right-click > Paste > After Current Frame.
    
    Repeat this until you've copied and added the frame where the text is CENTERED in the frame.
    
    Almost done! Hang in there! (grin)
    
    
41. Go back to PSP and your icon image.
    
    You want to make the CENTERED text layer visible again -- and turn all the other text layers off.
    
    Hint: If you hover over the left-hand side of your Layer palette, one line at a time, you'll note that a Preview image of each layer will pop up! That's an easy way to tell which layer is which, without bothering to name them...
    
    
42. When you locate the proper text layer, just click on the Layer Visibility Toggle button to turn it back on. Make this your active/highlighted layer.
    
    
43. Go to the right-hand side of the Layer palette, where you see the number 100. Grab the slider bar (which resembles two arrows with points touching) and drag it to the left. This lowers the Opacity of the layer!
    
    
44. Set the Opacity to 70.
    
    
45. Right-click and Copy Merged.
    
    
46. Go to Animation Shop 3. Right-click > Paste > After Current Frame.
    
    
47. Go back to PSP and your icon image.
    
    
48. Move the Opacity slider to 50.
    
    
    
    
49. Right-click your icon and Copy Merged.
    
    
50. Return to AS3. Right-click > Paste > After Current Frame.
    
    
51. Go back to PSP and your icon image.
    
    
52. Move the Opacity slider to 30.
    
    
53. Right-click your icon and Copy Merged.
    
    
54. Return to AS3. Right-click > Paste > After Current Frame.
    
    
55. Go back to PSP and your icon image.
    
    
56. Move the Opacity slider to 0.
    
    
57. Right-click your icon and Copy Merged.
    
    
58. Return to AS3. Right-click > Paste > After Current Frame.
    
    That's the final frame of our animation!
    
    Want to preview your animation? Click on the View Animation button!
    
    It's finally time to Save!
    
    
59. In AS3, press the F12 key on your keyboard. When the Save As window opens, name your animated icon. Click the Save button. Another window will open and you'll go through several views. Just hit Next > Next > Next.
    
    Make a note of the optimized file size. (Center in the middle.) LiveJournal only allows icons that are less than 40k in size. (An icon that is exactly 40k will not upload, by the way!)
    
    Click the Finish button.

Yes, you're done! (smile)

Thankfully this version is much shorter than the one I did previously! (grin) I'm pretty glad about that myself!

Please feel free to share what you come up with -- I'd love to see what you come up with!

Have fun!

==CharlieMC, assistant moderator