Christmas e-card

Christmas e-card

Save a picture of a cottage from google image search

Open the picture in PSP

Copy the picture (Edit – Copy), minimize the picture

Open a new document at PSP 670 x 400

(or as you like) in proportion with your picture

Selections – Select All

Edit – Paste – Paste into Selection

Selections – Select None

Pick Freehand Selection Tool – Point to Point

Select this portion

Right click on layer – Promote Selection to Layer

Selections – Select none

You will get this

Rename this layer ‘Tree’

Select Pen Tool and draw a line like this

A new Vector Layer will open, keep it

Select background layer

Copy & paste Santa several times as New Layer

In between background and Tree layers

View – Rulers

Enlarge the picture 250% by rolling the mouse

With Move Tool place the Santa

At 5 point gap in each layer

Select background layer

Freehand Selection Tool – Point to Point

Select this portion

Press Shift for multiple selections

Right click on layer – Promote Selection to Layer

Selections – Select none

Close the background, you will get this

Foreground color FFFF00

Select Brush Tool, Width = 2

Layers – New Raster Layer

Click 4 times like this

For the lower portion

Brush Tool Width = 1

Layers – New Raster Layer

Again click 4 times like this

Continue like this, but each time

in a new raster layer

Select background layer

Freehand Selection Tool – Point to Point

Select this portion

Right click on layer – Promote Selection to Layer

Selections – Select none

Close the background, you will get this

Foreground color FF0000

Select Brush Tool, Width = 2

Layers – New Raster Layer

Click 4 times like previous

Continue like this, but each time

in a new raster layer

Same way select this portion

Right click on layer – Promote Selection to Layer

Selections – Select none

Close the background, you will get this

Foreground color 00FF00

Select Brush Tool, Width = 2

Layers – New Raster Layer

Click 4 times like previous

Continue like this, but each time

in a new raster layer

Set background color FF6101, close foreground

Write ‘Merry Christmas’

 I used Xenippa font, available at dafont.com

Now animation

Select text ‘Merry Christmas’ layer

Edit – Copy

Do to Animation Shop

Edit – Paste – Paste as New Animation

Right click on frame – Insert Image Effect

From the drop down list select Rotate Colors

In this settings

You will get 21 frames, minimize it

Go to PSP

Close all layers except background & tree layers

Open & close Santa one by one

When Santa reach at the top of the cottage

Open yellow layers one by one simultaneously

Then open red, then green

Each time Edit – Copy Merged

In Animation Shop – Paste After Current Frame

When you reached in the last frame

Duplicate this frame 21 times

Right click in the last frame – Duplicate

Open the animation text ‘Merry Christmas’

Which we have minimized earlier

Edit – Select All

Edit – Copy

Again minimize text ‘Merry Christmas’

We are in the main animation now

Press CTRL and select last 21 frames

Right click in the first frame of these 21 frames

Paste – Into Selected Frame

You can see the text ‘Merry Christmas’

In the tip of your mouse

Select the place where you like to paste it

Then left click once

You can see the text in all 21 frames in different colors

Timing – by default 10

(you don’t have to do anything)

We are done