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This tutorial demonstrates how to create an Animated Pulsating Heart.
Read About The 12 Basic Animation Principles Here
Undo Note
You can step backwards at any time by clicking the top menu’s Undo Tool.
Please Note: Elements 8’s Orange Horizontal Bar
The following Orange Horizontal Bar is exclusive to Photoshop Elements 8. Please link here to read my comprehensive Understand Elements 8, 9 and 10’s Workspace tutorial.
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To work along, you are welcome to download the Transparent Heart I am working with Here. Unzip the file and open the heart onto Photoshop Elements’ workspace.
Alternatively, open a (small) Transparent Image of your choice onto Elements’ workspace.
Tip
To centralise your canvas - snap it to the top menu’s orange horizontal line by dragging it towards it.
Text Note
If you are applying text or a graphic to your heart, do so now; then Merge Visible any Layers.
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To begin, right-click the Heart Layer (in the Layers Palette). And from the subsequent drop-down menu, click Duplicate Layer. (Click OK to the subsequent Duplicate Layer dialogue box).
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Now, repeat the Duplication twice more.
You will now have four identical Heart Layers, as illustrated below.
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Activate the Top Layer - (Shape 1 copy3).
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Then from the top menu, choose Image then choose Transform the choose Free Transform - (Ctrl then T) From the Free Transform’s Options Bar, reduce the Height from 100% to around 80% either by dragging the slider to the left: or by typing 80 into the Height box. (Ensure Constrain Proportions is ticked).
This reduces the Top Layer’s Heart by 80%.
Commit the size-change either by clicking the green tick, above: or by tapping your Return/Enter Key.
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Now, activate the Second Layer: and reduce its size to around 60%. Then activate the Third Layer: and reduce its size to around 40%. Don’t change the Fourth Layer’s size.
(Don’t forget to Commit the size-change).
After you have completed this, you will have reduced the Top, Second and Third Layer’s size, incrementally: once saved, this size-reduction creates the animation affect.
Note
Due to the Layer’s Stacking Order, you won’t be able to see all of the size-changes.
 
Tip
Preserve the Heart Layers by saving your work as a PSD File.
7/ Save Your Animation
Now, from the top menu, choose File then choose Save for Web. From the subsequent Save for Web dialogue box, change the Optimised File Format to Gif. Then tick both the Transparency and Animate boxes. Now, change the Matte colour (it is presently set to White), to a solid colour that closely matches the page you will be displaying your animation on. Changing the Matte colour helps to blend your animation with its background. For example, if you are displaying your animation against a White Background, then set the Matte to Solid White.
(Animation) Frame Delay
In addition, for personal results, experiment with the Frame Delay tab.
Preview Your Animation
To see how your animation appears, click the following Preview In tab.
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If you are happy with your animation, click OK to save it to a Destination Folder of your choice.
If you don’t like your animation, click Cancel: this returns you to Elements’ workspace, where you can readjust your hearts’ sizes.
Wendi E M Scarth. Top of Page - Home.
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