"How do I make an icon that flashes like
a slideshow between several images?"
The answer is easy, you do it the same way you
do animated
text, by using layers and frames. Let me show you how.
I started with 4 bases. Now, of course, there
are lots of things you can do to a base to snazz it up a bit,
(check the tutorial index)
but for this kind of icon, it's best to find images that can
stand on their own, without a lot of altering. The reason for
this is size limitations. The more layers and effects an image
has, the more it will weigh, therefore, the less different images
you can use in your icon. You can
put 4 to 6 images in an icon, depending on what each one weighs.
I picked these 4 bases. (I got these from google,
feel free to save and use them if you wish, no credit needed.)
Writing tutorials like this takes a bit of time, so I might
as well have somebody easy on the eyes to look at while I write
them!
We are going to put those together into one icon.
Open Photoshop and make a new image, 100x100x72,
transparent. Copy and paste each image above into a new layer.
(Right click on an image, choose 'copy', go to your new image
in photoshop, and press ctrl+V, which should paste into a new
layer.) When you are done, you should have 4 layers, one pose
on each layer.
Make a new layer by clicking on the new layer
icon at the bottom of the layer palette. This is your text layer.
Add your text, and any text effects on this layer, which is
now layer 5. I used Dwarven Stonecraft in colors taken from
the last image above. Just text and a simple stroke, again trying
to keep the effects down to keep the size down.
Last, make a new layer again for your border,
and create your border there, on layer 6. I used a border brush
that seemed to fit with all the images, in a color taken again
from the last image above.
Now my layer palette looks like this:
(For more detailed information on the above 3
paragraphs, go to the Basic
Icon Tutorial)
Now let's open ImageReady and animate the icon.
Page 2 - Make the
frames and animate
