Gimp Help

[Virus]

Im using GIMP and I want to make a animated picture. I went to Simple Animations found here. I can get to step to then I get lost what do I do there, I dont really underthand it. And do I need to to download any plugins for GIMP because I havnt downloaded any yet?

Edited October 6, 2005 by Virus

[Virus]

Anybody? If you could jsut explain it better or find a different tut that would help.

[JDoors]

It's not clear why you're stumped.

Can you create several layers? Can you make each layer slightly different (hence the animation)? Can you access the proper dialog boxes to cause layers to animate?

Have you tried printing the tutorial page to make it easier to follow while you're working?

(The only animation I've done is for cursors & icons and that was a long time ago, though I've edited a few GIF's in PaintShop Pro's Animation Shop.)

Edited October 6, 2005 by JDoors

[Virus]

Step 2:

Now we're ready for the actual animation work. We will be creating a banner consisting of, say three lines of text being animated. Each frame will consist of the flower image and accompanied by some text. I don't want to make this boring, so lets make it three frames. The first step will naturally be to copy our flattened image two times using the duplicate layer button in the layers window.

Then we'll use the standard text tool to put a small text note on every frame. After typing the text onto the frame, GIMP will create a floating selection, that you need to position right using the move tool and anchor using Ctrl+H. The positioning might be crucial for the final animation, so you can use the following trick to make the positioning a piece of cake. Before using the text tool, set the layer (frame) transparency to a lower value, so you could see the layer below it. That way you can position the newly created text acording to the text below (on the previous frame).

This just confusses me on what im supposed to do.

[JDoors]

This is something that'd be easy to explain if we were sittin' next to each other ...

You create one layer. You duplicate that layer two more times. On each layer you place the same text -- BUT -- on each layer you place the text a little bit further to one side.

Then when you view each layer individually, one after another, the text will appear to move. Like a flip-book (ever see one of those?).

Some of the more difficult ideas they present such as "transparancy" is just a way to make it easier to see where you're placing the text on each layer. You could also look at the location numbers (though I've no idea where, or if, that's displayed in GIMP, in my program it's in the grey bar at the bottom of the screen, sometimes called the 'status bar').

So, have you made three identical layers? Have you used the text tool to position text on all three layers in slightly different locations?

------------

Dang, I'm fallin' asleep -- gotta catch ya later.

Edited October 6, 2005 by JDoors

[Virus]

Ok I got it all figured out but how do I click on the picture and fonts because I want to move them and take that picture out.

Also how do I get it so the picture stays there?

Click on the thumbnail.

Edited October 6, 2005 by Virus

[Dragon]

first, to make it blend easier, on each transparncy section between your text, make it a white forground/background so it washes out the previous wording.

Second to make the Picture stay in put the picture on every layer so its never changes. including the last layer. then show me what it looks like.

[JDoors]

You've got two frames (or layers) that are blank, that's causing your graphic to flash. Also you've got one frame with the text, the next has that text PLUS the second text (it should only have the second text item), and the last frame has all three text items (when it should only have the last text item). At least that's what's showing up when I open it in Animation Shop.

[Virus]

Yea all 3 are supposed to be there because I didnt know how to delete the image.

[JDoors]

I'm not sure how they got there: each layer you create you put the graphic image & only one set of text (each slightly moved from the previous one). So how did two, then three, get on each layer? You'd have had to put them there .... wouldn't you? (Again, it'd be easier if we were both sittin' at the machine ...