Ride the Carousel

Supplies Needed  

Carousel Horses by Designs by Norella which can be purchased from Heartbeatz Creationz.

You can also visit Norella's blog here.  Thank you Norella for these fabulous horses!

Font of choice – I used Aquarelle here

Vix Mask 452 here

Tracy F. Designz template 16 here

Plug Ins used:

Xero - Fratillary 

Animation Shop

 "Heart Whispers" is a tagger size scrap kit (also available in full size) created by Karen of Sweet Occasion Designs and can be purchased from Heartbeatz Creationz.  You can visit her blog here.  Thank you Karen for a really beautiful kit!  

~♥~ Let’s get started ~♥~

Before we start working on the template...

Open up a 700 x 400 blank canvas.

Select All.

Copy and paste Paper 10 Into Selection.

Deselect.

Lock the layer by clicking on the lock icon at the top of your pallet.

Adjust/Blur/Motion Blur:

Angle: 90

Strength: 100

OK

Apply the motion blur 3 more times.

Unlock the layer.

Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tiling:

Use Default Settings.

OK

Copy.

Close this canvas out.  You won't be using it any more.

Open up a blank canvas:

1400 x 400

OK

Select All.

Paste Into Selection.

Deselect.

Set this aside for now.

Open up the template.

Shift + D.

Close out the original.

Image/Canvas size

750 x 450

OK

New Raster layer.

Send to bottom.

Flood fill white.

Delete the top 2 layers.

Highlight the Circle Frame layer.

Click on it with your Magic Wand.

New Raster layer.

Flood fill with #986167

Deselect.

Delete the template layer.

Give the frame a slight Inner Bevel:

Duplicate the frame.

Change the Properties to Multiply.

Merge Down.

Highlight Frame 1 layer.

Click on it with your Magic Wand.

New Raster layer.

Flood fill with the same color.

Give it the same slight Inner Bevel.

Deselect.

Delete the template layer.

Repeat the above step with Frame 2 and Frame 3 layers.

Merge Visible Frames 1, 2, and 3.

Bring this merged layer just above Square 3 template layer in your layers pallet.

In your layers pallet move Square 3 layer just above Square 2 layer.

Merge Down.

Move the merged layer just above Square 1 layer.

Merge Down.

All 3 squares should be on the same layers.

We'll come back to this merged layer in a while.

Color Pallet:

Foreground: #d4daea  

Background: #a0a6b4 

Set on Gradient - 

Style: Sunburst

Repeats: 0

Horizontal and Vertical: 50

OK

Highlight Circle layer.

Click on it with your Magic Wand.

New Raster layer.

Flood fill with the gradient.

Apply Xero - Fratillary:

Use Default Settings.

OK

Deselect.

Delete the template layer.

Highlgiht Strip layer.

Click on it with your Magic Wand.

New Raster layer.

Copy and paste Paper 6 Into Selection.

Click the lock icon at the top of your layers pallet to lock this layer.

Adjust/Blur/Motion Blur:

Use same settings.

Apply the Motion Blur once more.

Deselect.

Delete the template layer.

Copy and paste Heart Line 4 as a new layer.

Resize 40%

Move into position over the strip layer - see my tag for reference.

Duplicate the circle frame and bring it just above the heart line element.

Highlight the Circle layer.

Click anywhere outside of it with your Magic Wand.

Highlight the Heart Line layer.

Use your Eraser Tool and erase what overhangs on the left side of the circle.

Deselect.

Highlight the Circle Frame layer.

Duplicate.

Move it just above the Heart Line in your layers pallet.

Use your Eraser Tool and erase the circle frame on the right side that overlaps the strip and Heart Line.

Higliht the Heart Line layer.

Use your Freehand Selection Tool set on Point to Point and section off the tail end of the element.

Tap the delete key.

Deselect.

Add your elements.  I used:

Heart Tree 1:  Resize 35%

Tag 2:  Resize 25%

Tag 3:  Resize 25%/Free rotate Left 10 degrees

Heart 1:  Resize 10%/Duplicate 5 times

Pom Flowers 3:  Resize 15% and 80%/Mirror

Pom Flowers 1:  Resize 20% and 80%

Highlight your white background.

New Raster layer.

Select All

Copy and paste Paper 9 Into Selection.

Deselect.

Adjust/Blur/Gaussian Blur:

Radius: 10

OK

Apply the mask.

Use your Pick Tool and pull all 4 sides out just a little.

Merge Group.

Add your copyright.

Add your name:

Color Pallet: 

Foreground: #383d41

Background: #986167

Stroke: 1

Type your name.

Tilt it slightly.

Give it a slight Inner Bevel:

Copy the 1400 x 400 canvas you made earlier.

Paste as a new layer just over the merged layer of the 3 squares.

Make sure it covers all 3 squares and the left side sticks out a little from the left side of the far left frame.

Make your Pick Tool active (hit the K button on your keyboard)

Pull the top down and bottom up so that it's just a little wider than the height of the squares.

I'm sure you're scratching your head wondering what in the world!  There is a reason to my madness, honest!

Rename the Paper layer "MOTION BLUR PAPER" and the merged template layer "MERGED TEMPLATE"

Just leave this paper like this for now.

Copy and paste each of the horses as new layers just ABOVE the frames.

Resize each horse 10% and 65%.

The pole on each horse needs to be lengthened so...

Highlight a horse.

Make your Selection Tool active set on Rectangle.

Section off the top area of the pole.

Copy.

Deselect.

Paste as New layer.

Match this little piece of pole to the bottom part of the pole.

Merge Visible the horse and pole piece.

Center it below one of the frames.

Repeat the above step with the other 2 horses.

To create an almost seamless loop while the animation runs do the following:

Be sure the horses aren't lined up exactly.  Move one horse up, another down, etc.  But don't make it so drastic that one horse is extremely high and another extremely low.  Just slightly "off".

Once you've done that, duplicate each horse.

Merge Visible the duplicated horses.

Rename the layer "Beginning-End Loop".

Close this layer out.

This layer will be used as a stopping guide point.

Highlight the Merged Template layer.

Click anywhere outside of it with your Magic Wand.

Highlight the Motion Blur Paper layer.

Tap the delete key.

Highlight each of the horses and tap the delete key.

Deselect.

Copy Merged.

~Time to Animate~

Open up Animation Shop.

Edit/Paste/As New Animation.

Back in PSP.

Press the Undo button until the paper and horses are all whole again.  The marching ants around the template should still be there.

Click your mouse on the paper layer.

Press the Left Arrow button on your keyboard to move the paper a little to the left.

Click on a horse and move the horse slightly in the direction you were already moving it.

Repeat this with the other 2 horses.

Highlight the paper and horses and tap the delete key.

Copy Merge.

Carry into AS.

Edit/Paste/After Current Frame.

Repeat the above 2 steps.

What you want to do is make each of the horses ride to the top and bottom of each square and when they're making another ride (whether it's up or down) you want it to BARELY match up with the "Beginning End Loop" layer.

You DO NOT want that Beginning End Loop layer to ever show.  It was made strictly to use as a guide.  

Once you created all the frames you care to - 

View your animation.

If you're happy then -

Ctrl + A to highlight all frames.

Animation/Frame Properties:

Display Time:

23

OK

Animation/Resize Animation

Pixel Size checked

Width: 500

OK

I’d love to see your results.

Email me!

Hugs,

Bev