EZ Animated Character Eyes- (By Cfile~2002)

Get the Tube for the Magnifying bug here: magnifyingbug.tub

1. Open up a new canvas..  make sure it is a transparency... Using a dimension of 400X400 so you have enough room to mauever (& then I resize later).

2. Click on the tube tool (icon that looks like the ink bottle with pen) and get a tube you want to animate. (Or download the one above)(In this I wanted the Magnifying Bug eyes to blink/animate).

3. Go up to Layer option on the top tool bar. Click on duplicate. (This duplicates the original layer, so the magbug/(or fav tube animal) is in the same exact spot for animating later. )

4. Go to the layer pallete that you have opened (usually at the bottom of your screen). It should reflect layer 1, & copy of layer1. I "X" the layer that says layer 1 & make sure the layer that says copy of layer 1 is highlighted, so you make sure you are working on the correct layer.

5. With the magnifyer tool, enlarge your canvas so you can see to "paint". (I click on it once or twice to enlarge it).. then go to the eye dropper.  With the eye dropper choose the color that you want to use as fill in for the eyelid. (in my magn bug I am using purple) Then with the paint tool, you are going "pixel by pixel" painting each box, inside the line of the eye.. coloring in right over the eyeball.

6. Once the eye ball is colored in,  go back to the eyedropper, choosing a darker color for lashes. then where the eye is now closed you add lashes with the paint tool.. on the angular portions of the eyelid (the corner closed section)  use 3 diagonal dots, as the shape of the lid goes,  skip a block going to the next section & then you may want do two boxes down & then one diagonal.. as you get to the center of the lid, go two down straight & then continue until the eyelashes are the way you want them.

7. Once this is complete either one eye or both (depending wether you are making it blink or wink),  then undo the magnification by clicking on the magnifier tool & right clicking, to get it back to normal size.
 
***View what you have done so far:

Now if you go back to your layer pallette, un "x" the "layer1" (original mouse)... go to "copy of Layer1" (duplicate) and "x"  that, then un-x & see how your animation is going to look later... making sure it is blinking/winking the way you want. 

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8. Add a new raster layer to add the text. (If you want to use curved text, you will have to follow other tutorials to add text curved etc.) 

9. Click on the A tool. That is to add font/text. Choose the font you wish from your font selection. (Make the outline color of the text dark gray, and the fill color light gray.) [If you choose "Vector" instead of floating, you will be able to angle the text] Choose floating if you want the name straight across.. I use font size of around 36-48 depending on the graphic.  <okay>

10. With "ants marching around text" go to effects.. ie: superblade pro or 3D effects inner bevel. Choose color you want for text. <okay>

11. While ants still marching on colored beveled text, go back to the effects tool & choose shadow. <okay>

12. Now Duplicate this text layer.

13. You should now have in your layer pallette, 2 layers with the text & two layers of the the animal/tube. If the animal is to be set leaning on the text, the text layer MUST be under the tube layer... with the drag & drop mode, move one of the text layers on the pallette to the bottom. go back up to the top of the layer pallette & move the other text layer UNDER the "copy of layer1" layer. Your layers should be:

Copy of Layer1(blink/wink)
Copy of Layer2(text)
Layer1(blink/wink)
Layer2(text)
14. On the layer pallette "X" the last two layers...go up to the top layer, making sure it is not "X'd" and Go to the Layers tool & Merge Viewable layers.

15. Going back to layer pallete, X the merged layer, and un-x the remaining two layers. Make sure you on of the two remaining layers are highlighted, go to the layer tool again & "Merge all viewable".
16. Un X the top merged layer.. you should now have two layers. Save as "Filename.psp"

17. Open up animation pro & open up psp file.. Click on Edit, select all.

18. Go to File>Save Frame As

19. Open up animation wizard, following steps.

20. Go to animation "View animation". If it is the way you want, save as "filename.gif" . Upload to storeage & Voila!

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*******Tutorial is written & owned by ChristaFile79. It cannot be copied & posted under ANY circumstances. A link to this tutorial is acceptable & appreciated. *******