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This tutorial demonstrates how to create an animated starry night signature. To work along, you can download my three starry night patterns, and owl, Here. Unzip the file and open the contents onto Photoshop’s workspace.
Note
This lesson is created with CS3, however, instructions are similar for CS and CS2 versions, as explained later in this lesson.
Creating Pattern Backgrounds
If you prefer, create your own starry night background, as demonstrated in my lesson Here. Alternatively, create a background of your choice, perhaps snowflakes, or confetti. Now, right-click your starry night’s upper menu bar, and choose Duplicate from the drop-down list. Repeat this (once), and you will have three identical starry night backgrounds. Now, leaving the first starry night image untouched, activate the second, and from the top menu, choose Edit then Transform, then Flip Horizontal. Now, activate the third starry night image, and Flip it Vertically. You now have three starry night images, with uniquely positioned stars.
Undo and Navigation Steps
Two ways of undoing steps are from the top menu, Edit then Step Backwards. Alternatively, click a previous snapshot in the History Palette.
Navigate (zoom in and pan) your image using the Navigator Palette,
or the Zoom Tool. 
Activate The Hand Tool by tapping the Spacebar, keeping the Spacebar pressed, pan your image in the usual way. 
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Open your images onto Photoshop’s workspace.
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Then save each starry night image as a Pattern. It is important to save your three patterns with unique names - for example, Starry Night 1, Starry Night 2 and Starry Night 3. To do so, from the top menu, choose - Edit then Define Pattern. To save PC resources, after you have saved your three patterns, close the original starry night
images.
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Now, open a New document, and set the following attributes.
Note
I am creating a transparent animation; however, choose a background colour if you prefer. Additionally, create a smaller document, if you feel this is too large.
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Activate the Horizontal Type Tool. Tutorial.
And set the following attributes into its Options bar, then apply your type.
Centralise your type with the Move Tool. Drag the owl image onto your type; resize it with the Free Transform command, then Crop your image so there is no wasted transparent space. Then from the top menu, choose Layer then choose Merge Visible.
 
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Right-click your image’s top menu bar, and choose Duplicate - there is no need to name this duplicated image, click OK. Repeat the duplication, (once), and you will have three identical images.
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Now, activate the first image, then press and hold your Ctrl key. Then hover your cursor over your layer’s thumbnail, and when you see a small square marquee symbol, left-click. Your image will then be isolated by a selection marquee.
 
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Activate images two then three consecutively, and apply selection marquees to them in exactly the same way. You now have three identical images, each isolated by selection marquee.
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Activate the first image, and from the top menu, choose Edit then choose Fill.
In the subsequent Fill dialogue box, click Use and choose Pattern. Now, scroll your Pattern thumbnails and double-left-click to set your first starry night pattern, then click OK.
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Now, Press Ctrl then D to remove the marquee, and your first animation frame is complete.
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Activate the second image, and fill it with Starry Night Pattern 2, then remove the marquee, (exactly as you did in Chapter 5). Now, activate the third image, fill it with Starry Night Pattern 3, and remove the marquee. You now have three animation frames - each with uniquely positioned starry night patterns. It is important their layers are Merged Visible.
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Now, activate the third image, press Shift, then (with the Move Tool), Shift drag it onto image 1. Shift dragging centralises your image. Now, activate image 2, and Shift drag it, onto image 1. Image 1 will now contain three centrally aligned images, and now has three layers. Discard images 2 and 3 from your workspace.
 
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Photoshop CS and CS2, link Here to learn how to open your three layered (animation frame), onto ImagReady’s workspace; and to complete your animation.
Photoshop CS3 and CS3 Extended - Or link here for saving animations instructions!
There is no ImageReady in CS3, therefore, to complete your animation click Window, then click a tick before Animation. This opens the Animation palette. In the Animation palette, from the palette’s bottom-right corner, click the following Convert to frame animation icon.
Then from the top-right corner of the subsequent palette, click the following downwards facing arrow, and from the subsequent drop-down list, click Make Frames From Layers.
Your three layers will then be arranged into three animation frames. Ensure 0.2 sec and Forever are set - or experiment. Then press the Plays animation triangle to test your animation’s speed, and flow.
If your animation is jumpy, add more frames by clicking the following Tweens animation frames. (I did not use the Tween feature).
Play around with the settings; you may prefer a setting of 0.1 seconds, as I do.
When you are happy with your animation, from the top menu, choose File then choose Save for web and devices. In the subsequent dialogue box, ensure you are saving your image as a Gif, and change the Matte setting so your animation blends with your background, than click OK. You are changing the Matte to a colour that closely matches the background you are displaying your animation on, if you are unsure of this, choose White. Screen Capture Here! Enter a name for your animated Gif, then click OK.
I explain Gifs in my lesson Here!
Wendi E M Scarth. Top of Page - Home.
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