Creating an animated picture

Creating an animated picture is relatively simple. A moving picture uses the same principles as a cartoon. A series of images are created and arranged in a manner that provides the illusion of motion when played in a repetitive manner. The first step, therefore, in creating an animated image is to create a series of images that will be used to fill the animated picture. A simple graphics program will provide the ability to create images. I recommend Paintshop Pro. As an example, I have listed the steps below which may be followed to create a picture of a bouncing ball.

1) Start by creating a new image (400x400) with a white background in Paintshop pro. File > New… Next, set your background color to white. (See below)

2) Choose the picture tube button on the tool palette. (Left side towards bottom)

3) Choose sphere from the list of picture tube options.

4) Click in the new document near the top to place a sphere near the top. If the sphere aligns too low, use the select tool to move it down.

5) Save the final image as pic1.gif. Note: you must change the type of image from .psp to .gif; you cannot just type pic1.gif and assume it will be saved as a file of that type.

6) Repeat steps 1 - 5 as necessary to creating images with the ball in various positions. Save them incrementally to avoid confusion (pic1.gif, pic2.gif, etc.) These images will be combined to provide the illusion of motion when put through the animation wizard in the Gif animator.