PSP9--Blinking Light String

Blinking Light String

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 was created for some friends of mine who wanted to begin learning more about PSP. It is intended for upper to learn how to animate. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

To do this tutorial you will also need Paint Shop Pro. I used Paint Shop Pro 9 but the steps used may also be done in Version 8. You may download a free trial at Jasc.

You also need to download the XmasBulbs tube.

Remember to save as a psp file often!

Before we begin, you might want to study the PSP tool bars. I have labeled the tools on another page. Click on the link and it will open a new page. You may want to keep this page open while you work on the tutorial, to refer to the names now and then. PSP Tools

Now that you have studied the tools, let's begin!

1. Open a new, transparent image, size = 800 wide by 150 high.

2. Choose the pen tool, set to freehand, connect segments, create on Vector, Show Nodes, width = 5.00

3. Draw a loose wavy line across the width of your image. Remember that Christmas lights don't hang perfectly straight!

4. When You click on the move tool, your line will look like this:

5. In the top menu, click Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel. Apply these settings: Bevel (see pic), Width = 2, smoothness = 30, depth = 4, ambience = 10, shininess = 15, Color = #202020, Angle = 65, Intensity = 50, Elevation = 45.

6. Open up the XmasBulbs tube. You will see that it has 5 lights to choose from, each on their own layer. Pick a color. I picked the green light. In the Layer Palette, click and hold the left mouse button down on the green light layer and DRAG that layer into your line image. When you release the mouse, you will see that the light tube has been pasted onto your line image in a new layer.

7. But the light tube is facing the wrong way, so let's flip it down. In top menu, click Image > Flip.

8. With the mover tool, move the light into position at the left end of the line.

9. Now pick a second color light tube, and drag it onto the line image. I chose red. Flip that light (Image > Flip) and move it into position next to the green, but leave some space between.

10. Now we will alternate the light colors. In the Layer Palette, right-click on the green light layer and choose Duplicate. Move that light into position (Hint: It will be on top of the first green light, so you may not see it right now, but move it and you will see that there is another green light under it)

11. Now right-click on the red light layer in the Layer Palette, and choose Duplicate. Move that light into position.

12. Repeat Steps 10 and 11 until you have all the lights on your string.

13. Now your Layer Palette should look like below. Click on the eye of all the layers below the first color light tube. Make sure only one color of lights is showing (In my case the red). Clicking on the eye will make a Red X show. This HIDES the layer.

14. Right-click on the top layer and choose Merge > Merge Visible

15. In the Layer Palette, click on the eye on the top Merged Layer to HIDE that layer. Then click on the red X's for the second color lights to UNHIDE the second color lights. (Remember that the last two layers need to stay hidden!)

16. Right-click on one of the second color layers and choose Merge > Merge Visbile. You should now have 4 layers (from top to bottom): 1st color lights, 2nd color lights, line, and blank layer

17. Right-click on the first color light layer and choose duplicate.

18. Right-click on the second color light layer and choose duplicate.

19. Right-click on the line layer and choose duplicate.

20. In the Layer Palette, arrange the layers as in the pic below: copy of 2nd color lights, copy of 1st color lights, copy of line layer, 2nd color lights, 1st color lights, line layer, blank layer on bottom.

21. In the Layer Palette, click on the 1st color light layer (green) to highlight it.

22. In the tool menu, choose the lasso tool (might have to use drop down menu by selection box tool). In the tool options bar at the top, set the lasso tool to Point to point. Carefully draw a lasso selection box around the green lights. It doesn't matter if you pass through the red lights because the red ones are on another layer. Go around in a circle, and when you get back to the beginning, right-click to close the lasso.

23. In the top menu, click Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Brightness/Contrast

24. In the Brightness/Contrast box set Brightness= 75, Contrast = 0.

25. Now in the Layer Palette, Click on the eye of the top 3 layers to HIDE those layers, and HIDE the bottom blank layer. Make sure that the original line layer, original 1st color layer, and original 2nd color layer are UNHIDDEN.

26. Right-click on one of the unhidden layers, and choose Merge > Merge Visible.

27. In the Layer Palette, click on the eye of the Merged Layer to HIDE the merged layer. Then click on the X of the top layer to UNHIDE the copy of the 2nd color lights.

28. With the lasso tool set as before, carefully draw a lasso selection box around the red lights. right-click when you get back to the beginning to close the selection box.

29. In top menu, click on Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Brightness/Contrast. Apply the same settings as before.

30. In the Layer Palette, UNHIDE the top 3 layers. Right-click on the top layer and choose Merge > Merge Visible. The bottom blank layer can be deleted now. Right-click on it and choose delete. UNHIDE all layers.