HALLOWEEN FLAMING TEXT TUTORIAL

You will be making the Halloween Flaming Text Logos you see here. (You may choose to use any font, color, gradient, or name you would like.)

Download the black chancery font files if you need them.

And the Gradients for the Stroke and Fill like shown. Save them to your PSP 7, Gradients folder.

You will need Eye Candy 3 (FREE version) EyeCandySE149Win.exe.

For both Eye Candy versions do the following until it tells you differently.

1. Open "New Image", 600 X 300 is a good size to start with, Transparent background. Resizing can be done later.

2. Write your text, most any font, most any color. I used BlackChancery, mcq Pumpkin orange gradient 'Fill' with Candy Corn gradient 'Stroke'. Font size 36, but you can use 48 if you like.

3. Stretch your print out so it looks similar to this:

4. Open Eye Candy 4000 and choose "Fire".

Settings: Factory Reset
Direction: 90
Column: Turn down to around 90.81
Movement: Turn down to 10
Denser Flame: ON
Start from Far Side: OFF
Draw only outside selection: OFF
Random Seed: 567
Leave the rest of the setting as they are.
Apply - -
File, Save Copy As: frame or fire.
Click Edit, Undo.

5. Column Length: Turn up to around 135.06
Movement: Turn up to around 24
Leave the rest of the setting as they are.
Apply - -
File, Save Copy As: frame1 or fire1.
Click Edit, Undo.

Column Length: Turn up to around 182.27
Movement: Turn up to 50
Leave the rest of the setting as they are.
Apply - -
File, Save Copy As: frame2 or fire2.

Open Eye Candy 3.

Layer (Frame) One
Choose from the lower right menu: Lil Lapping Flames.
Flame Height to: 31
Movement: 19 Leave the rest of the setting as they are.
File, Save Copy As: give it a name.
Click Edit, Undo.

Layer (Frame) two
Change Flame Height to: 51
Movement: 26
Leave the rest of the setting as they are.
File, Save Copy As: give it a name.
Click Edit, Undo.

Layer (Frame) three
Flame Height: 66
Movement: 40
Leave the rest of the setting as they are.
File, Save Copy As: give it a name.

6. Click on the Wizard:
Same size:
Opaque: Black (or specify your color choice here)
Centered in the Frame:
With the Canvas Color:
Yes, Repeat forever:
Frame Display: 10

Add Images: Go to directory and click on frame or fire2 (Last frame created). Hold down Shift and click on frame or fire name (first frame created) and they all will be selected in the order you need them in.
Next:
Finish.
Run Animation to view:

8. Now to make it "act" more like fire:

Click on frame 2 to select. R-click center of image and choose Frame Properties, change the time to 16.

Click on frame 3 center of image and R-click to choose Frame Properties, change the time to 13.

(Eye Candy ver. 3 frame timing)
Follow Animation instructions, but set timing on frames as:
Frame 1: 13,
Frame 2: 18,
Frame 3: 10
Continue with the tutorial for both versions.

View Flames :) Yes! We have good fire here! Click View off.

9. Now To Crop (make smaller or cut away unneeded areas of animation): Click on Crop Tool:

10. Go to 3rd frame where fire is the highest:
Select your Crop Field. Try to get the words centered in your cropping area.

Hold your mouse very still in center of Crop Field and click twice in succession. Wait for A.S. to do it's thing (it may take a few seconds if you have a large graphic or running low on resources at this time).

Now if you like this size (big enough for a web page or large heading in email, fine, if not then:

11. Click on Pointer Tool above:
Click on Animation, Resize Animation:
Set for desired size. I find usually 75 is good for most tags. This may be different depending on what you want to use it for. Ok, lets say 75 will do:

Use Bicubic resample to keep image from fuzzing up during resizing (always when resizing animations!)

Always choose: Create New Animation from the Optimized Animation:
Then:

NEVER use Error Diffusion unless it's a Gradient background under graphics (and then try optimizing both ways before deciding to use it). Nearest Color almost always is the best choice. This way you don't get that "dotted" or "spotty" look to your graphics, which ruins them.

Now:

Finish.

Save As: Give your fire animation a name!

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