Program used: PSP 9 and Animation Shop 3
Level: Intermediate
Supplies: kit Jolly B-Day by Lise-Lotte Sunesen. It is available here.
PSP script Christmas Lights by Lise-Lotte Sunesen. It is available here.
Also used: Eye Candy 5 Perspective Shadow
* Pick two colors from the kit you are going to use and run the PSP script Christmas Lights.
When the script is finished you have two layers. One with the light “chain” and one with a glow/flash.
* Resize the canvas to a 3600*3600 px. Placement top/middle:
* C/p a paper to this canvas. Drag the paper so that it is the bottom layer.
I used paper 3 from kit Jolly B-Day.
* C/p your embellishments to the canvas.
I used a gift, 2 balloons and a frame. I resized the balloons and the frame to 75%. I also resized the Christmas lights to 75%. Remember to resize both the lights plus the glow/flash layer.
* Rotate the frame 3 degrees to the left.
This is what my canvas looks like now:
* I now mirror my paper, because the gift, I use is also used in the paper. If you don´t use the same paper as I, this step is not necessary.
* Crop your canvas.
* Resize all layers to a 600 px. width.
* I just notice, that I made a rookie error: I forgot to save my work. Oops! LOL! So let´s save it now! 
* Go to the paper layer, then apply a picture frame. I use Edge Circles 01 with these settings:
If you use another frame, please remember to “Frame Current Layer” only.
* Time to add some “life” to our card/tag. You do that by adding a drop shadow to your embellishments (/NOT to the flash/glow layer though!).
I used Eye Candy 5 Perspective Shadow with these settings:
This is what my canvas looks like now:
* Time to add your text.
I used “Birthday Greetings”. Font is Bickham Script Pro, size 48, color black.
Add a discrete drop shadow. I used this:
* With your Freehand Selection Tool (Point To Point) trace around in the frame.
On the paper layer, press delete. Plus if your picture frame layer (/the frame we added to the paper layer) shows in the frame, then go to that layer and press delete there too.
* Open the picture, you want to use. C/p it onto the canvas. Drag it behind the paper layer. Resize your picture if needed. Rotate the picture 3 degrees to the left. Place it so it fits in the frame “hole”.
I use a picture of my Nephew. The picture has been altered into a drawing using a filter called Filter Forge.
* If you like: add the name of the Birthday “child”.
* Your un-animated tag is now finished. You can save it as a jpg and use it as it is, if you like.
Mine looks like this:
……………………………….
Now let´s animate the tag!
* Duplicate your canvas, save it. Close down the original canvas. We will now work on the duplicate.
* x-out the Christmas lights layer PLUS the flash/glow layer. Then merge visible.
You now have these three layers: lights, flash layer and Merged.
* Copy the three layers 22 times each.
To keep all the layers “straight” in your head, please pay attention to the numbers as shown here:
So when we get to the animation part, where you need to merge certain layers together, chose the layer, which copy is named the same. The three “Copy (1)” i.e. merged together.
* Now x-out all layers except the three original ones.
* Go to the open “flash layer” layer. Trace around the flash/glow of the first light (from the left) with your Freehand Selection Tool (Point To Point).
* Then go to Selections/Modify/Inside/Outside Feather and apply these settings:
This step is very important to prevent hard edges. Trust me those would spoil your animation.
* Now while having the flash/glow layer as your chosen one, press delete. Select none.
* Go to the Merged layer, chose merge visible. Rename the layer “1″. x-out this layer.
* You may have noticed, that we “only” made 22 copies, so that we have 23 times 3 layers, and yet there are 24 lights. Well, the fourth and fifth light from the left are so close, that we will erase the flash/glow for those two in ONE setting.
* Now repeat the procedure with all 24 (except 4 and 5 – see above note) lights!
Move from left to right in the process.
* When this is done, your layer content should look like this:
* It is time to “un-x” (LOL) all your layers.
* Save your psp-image.
Remember to have it saved to be opened in (at least) PSP7 and up. Otherwise you cannot open it in Animation Shop.
* Open your file in Animation Shop.
* I set the display time to 7 for all the frames.
You do that by selecting all frames, right click in one of them, and chose Frame Properties.
* “Save As”. Chose a name and a location. Then click OK, then this screen will “pop up”:
My PSP and AS is in Danish, but you just chose the NEXT button, and next again, and again. Then apply.
Your animation is now saved as a gif-file.
This is my result:
I hope, you had fun with this tutorial!
