Step 1
Create your doll and prepare your layers
for animating in Photoshop. In this tutorial I'll show you how
to make a doll laugh and blink. You need separate (and named)
layers for each part that will be animated - so here you need
at least a "blink" a "laugh" and a duplicate of the head. Then
move the second head layer down one pixel. When you hide and
show the second layer, the head should look like it's moving
up & down. Now we're ready to take it into ImageReady... |
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Step 2
Next, the animation settings - the time
delay in the animation window should be 0.2 seconds and in the
optimise palette GIF 128 dithered. |
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Step 3
When you animate, all you're really doing
is hiding and showing the correct layers in order. When you've
done them outside of ImageReady, like this, it becomes much
easier to organise. For the first frame, we want just a normal
head and body. Show the layers "body" and "head1" and hide the
rest. |
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Step 4
Now duplicate that frame - click the icon in the animation window.
This does exactly as it says - makes an exact copy of the first
frame.
Now hide/show different layers on this frame. Let's make her
blink in this frame - so show the "blink" layer. |
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Step 5
We need to open her eyes again, otherwise
they'll stay shut - so duplicate the layer again and hide the
blink layer. If you play the animation, you should see her blink
- and if you set the loop to "forever" it will keep repeating.
If you want a longer delay between each blink, add more frames
or change the time delay for a single frame (with the eyes open)
to 1 or 2 seconds. |
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Step 6
Now to create the laughter. Duplicate
the frame and show the "laugh" layer.
Then show the second "head" layer, and hide the first one. You
will need to move the "laugh" layer down one pixel to match
the second head. |
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Step 7
Duplicate the frame and replace the
second head with the first again.
Again, move the laugh layer to match the head.
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Step 8
Now you can keep repeating/alternating
these frames to carry on the laughter movement in 2 ways. Either
duplicate the end frame and change it each time, or what I do,
duplicate frame BEFORE the end one and drag it over the last
frame (in the animation window). This way is much quicker. After
you done around 8-10 frames of this, save as optimised GIF. |
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And
you should end up with something like this! |
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° back °
