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This lesson demonstrates how to animate parts of photographs. To work along exactly, you can download the start images Here. Unzip the files and open the images onto Photoshop’s workspace.
Note
There are different ways of creating animations, my tutorial Here explains how to create animation (image-frames) created from layers - thereby leaving the workspace relatively free of clutter. This (animated glitter) lesson utilises individual (duplicated) images, and does require a little organisation to keep the workspace neat and tidy.
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. 
1/
Open your image onto Photoshop’s workspace.
Tip
Expand your image by dragging its top right menu, diagonally upwards, to display its grey workspace.
2/
Then activate the Magic Wand Tool. 
And set the following Add to selection attributes into its Options bar.
Now, left-click just outside the disco balls, and they (and their shadows), will be surrounded by a selection marquee, as shown below.
 
This shouldn’t happen with a Magic Wand Tolerance of 20; however, if the following happens - small areas have been missed by the marquee.
3/
From the top menu, activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool. 
And set the following Subtract from selection attributes into its Options bar.
Then carefully stretch and drag a lasso line around the following areas.
Polygonal Lasso Lesson Here!
 
After you pass your cursor over the starting-point, left-click, and your image will change to the following.
Tip - retracing your steps
Whilst you are stretching the line and before the marquee is applied, to go back one step, press (either) the Delete or the Backspace key of your keyboard - press your chosen key for however many steps you want to go back - this is for Window PC users, I am currently unfamiliar with Mac’s.
When you have completed this - your disco balls will resemble the following.
Note
The Magic Wand Tool surrounds the balls reasonably well because of the contrast between the balls and their background; when using an image with less contrast, you will find it easier to surround the area (s) you wish to animate, with your personal choice of Lasso Tool - I utilised the Polygonal Lasso Tool to draw a marquee around the cat’s eye.
4/
From the top menu, choose Select then choose Inverse. The marquee now surrounds just the disco balls and their shadows.
5/
It is nearly time to add the glitter; but first, from the top menu, choose Layer then choose Duplicate Layer, (click OK in the Duplicate Layer dialogue box), then again choose Layer then Duplicate Layer, (then again click OK in the Duplicate Layer dialogue box). You now have one image that has three identical layers - each retaining their selection marquee, and your Layers palette will resemble the following.
Note: There is no need to name each layer, unless you wish to.
6/
Ensure the top layer is active in the Layers palette, as shown above; then from the top menu, choose Filter then choose Noise. In the subsequent Add Noise dialogue box, set the following attributes, then click OK.
And your image will change to the following.
Note
To apply coloured glitter, un tick the Monochromatic tick box.
7/
Now activate (highlight) the second layer in the layers palette.
Then apply an Add Noise filter to this layer - ensuring the Amount (of Noise) is increased to 9. Finally, activate (highlight) the third layer, and apply an Add Noise filter to it, increasing the Amount to 11.
Experiment with different settings, and find a glitter you prefer!
You now have one image, that contains three layers. And each layer has three different amounts of noise (glitter) applied to them.
Save this file as a PSD file to retain the layers, (if you wish). Lesson!
8/ Photoshop CS and CS2 only
General optimising/saving animations lesson - CS, CS2, CS3 & Extended - here
Now, from the toolbar, click the following tab. 
Image Ready will open with your file (with three frames - or however many you are working with) open on its workspace.
9/
From the top menu of Image Ready, choose Window, and click a tick before Animation.
ImageReady’s workspace will resemble the following, with the Animations palette displayed.
10/
Now, left-click the tiny black triangle found on the Animations (top-right) menu, then click to highlight the subsequent Make Frames From Layers menu, highlighted below.
The Animations palette now displays your three image-frames.
11/
Preview your animation by clicking the following Play/stops animation tab.
And your three framed animation will be animating; to change its speed, click the following white triangle.
And experiment with different speeds.
I changed my speed to 0.1 seconds - you stop the animation by clicking the Play/stops animation tab.
Set the looping options by clicking the following black triangle, and if you want the animation to animate indefinitely, set it to Forever.
 
12/
It is time to save your animation - therefore, from the top menu of ImageReady, choose, File then choose Save Optimised As, and in the subsequent dialogue box, give your animation a name, then click Save.
You have successfully created animated glitter disco balls - and now you know the basics, you can take this further - and animate specific areas of other images - perhaps cat’s eyes, anything you like; find an image and bring it to life!
Wendi E M Scarth. Top of Page - Home.
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