Fade to Grey, Too - A 3-Piece Forum Set Tutorial

To create this Set you will Need:

PSP and Animation Shop

Both available Here

A Tube and a Close-up

I used art by Barbara Jensen

Tubes and License available Here

My Selections Here

No Outside Filters will be needed

Ready?

Let's Begin!

Unzip my Selection into your Selections Folder

Open your Tubes in PSP and Minimize

Choose a Medium Color and Black or a Very Dark Color from your Tube

New Image - 600x400

Fill with your Medium Color

Effects - Texture Effects - Weave

1, 4, 1 - Weave and Gap your Dark Color

Fill Gaps Checked

New Layer

Load my SWWFade2Grey2 Selection

Fill with your Dark Color

Deselect

Duplicate and Mirror

Merge these two Layers together

Copy your Tube and Paste as a New Layer

Move into place in front of one of your Rounded Rectangles

Duplicate and Mirror

Merge these Tubes Layers together

Highlight your Rounded Rectangles Layer

Select All - Float - Defloat

Contract 3

Highlight your Tubes Layer

Invert Selection - Delete - Deselect

Highlight your Rounded Rectangles Layer

Drop Shadow

0, 0, 80 and 12

Merge Down into the Background Layer

Copy your Close-up and Paste as a New Layer

Send to Top

Same Drop Shadow as before

New Layer

Fill with Dark Color

Select All - Contract 3 - Delete - Deselect

Same Drop Shadow as before

Add your Name, CR info and License#

Let's get what need for the Forum Sized Tag

Shift+D to copy your Tag

On the Copy

Delete the Border Layer

Make a Custom Selection

Move the elements of your Tag around inside the Selection

Until you're satisfied

Don't forget your CR Info and License#

Crop to Selection

Add the Border

Set this aside for now

ANIMATION

Let's start with the Regular Tag

Highlight the Layer with the two Tubes

Select All - Edit - Copy

Fire up Animation Shop

Edit - Paste as a New Animation

Effects - Insert Image Effect

Delete the First Frame

Edit - Select All - Animation - Reverse Frames

Edit - Copy - Edit - Undo Reverse Frames

Click on the Last Frame to Select it

Edit - Paste After Current Frame

Now you should have 40 Frames

Go back to PSP

Highlight the Background Layer

Edit - Copy

In Animation Shop

Paste as a New Animation

Hold down your CTRL key and hit the "L" key repeatedly to create 40 frames

Go back to your First Animation

Edit - Select All - Edit - Copy

On the Second Animation

Edit - Select All - Edit - Paste into Selected Frame

Make sure your Tubes are centered in the Rectangles

Click to Place

This is your Tag

Go back to PSP

Hide the Tubes and Background Layers

Edit - Copy Merged

Back in Animation Shop

Edit - Paste as a New Animation

Hold down your CTRL key and hit the "L" key repeatedly to create 40 frames

Edit - Select All - Edit - Copy

On your Tag

Edit - Select All - Edit - Paste into Selected Frame

Click to Place

View - Animation to make sure you got it right

Save as a Gif

You can close out the Tag you made in Animation Shop now

Keep the First Animation active in Animation Shop

Let's Animate the Forum Sized Tag you made now

Go back to PSP

Highlight the Background Layer

Edit - Copy

In Animation Shop

Paste as a New Animation

Hold down your CTRL key and hit the "L" key repeatedly to create 40 frames

This will be your Forum Tag

Open the First Animation that you made for the Tag

Edit - Select All - Edit - Copy

Go back to your Forum Tag

Edit - Select All - Edit - Paste into Selected Frame

Make sure your Tubes are centered in the Rectangles

Click to Place

Go back to your Forum Tag in PSP

Hide the Tubes and Background Layers

Edit - Copy Merged

In Animation Shop

Paste as a New Animation

Hold down your CTRL key and hit the "L" key repeatedly to create 40 frames

Edit - Select All - Edit - Copy

Go back to your Forum Tag

Edit - Select All - Edit - Paste into Selected Frame

Click to Place

View - Animation to make sure you got it right

Save as a Gif

AVATAR

Go back to PSP

New Image - 150x150 - Transparent

Load my SWWFade2Grey2Avi Selection

Fill the selection with your Dark Color

Contract 3 - Paste your Tube as a New Layer

Invert Selection - Delete - Deselect

Merge Visible

Drop Shadow

0, 0, 80 and 12

Add your CR Info and Initial

Save as a PNG

Here's another Set, also with Barbara Jensen Art

If you try any of my Tutorials

I would love to see what you made!

Please leave a link in the comments section on my Blog