@Ikemarth:

Yay. =) Glad to be of some help and good luck again. :D

lol Aww don't pull your hair out. XD But my inbox is always free. =)

@Aishia:

Alrighty! I shall play around a bit! Well, alot! I could kiss you lol! XD

Thankyou sososo much for your help, I most likely will be PM-ing you for questions, either that or I shall pull my hair out in frustration. :P

@Ikemarth:

You're welcome. =)

Well in that case about the animation size, I guess you'll resize the animation first then resize the canvas. *nods* XD Or...again linking the animation layers and then sizing them down...they should size down together if they are linked...hmm...I guess whatever you find works best for you. =)

I think the layer mask makes it easier to get the circle shape without editing all the layers of the animation? Like put a layer mask on the jpeg layer which should be above all the layers? Hmm again it's good to play with it to see what works best. XD

I don't mean to be one of the ones to make it look easy. It's fairly hard at first until you know what is what. XD Once you get use to how to do certain basics and figure out what does certain tools do, you can learn how to do other animations. Because once you got the basics, playing with the rest does come a bit easier. *nods* Plus you learn and make mistakes then learn from those mistakes to figure out better alternatives. XD I've been practicing this for some years so...it just takes experimenting and playing around and I'm sure you'll get it. :)

If you still have questions and whatnot feel free to pm me or something, I'll answer the best I can when I can. *nods* Good luck with the animating e-cards. =)

XD Go crazy in the beginning so you can get use to certain things. XDDD

@Aishia:

Weeeeeeeeeeee!~ Thankyou! I shall read through the tutorials, and see what works best!

However, the animation I have its a bit too big, so when I do resize the canvas, the animation kinda gets cut off. >3< I'll need to find a way around that.

Ohhh, so the Layer Mask is how to get it in a circle shape I take it? I haven't done much with those, so I will need to play around.
Gah~ everyone makes these cards look so easy! I don't even know where to begin ;_;

@Ikemarth:

Yay! That's good. :)

I'm not for sure what tutorials BabyD gave you, but I think I found a good one for CS3. *nods*

This one seems to explain in different details how to edit gifs in CS3 like how you can have the um gif within the pic type thing and can just apply this to making the cards. Though I wouldn't agree with the dithering and such, but that's for when you're ready to save your final result and maybe you'll figure out what works best for you.

Since I'm not entirely sure how CS3 works. I wanted to get a trial for it, but I can't due to the upgraded one. ;~; But looking at the animation layout for CS3 reminds me of ImageReady.

You're not sounding confusing at all. Hmm, but hopefully I can make sense. XD If not maybe the tutorial will help better. I think the best action with the program you're using and I think I even do it on mines. With your animation/gif you're using instead of moving the animation onto the jpeg...move the jpeg onto the animation. To do that, resize the canvas of the animation/gif to 350x350 (since you're doing a card) that should just resize the canvas not the animation size itself.

Just drag the jpeg over onto the animation/gif. It should create a new layer right? I actually never knew about layer mask up until now (I can be slow), but it seems layer masking is also pretty helpful so you won't have to edit all the frames of the animation as a specific shape in this case a circle since you're going for that similar look on that card of BabyD's you showed me. Instead use the layer mask on the jpeg to um...well here's a tutorial on that unless you already know how to do those? Since you're talking about doing an e-card kinda like the one you showed me before it might be good to use a circle shape.

Um make that layer visible on the first frame...usually what you do on the first frame would carry onto the others well I know on ImageReady it does...it might on CS3. If not then have to click on each frame and make that layer visible. Hmm not for sure if I'm making sense, just let me know if it's getting confusing. XD

Also if you want to move the layers somewhere but instead of doing it one by one, you link them. So you have again I'm not for sure how CS3 works, but what I tend to go the long way about things, but here is something else I found on that. But having the layers linked you can move them together. So linking all the animation layers you can move the whole animation where you want it to go on the new canvas size. =O

Let me know if I'm not making sense. XD I know I can be confusing alot of times. It's good to play around on alot of things so you can learn what does what because I tend to experiment alot.

@Aishia:

Alrighty!! I have done the steps that you have given me, about opening the gifs and editing them and whatnot.

I got my animation from Youtube ahah and I have edited the bits that I want, I just need help making an eCard from it. Like BabyD's example I showed you, I want a small animation on the eCard, and the main image. However, when I save the animation as a GIF and then I re-open it in photoshop, it looses the animation. Is there a way to copy the animation/GIF onto the JPEG without having to copy all the animation layers?

I'm sorry if I sound confusing, its kinda hard to explain. :P

@Ikemarth:

Well I think you still have the GIF as GIF you just have to go through Video Frames to Layers to actually open the GIF with all it's frames and whatnot. So you were on the right track. So are they opening okay now?

I take it your 'and so far so good!' mean they are? =D

Hmm you mean extracting gifs from an animation? Like making your own gif from an animation? If so, what animation are you getting it from? A DVD or a download? Or do you mean putting three different gifs in your card? Or...trying to make sure I'm reading that question right. XD

@Aishia:

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Thats probably what I did wrong, I have the image saved as a GIF. whereas you need to have it as a video first. I might try it that way ahah. I didn't know that you had to have a video first. ^^;

I shall try it the video way, and maybe then it may work!
Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!~ Thankyou sososo much for your help! I really appreciate it! :D

and so far so good! :D Also, is there a way to save 3 different GIF images from one animation? Because I want to have 3 different animations on the card, but I don't want to have to edit the slides every time, because there are alot D: But if not, I'll just cut out the bits I want! ^O^

@Ikemarth:

Loses the quality when opening a gif? Hmm...I don't think I ever ran into that issue before hmm...

How do you normally open it? Through the animation feature or just regular opening? I think I found something...

Yeah CS3 doesn't come with ImageReady because it already have the animation tools within it. :) Or so I read. XD And I think there is a special way you have to open gifs with CS3, I found this I think on Yahoo Answers on opening gifs in CS3...is this is how you normally open gifs on there?

-Choose File > Import > Video Frames to Layers
-In the file browser in Windows, type *.* in the File Name and press Enter or click Load.
(It will not open any file, but it will view every file without restriction of Type of Files.)
-Open your animated GIF files, it will show you a dialog box regarding the imports.
-Press OK to import as default.
-The file is opened in animation frames. You can view the animation frames from Windows > Animation

Because it seems this is one way or the only way to open gifs in CS3 and it should have the frames on the animation palette. I found a short video too showing it. :) I don't think it should make the gif lose it quality...hmm.... Here's the video though showing the steps:

Opening Animated Gifs in Photoshop CS3

I guess once we figure out how you can open gifs without losing quality then we'll see about applying it to make cards. =)

@Aishia:

aww thanks hun! I feel like the only one who doesn't know how to make these.

I have googled on how to use animations with a still image, but I always get confused when they show the steps, because when I open a GIF image, it looses it animation. ;_; but I don't think CS3 has ImageReady.

uhhh, I have never really saved a gif before, as it looses the animation when I open it in photoshop

um, I pictured something like this. How it only has a small segment of the eCard is animated and the rest is a still image. and I don't even know how to do that T^T

I have seen some tutorials that BabyD gave me, but I don't think I have ImageReady to try it, plus there seem to be a lot of steps to it O_o But I appreciate any help I can get. Thanks alot :D

@Ikemarth:

I don't use Gimp, but I have found some tutorials for a friend. I think she did a couple of animated e-cards so far here. If you want I can find them again for you, but you might not need it since you have CS3.

I think CS3 have it's own animation feature from some things I read online, I don't have CS3. I have a really old Photoshop program so I have to use ImageReady which I don't know if the animation feature on CS3 is the same as ImageReady.

Do you know your settings when saving gifs? And if so does it mentioned anything about dithering or color reduction?

And also what would you like to accomplish making animated e-cards? Like what kind of animation? Using footage from somewhere or diff effects? Something else? Maybe if I know that I can find specific things to help with. :) Because I don't mind helping if you want to understand better. :D

@Aishia:

ohhh I have photoshop CS3 and GIMP, but I try to research it, but it never makes sense or when I save the file, the GIF looses its animation ;_;

@Ikemarth:

Awww, well do you have any editing programs? Like Photoshop or ImageReady? Or other programs kinda like that? =O Hmm I was thinking of doing a video or something showing my steps, but I'm not sure how to explain it. XD LOL I can't speak for others, but me personally just tend to experiment alot. XD

How does everyone make these animated eCards!? D':

@blue dragon123:

Thank you! :)

this is awesome!

@Knowmad:

Awww you're welcome. That's weird you weren't able to comment from your laptop. I'm glad you enjoy this though. :) And even happier to know it made your day. And of course I'll remember you. You haven't been forgotten at least not by me, but hope you've been well. And thank you for all your words. =)

*aishia
*unforgotten
Stupid autocorrect

Couldn't post a comment from my laptop for some reason so I'm doing this from my iPhone. This is too freaking sic Aisha! Can't believe how ur forgotten I am here, u seriously made my day! :) can't believe u remember my tastes so well, I absolutely love it. Perfect. Bebop, vicious, the title, awesome job. Wow, can't explain how much of a pleasant surprise this was. Thank u so much! Ur too awesome :D

@Angel Zakuro:

At first I was so sad that about if I had to take the blinking light out because the file exceeded 1mb and I'm like, but I love that light being there. <.< So I had to sacrifice some frames to keep the light there. XD LOL Because without the light it was actually under 1MB, but when I started reworking the frames to include that layer of the white gradient to make it blink it must have added on to the filesize. @.@ Oh well glad to have worked it out.

Thanks for your comment Cocoa. =) I appreciate it. I don't think I'll ever finish the wall. I deleted the progress of it though I might have an extra copy in my backup, but one bad thing about me and art...if I take awhile to finish something I lose motivation on it. That's why I keep re-drawing your gift. LOL I need to get myself to focus so I can finish at a timely matter and not procrastinate. <.<;

@chibi-anna-chan:

Ooooo wonder what the idea is. =O Looking forward to seeing it sometime. :) And thanks for your words. XD I thought about getting one of those...software where you can record what's going on the desktop, I thought about it for like when I make wallpapers or something...hmm...maybe I should look into it more so I can share my progresses. I'm better at showing than explaining. <.< Well I can explain just yeah. <.<;

So amazing. <3 So dark and grungy. Absolutely perfect for Vicious!! I love the lighting. Like how it seems to be blinking. Very cool. I love this. <3 I know that Bebop wall was taking a lot of time! And I can understand getting stuck...especially when it comes to vectors. But maybe someday you'll finish it. :) Until then, I'm sure your friend will adore this card! It's awesome!! <3

This looks pretty darn epic! I'd love to be able to watch you make one of these. I should make some more gif cards ^^ I have an idea of one I'd like to make...