Cape Fear

October 06, 2007

This tutorial and the vampire are ©rae.

The tutorial and supply folder are not to be shared/redistributed
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tutorial may not be translated and shared/published at other Groups,
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Nor may you copy this tutorial/rewrite it and/or claim it as your own.
Filenames and Image Information are to be remain intact.
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~ Thank You ~

rae

** Supplies Here **

Open 'raeCapeFear.mng' at Animation Shop
I've included my © watermark (copyrightRaeImage) = if necessary to your tag..open it at PSP
Open and minimize the two TTF files
**I'm using 'EyeCandy4000' filter = for the blood-dripping text. *I've included a supply file of 'drips' for those of you without the filter

Before we start.. a lil story :

You'll be using a fully animated and speed-set mng-file for your tag.

I drew the vampire and after tweaking and futzing for a few days = realized that I'd closed my original canvas (with every layer transparent). I would create a new segment for the animation process and CopyMerged with a Black layer to AS..forgetting that they weren't transparent. Then, the fateful moment came when I closed the original layers

What I was left with was the animation = but with an opaque background

For that fact, I'll not be instructing you How to animate the vampire.. (I'd have to start over and recreate each image layer .. *no, thanks.. been there, done that!)

as well, it won't be so easy to add any sort of background image that would fall behind his opened cape ..my first intention was to add a spooky, misted castle and such ..but.. oh well.

You are welcome to add what you like, if you'd like something ..it's your choice .. and it's how you can make Yours Unique.

**If you do add a background image ..allow me to say that it should be 'soft'..'monochromatic/bluish'.. The vampire should be the main draw... then the eye should go to the text.. the background should be an accent, not a main image.

ok..this will be easy.. I'll show you how I made my tag

1. Animation Shop :

Open your 'raeCapeFear.mng'
Copy Frame #10 > Paste to PSP

* this will be your guide to create your text while taking into consideration that the cape will be fully opened, in the animation, and the bat flys out = where/what size will your text be?

2. Add a New Raster Layer = named Text

Open your Text Tool :

For my text, I used 'Crumble.ttf'
Size = 120 .. Stroke = 1 .. Kerning = 50 .. Floating

Materials palette :

Foreground = #BB0101
Background = #880001

Enter and Apply your text :

Select None
DUPLICATE your text layer

Layer Palette = Link Layers like this :

Click 'None' once = at both text layers = so that each shows '1'

Now, you can change your text position at any time = both layers will move in tandem

3. At Copy of Text layer :

Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel .. with these settings

At 'Text Layer' :

Effects > EyeCandy 4000 = Drip

Here are my settings..but feel free to amend them to suit your text :

*how mine looks

**If you don't have EC4000 = open the '5 drips' file from Supplies > Selection one at a time and paste to your lower-layer text

4. Open your Text Tool = set to Vector

'BatBats.ttf' = I chose letter 'c' bat
'Size = 72 .. Stroke = 1

Materials palette :

Foreground = #222B4D
Background = #2E3B6B

Enter and Apply your bat :

DUPLICATE the Vector layer
at 'Copy of Vector' layer = Left click at layer palette > 'Convert to Raster Layer'

5. At your 'Copy of Vector 1' layer :

Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel .. with these settings :

Paintbrush set to Size 2 = pick up the light red from cape-collar > give him two eyes

6. Highlight the bat Vector layer, underneath :

Object Selector Tool
your bat will surround with the vector box, as shown :

Go to your Materials Palette = change the Foreground and the Background to #E63234 .. it's the lighter color from the cape collar
**Keep Object Selector chosen = the box still showing around your bat

Directional Arrow keys = at your keyboard :

click UP arrow once
click LEFT arrow once
click DOWN arrow once

mine looks like this :

Layer Palette = Link both Bat Layers like you linked the text layers = but this time > click each to the value of '2' :

** again, this is so that you can re-postion your bat layers later.. together and independent of your text

7. Highlight your Frame 1 layer ( frame #10 = copied from AS) :

Select All > Float
Selections > Modify > Contract = by 6
Selections > Invert
Layer Palette = Right click at the layer, while floating > Promote Selection to layer
Keep selection Floating

Open FloodFill Tool :

Materials Palette = like this :

Flood fill the selection
Select None

8. Now.. Open your Mover Tool :

At canvas = Click into your Text to select (it will Highlight at your Layer Palette)
Move to where you like
Bats.. the same

Turn OFF the base layer (with the vampire) .. you should only see the frame, the bat and the text
Open your Pointer/Hand tool
Right Click into the canvas > Copy Merged

Go to AnimationShop ....

9. ..at Animation Shop = 'raeCapeFear.mng' :

Edit > Select All
Edit > Propagate Paste
Right click into the frames > Paste Into Selected Frame
**carefully look to all four sides of your placement..then click to place.. hopefully you'll get it just right..
if you'd like = use the Registration Mark Tool to place your frame/text/bat, like this :

Paste your copy/merged PSP frame/text/bat to AS :

Open the Registration Mark Tool = choose 'Spanning Cross' from the drop-down

Put a 'mark' into your copied frame from PSP = pull it directly into the corner (I made mine 'Green' to better illustrate)

Do EXACTLY the same at your Selected All = 'CapeFear' frames

Open your Pointer tool

Left Click into your 'copied frame/text/bat' from PSP = Hold the click = Pull it into your 'Vampire' frames

Bada Bing.. perfectly placed!

10. Now, all you need do is Resize.. the tag example for this tut is resized 80% Bicubic

The frame speeds are all set, via the .mng .. that is, if you followed this tut.

**If you went another way ..you should have open a new .mng and use it as a guide to setting the frame speeds. .. if you don't set the frame speeds, it'll look really fast and it'll make everyone dizzy.

Here is my Optimization :

Ok! hope that was as easy as I promised..and I'd love to see yours