Animation Shop comes bundled with Paint Shop Pro, but it's also available by itself. Animation Shop is used for creating GIF Animations.
Ok, let's start. Don't forget to SAVE, SAVE SAVE lol, as a psp image as you go along.Or set up your Automatic save function by going to File/Preferences/Autosave and choose how many minutes you'd like your work to be saved :) I use 4 minutes because I used to loose my work all the time, lol! I'm using a sunset graphic for this tutorial but you can use any one you'd like that preferably has a lake/sea/ or basically water, lol! If you'd like to use the graphic below then just right click and "Save As' and save it to the folder you'll be using for this tutorial or where you can find it lol!
Open your Layer pallette, double click on the background layer and when your layer menu pops up rename layer 1 to 'original'.
Now pick up your Selection tool and make a selection of your water as below:
Next we need to duplicate this image exactly as it is, with the selection (marching ants) still moving. Ok, right click on your 'original' layer, and select 'duplicate' or Layers/Duplicate. If you prefer using short cut keys then press the shift key and the letter D. Duplicate your image 3 times. You MUST leave the selection area still 'moving'.
or
You should have 4 layers now. Lets rename each layer to image2/3 & 4 so we don't get too confused later on :)
Now click the glasses on images 2-4 so that we hide them for a bit, lol! Let's now highlight the 'original' layer, leaving your selection moving and go to Effects/PlugIns and open up your Almethera Filter called 'Puddle'.
Use these Settings:
Next go to your Layers Pallette, and click on the glasses on the 'original' layer to 'hide' it. Highlight 'image2' and unclick the glasses and use the exact same settings except 'the scale'. Add 1 equalling 81 with your Effect/Plug-Ins/Almathera/Puddle. Repeat this step for your other two layers, each time adding one to 'the scale' so that image will have a setting of 83:) It should look like this one after all the effects have been applied:)
As you finish adding your effect to a layer and the rest are 'hidden, deselect the selection but ONLY the one you are working on. SAVE that layer as .gif file into the folder you are working in. You should end up with 4 .gif files at the end.
Save each image in .gif format into a folder where you will easily find these as we haven't quite finished yet.Not by a long haul lol!
Now go to File/Jasc Software Products and open up Animation Shop.
Let's now got to File/Animation Wizard - once you learn how easy Animation shop is to use, you'll have some great fun with it and your creativity will know no bounds!
Once your Animation Wizard is open, you will go through a series of settings. Just follow the following illustrations with their settings, and you'll see how easy it is :) Your first menu will be as the following illustration shows:
Click Next. Next menu:
Click Next.
Click Next.
Click Next. This is where you will now add the images you previously saved as .gif files. So select add image and find your folder that has your 4 saved gifs. I called my pictures sunset1-4. Now you can either add each image seperately or (love short cuts,lol!) when you add an image for the first time and the folder menu box opens up - click on your 'original' to highlight it then hold the shift key down and click on your image4. Then all the images will be added in one go. Try and add them in order (original,image 2, 3, 4 or whatever name you decided to call them. them, but if they are not in order you can always use move up or down until they are placed correctly.
Click Next then click Finish and the Wizard will import all your images into Animation Shop, as below (resized):
Click on View - Animation. Either way will do :)
or
Now you should be able to see all your hard work coming to life :)
If you have chosen the graphic I originally supplied, I find it a little large so I am now going to resize it as it will take too long to download. So go to Animation/Resize Animation
Resize by 80% It will now look like this.
I'm also going to add a frame as I find this Animated Image a little boring. Now REALLY (ssssh!) this should have been done WAY back in the early stages of this tutorial but I tend to create what's in my head at the moment and see how it comes out, lol! If you like yours as it is, then just save as a gif and you are done :)
Adding a Frame
If you go to the Tutorial Adding Text to an Animation the principle of adding a frame at this stage is exactly the same.
Choose the frame you want making sure it will fit over your animation.
Open up Animation shop and copy the pretty frame into Animation Shop.
Depending on how many frames your animation has will depend on how many times you do the 'repeat' step.
So if your animation has let's say 4 frames, then you would have your first copy pasted. Then paste again after the first pretty frame. Do this until you have four frames of your chosen 'pretty frame'.
Now go to your original animation and go to Edit/Select All. Do exactly the same with your imported pretty frame.
Now 'drag' your first frame of your pretty frame by holding the left mouse button down and placing it over the FIRST frame of your original animation. DO NOT LET GO until you have it in the EXACT position, as you won't be able to move it afterwards.
If you are not happy with it, then just click the undo arrow and repeat the steps above.
Here are a couple of examples of our moving water with frames added. I made the frames with Flaming Pear Super BladePro.
I hope you enjoyed this tutoral as much as I enjoyed making it with you.
Should you have any questions relating to any of the tutorials, then remember I am only an email away :)
and make a selection of your water as below:
or 
or 
and repeat the steps above.
