Rolling Balls

Author: Edna Munn

Software: Gif Animator 5

Title: Rolling Balls

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Description: This tutorial will show you how to make an animation in GA5 using only the paintbrush tool.

Supplies Needed: Your copy of Gif Animator 5 that came with PhotoImpact up to version 12.

Let's get started and don't forget to save often!!

1.  Open your copy of GA5.

2.  File/New and open a new image 250x250 pixels. Check Solid Colour, click on the Colour box and choose white.

3. Right-click (or double click) on  your new image and go to Object Properties and type Background in the Name box. Click OK.

3a. Now close the eye of your background layer so that it appears transparent. It needs to be transparent because it will help you when you do the Horizontal and Diagonal lines.

4. Go to Object/New Blank Object or click on the insert a blank object icon.

5. Double click on this layer and in the Name box type Red (or whatever colour you are going to make your ball) Ball.

6. Click on the paintbrush tool and with these settings

6a. Don't forget to choose the colour you want your ball to be in the Foreground Colour box that is on the Tool Panel.

Shape:: Round Size:: 40 Transparency:: 0 Soft Edge:: 10 Line:: Freehand Allow painting on transparent areas checked

7.  Click with your paintbrush on the transparent box in your Edit preview, this will give you a red circle.

7a. Click on the Trim button.

8. To give your circle some definition highlight your circle in the Object Manager layer panel, right-click/Shadow with these settings.

 9. Go to Object/New Blank Object or click on the insert a blank object icon. Don't forget to choose the colour you want your ball to be in the Foreground Colour box that is on the Tool Panel.

10.  Double click on this layer and in the Name box type Green (or whatever colour you are going to make your 2nd ball) Ball.

11. With this layer still highlighted, click on the transparent box with your paintbrush in your Edit preview next to your red ball, (leave a little space between them though so that you can see both balls in the Edit Preview window) this will give you a Green circle.

11a. Click on the Trim button. Give your Green circle the same shadow as in step 8.

12. Go to Object/New Blank Object or click on the insert a blank object icon.

13.  Change your paintbrush size to 4, at the same time change your Foreground colour to black or whatever colour you would like to draw your H & D lines.

13a.  We will start from the top left corner; click your paintbrush in the top left corner, then take your paintbrush on the Diagonal to about where your first ball is.

13b. Double click on this layer and in the Object Properties Name box, type "Diagonal Line".

14.  Go to Object/New Blank Object or click on the insert a blank object icon.

15. With this layer highlighted, click your paintbrush just to the left of the diagonal line and draw a straight line, (horizontally) end it a little way from the right side.

15a. Double click on this layer and in the Object Properties Name box, type "Horizontal Line".

INFO: Don't forget to click on Trim each time that you draw anything in GA 5.

16. Your complete image should look like the screenshot above. If not it doesn't matter as we are about to move the balls, you should however have these 4 elements as pictured in the screenshot below.

17. Click on your "Pick Tool" (that is the one that looks like an arrow, top left) and then touch and drag the red circle up to the top left until it is only showing a little bit.

18. Close the eye of the red ball.

19. Highlight the green ball layer, then touch the green ball in the edit view window and drag it to the bottom of the Diagonal line. make sure that it is sitting on the "Horizontal line. Let the screenshot above be your guide.

19a. Most important step!!  As the drawing part is now over and you don't need to see the little squares to keep everything straight, open the eye of your background layer before you start duplicating your frames, this needs to be done as it will not only make your animation size smaller when saving but also won't give you the white around the circles (balls) if you gave them a shadow.

20.  Highlight Frame 1 on the storyboard, click on the "Duplicate Frame" icon.

21. open the eye of the red ball on frame 2. Duplicate this frame

22. Highlight frame 3 and at the same time highlight the red ball layer, touch the red ball and drag it down the diagonal line a bit.

23. Duplicate frame, touch the red ball and move down the diagonal line a little more.

Repeat step 23 until you have 6 frames and the red ball is touching the green ball.

24.  Duplicate frame 6. In Frame 7 touch the green ball and move a little to the right, now touch the red ball a move it so that it is still touching the green ball.

25. Duplicate frame 7. In Frame 8 touch the green ball and move some more to the right, now touch the red ball and move it so that it is still touching the green ball in this frame.

26. Duplicate frame 8. In Frame 9 touch the green ball and move some more to the right, now touch the red ball and move it to the right a little.

27. Duplicate frame 9. In Frame 10 touch the green ball and move some more to the right, now touch the red ball and move it back to the left a little to give it the impression that when the 2 balls crashed the momentum is pushing the red ball back again.

28. Duplicate frame 10. In Frame 11 touch the green ball and move some more to the right, this time right to the edge of the Horizontal line. Now touch the red ball and move it to the right a little this will give the impression that the momentum is still happening to the red ball.

29. Duplicate frame11. In Frame 12  touch the green ball and move some more to the right, in fact drop it off the edge of the Horizontal line and halfway out of the frame. Now touch the red ball and move it back to the left so that it is in the first position ready for the green ball to roll down and hit it.

Let the above screenshot of Frames 7-12 be your guide as to where you should be.

30. Duplicate Frame 12. In Frame 13 Drag the green ball to the top and position halfway out of the frame (let Frame 14 be your guide) then close the eye of the green ball. Make sure that your red ball is positioned at the bottom of the Diagonal line.

For frames 14 to 26 follow the instructions from 21-30 replacing red ball with green so it will complete the loop.

I have made some screenshots for you to follow, this will save me from retyping the instructions for the Green ball.

Hope you enjoyed exploring in Gif Animator, I have had fun making this animation but to write it up has been a chore, so I have decided that it is time for me to move on to other things in my life and this will be the last tutorial I will write.

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

Any resemblance to any other tutorial like this, is not intentional and is purely coincidental.

This tutorial was written on the 17th August 2010

by Edna Munn and is therefore © Edna Munn

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