The Cage

I claim the copyright to this tutorial.  You are free to do whatever you please with what you make, but please do not take my tutorial.  Do not send the tutorial through email.  Only share my link.

This tutorial is intended for a beginner to learn about setting up image ready for animation.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

To do this tutorial you will also need Photoshop CS.  You may download a free trial at Adobe.

Remember to save as a .psd file often!

1.  Open new transparent image, size = 500 x 500 pixels.

2.   Choose the ellipse shape tool and draw a skinny ellipse near the center of the image, like so:

3.  Draw a rectangle selection box around the bottom half of the ellipse, like so.  Then press the delete key.

4.  In top menu, click Filter > Distort > Twirl.  Angle = 400.

5.  In top menu, click Edit > Transform > Rotate. Grab the top left corner and gradually rotate so that the top tip makes a straight VERTICAL alignment with the bottom tip, or just a little past that point.  Click the Check mark to apply.

6.  Right-click on the layer and choose Blend Options.  Click on the WORDS Bevel and Emboss.  Apply these settings:  Inner Bevel, depth = 471, direction = Up, size = 38, soften = 2, angle = 120, altitude = 30, Gloss contour = Cone.

7.  Right-click on this layer and choose Duplicate Layer

8.  In top menu, click Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal

9.  With the mover tool, arrange the two layers so that they cross like this:

10.  In the top menu click Layer > Merge Visible

11.  Right-click on the merged layer and choose Duplicate Layer.

12.  In top menu, click Edit > Transform > Distort.  Push in the left and right center nodes to about 1/4 of the way.  Like this: 

13.  In the Layer Palette, right-click on the BOTTOM layer to highlight it.  Choose Duplicate Layer.

14.  In the top menu, click Edit > Transform >Distort.  Push the left and right center nodes in  to 1/2 of the way.  See below.

15.  Your cage should now look like this.  Save this as a PSD format file.  This will keep the layers and you can use it to make other pictures.

16.  In top menu, click Image > Duplicate to make a copy of your layered cage image.

17.  Open up a tube of a bird or whatever you want to put in your cage.  In top menu, click Edit > Copy.

18.  Click on the cage image.  In the layer palette, click on the BOTTOM layer.  In top menu, click Edit > Paste.

19.  If you need to resize the image to fit the cage:  In top menu click Edit > Transform > Scale.  Click on the Lock in the top bar that will lock the Maintain Aspect Ratio and the drag one of the corners of the transform box inward.  Click the Check to apply.

20.  Resize the image if necessary (Image > Resize)  and save as a GIF (File > Save As, change file format to Compuserve/GIF)

 Please do not remove this tutorial from my site.  Share my url.