Text Dance

Author: Edna Munn

Software: PhotoImpact-all Version and Gif Animator (GA 5)

Title: Text Dance

Skill Level: Beginner

Description: Learn how versatile your Path Edit Tool can be by making an animation with your text.

Supplies needed: PhotoImpact any version and Gif Animator 5 and Your imagination

This tutorial was written in PI 12 and animated in GA 5.  As you can see there are many ways to make an animation using the Path Edit tool.

I have been playing with this idea ever since the  "Famous Groups Sparkle Font"  Challenge that was held in the  PII AS Forum when "Robert the Viking" was the moderator in 2007 so I thought it was time to write the tutorial for it.

This is my first text animation with the Path Edit Tool!

I used the font ABBA and 70's Dingbat font.

 OK enough waffle lets get to the fun!!!

Open a canvas180 x 70

View/Zoom in to 500%

Select your text tool

Size 48

Stroke Width 1

Character Spacing 3 with a tick in the Kerning box

Anti-alias box checked Smooth selected in the drop down list.

The word we are going to make for this demonstration is WOW using the "Arial Black font" which everyone has in there computer font folder.

I typed WOW in Capital Letters for a better effect.

When you have WOW the way you would like it to look ie: colour, shadow etc

Right-Click/Duplicate or Shift+D

On the Duplicate, Right-Click/Convert Object Type/From Text/Image to Path

Close the eye on the bottom name in your layer stack.

Select your Path Drawing Tool then click on the Edit Path Object tool.

Click with your mouse on the background so that all the nodes disappear.

(Point of Interest: While it is in this state you can also move just that letter, up, down, etc

Touch the last W and all the nodes will be visible.

Touch the outside line on one side of the W then hold down Ctrl and click on the outside line of the W nearest the O and they will both turn red, click on the Convert line segment to curve icon.

Now touch and move the outside ring of the O until it almost touches the first W

Click on your Path Edit tool to come out of Edit mode.

Right Click/Duplicate or Shift+D

Close the eye of the layer below and leave the eye open on the one you have just Duplicated.

Select your Path Drawing Tool then click on the Edit Path Object tool.

Click with your mouse on the background so that all the nodes disappear.

Touch the inside ring of your O and move it to the left.

Now touch the last W, click on the curved lines which will turn red.

Click on the Convert curve segment to line icon.

Click on your Path Edit tool to come out of Edit mode.

Right Click/Duplicate or Shift+D

Close the eye of the layer below and leave the eye open on the one you have just Duplicated.

Select your Path Drawing Tool then click on the Edit Path Object tool.

Click with your mouse on the background so that all the nodes disappear.

Now click on the outside ring of the O and move back to the last W. Click on the inside ring of the O and also move it back to about the middle of the O.

Touch the outside line on one side of the first W then hold down Ctrl and click on the outside line of the W nearest the O and they will both turn red, click on the Convert line segment to curve icon.

BEFORE

AFTER

Click on your Path Edit tool to come out of Edit mode.

Right Click/Select all Objects then Right-Click/Convert Object Type/From Text/Path to Image. This will keep your border intact when you open your image in GA5.

File/Save As/UFO or if you have trouble opening UFO's in GA5, Save As/PSD

Animating The Text Dance

Open your UFO or PSD in the  Gif Animator (GA5) program.

Highlight the top WOW in the Object Manager then holding down Shift click on your bottom WOW.

All layers in your Object Manager should now be highlighted..............Right Click/Distribute to Frames.

It is now just a matter of adjusting your timing to how you want the animation to look.

You may notice that in frame 2 I have moved my WOW up slightly to give it a jump!

Finished product! Above there are 2 examples........one without the jump and no delayed timing and the other like the one below with the jump anddelayed timing on the frame 1.

A few more Examples below

Fonts used:  Yoinks   

                     Ballet     

                     Nocker   

And now basically, it is up to you and your imagination. Thank you very much for trying my tutorial and I hope to see some results soon in one of the animation forums I belong to.

Please feel free to link to this tutorial, and/or print it out for your own personal use, but do not copy it in any way put on-line on your website, pass out through email groups, or re-write and claim as your own. 

Any resemblance to any other tutorial like this is purely coincidental.

This tutorial was written 26th April 2011

and is therefore © Edna Munn