Photobie Forum

odidio · Joined: 01 Mar 2006 Posts: 89 Location: N.S. Canada

In this tutorial we'll make some scrolling text.

This will just be sort of the basics to get you going, you can use different text or movements, even background pictures.

We will start off by creating a new photo that's large and has a white background. I'll use 500x500. I will have the text moving in a vertical direction, the size would have to be wider if you want to have your text moving in a horizontal direction.

(click on thumbnails to enlarge)

Your primary color should already be set to black so click on the triangle beside 'fill shape tools' to get the drop menu and choose the rectangle.

With your mouse drag out a small rectangle onto your white background. Go up to the top menu - Layer - move current layer to center.

Now click on the 'text tool' then on your image to bring up the text editor. Type in your text and choose whatever settings you want to have. In my case I'm using Arial Black for the font, size 28, red and yellow for the colors and I've decided to use a gradient. Click ok when you are ready.

Now, there is quite a large selection area around the text and sometimes you will want to get rid of this so it's easier to work with.
Click on the 'rectangle selection tool' and drag out a selection just around your text. Click the small triangle next to the 'clone tool' on the layer manager to bring up it's menu and choose the 'clone only the selected area of current layer' option.
Highlight the old text layer in the layer manager and delete it with the red 'remove current layer' button.

Now you are ready to start making the frames of the animation.

Make sure your cloned text is selected in the layer manager and click on the 'move tool' (the hand) and place your text off of the black rectangle somewhere where you want to start. I placed mine above the black rectangle as I will make the text scroll downwards.
Now select your black rectangle layer on the layer manager, go to 'Selection' and 'select whole region of current layer'.
Adjust the selection so that it is just around the black rectangle.
Now to be sure we have the same selection to use again, go to the top right in the selections options area and click the 'plus' sign ( add current selection to cache ).

Now go up to 'Edit' - 'Copy' then go to 'Edit' again and 'Paste' as new image'. It's just a blank black rectangle but it's the start of the animation. Move this one aside for now and click on the original picture you were working on.

Now select the text layer in the layer manager then the 'move tool' (hand) and move the text down a small amount on to the black rectangle.
Now you want that rectangle selection back so go up to the selection options area, click on your selection you put in the cache and then the check mark 'apply selected selection to current image' to the right. Your selection should show up again over the black rectangle in your picture.

Now go to 'Edit' - 'Copy'. Click on the other picture ( the black rectangle you made earlier ) and 'Edit' - 'Paste as new layer'.

The rest of the animation layers is just repeating these steps, keep moving the text down a small amount and copy that area. Then paste it as a new layer in the other picture.
Try to move the text straight down and try not to move it too far before you make a new copy/paste. The animation will move smoother if you move the text in small amounts and you have more layers.

Keep moving your text down, making copies and new layers until the text is off the bottom of the black rectangle and you have lots of layers for your animation.

If you want now you can get rid of the original stuff with the large white background.

Go to the top menu, 'GIF-Animation' - 'Animation control panel'.
Make sure 'repeat' is checked and 'uniform delay as the first frame'.
Click on the first frame then set the 'delay' time to 100. Refresh and play your animation.
There's always room for adjustments here so it will run the way you want it.

Once you are happy click 'save' and save your scrolling gif.

A delay time of 100 is a bit fast.

And maybe we can get our overworked friend Photobie if it would be possible in a future version if we could use the arrows on our keyboards to move a selected layer by increments of one. It would be easier to get nice straight moving animations.

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odidio · Joined: 01 Mar 2006 Posts: 89 Location: N.S. Canada

One from the side.

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