Swirling border
This is a tutorial for making a textured border with an animated colour effect, as shown below. It's a little work intensive, but the effects it creates can be pretty fun.
1. Initial steps
First, create a new image. To avoid cutting later, create it at least 1.5 times as large as the image you want to end up with -- so for a 100x100, start with an image of 150 by 150. Rename the backround layer to "Texture" and create a new, transparent layer with the name "0 degrees."
2. Texture
Create a texture in the texture layer -- either paint it in by hand, import it from another picture, do a pattern fill or filter shenangians. For the example, I've filled it with the "Blob2" pattern.
3. Create the swirl
Now, change to the "0 degree" layer. It's useful to have a reference to the centerpoint of the picture, so drag out one horizontal and one vertical guide, each set at the half-way point of the image.
Select the "Blend" tool and choose a suitable gradient. Here we're using "Aneurism". Set the shape to "Spiral (ccw)" and create the swirl by dragging with the blend tool from the center-point of the picture (75x75) to one of the corners.
Choose a nice-looking mode for the "0 degree" layer. Here we're using "Screen"
Screenshot of step 3
4. Swirl the swirl
We're going to rotate the swirl in increments of thirty degrees, so create 11 copies of the "0 degree" layer. Rename them, from top to bottom:
"-30 degree"
"-60 degree"
"-90 degree"
"-120 degree"
"-150 degree"
"180 degree"
"150 degree"
"120 degree"
"90 degree"
"60 degree"
"30 degree"
Now, select the "Rotate" tool, go through all the newly created layers and rotate each the number of degrees given in its name.
As the layers heap up on each other the result will look a right mess for now.
Screenshot of step 4
5. Merge in the texture
Now, for each of the swirl layers, create a copy of the "Texture" layer, move this copy so it's the layer just beneath the swirl layer. Select the swirl layer, right click and select "Merge down"
This is going to wreak havoc with your naming scheme, but don't worry about that now.
Screenshot of step 5
6. Size it down.
We're done with the rotating, so let's cut the image down to size. Select "Image -> Canvas Size" and enter the final dimensions of the image -- in this case 100x100. Click "Center" and then "Resize"
7. Border it up.
Select all. Shrink the selection by as many pixels as you want the border to be (in the example 15.) Feather the selection if you want. (In the example, feathered by 5 pixels.) Save this selection to a channel (right click, "Select -> Save to channel") and rename the
channel to "Content"
Now, for every layer cut away this selected bit: Select the "Content" layer, click "Channel to selection", select the layer and press Ctrl-X. Repeate for every layer.
Screenshot of step 7
8. Add content
Create a new layer and place it beneath the lowest "Texture" layer. (You might have to add a layer mask to the "Texture" layer in order to move anything beneath it. Just choose the layer, right click and select "Add Layer Mask")
Paint your contents here, then merge the lowest "Texture" layer down over it.
Screenshot of step 8
9. Animate
Select "Filters -> Animation -> Optimize (for GIF)"
This creates a new image. Save the new image as a GIF. Don't forget to check "Save as animation"
10. Final words
Now, the trouble with this method is that the finished product often gets fairly large. The one created in this tutorial clocks in at 62k, 50% more than the LiveJournal limit of 40k, but then we used a particular thick border (15 pixels across) for the sake of clarity in the example.
In addition to making the border thinner, you can move the border inwards with a static outer border (as in the icon I'm using to post with), superimpose text or figures partly ontop of the border or use the "Erease every other row" script to striate the icon (note that due to the way gifs are compressed, it won't help to delete columns. It has to be rows.)
1. Initial steps
First, create a new image. To avoid cutting later, create it at least 1.5 times as large as the image you want to end up with -- so for a 100x100, start with an image of 150 by 150. Rename the backround layer to "Texture" and create a new, transparent layer with the name "0 degrees."
2. Texture
Create a texture in the texture layer -- either paint it in by hand, import it from another picture, do a pattern fill or filter shenangians. For the example, I've filled it with the "Blob2" pattern.
3. Create the swirl
Now, change to the "0 degree" layer. It's useful to have a reference to the centerpoint of the picture, so drag out one horizontal and one vertical guide, each set at the half-way point of the image.
Select the "Blend" tool and choose a suitable gradient. Here we're using "Aneurism". Set the shape to "Spiral (ccw)" and create the swirl by dragging with the blend tool from the center-point of the picture (75x75) to one of the corners.
Choose a nice-looking mode for the "0 degree" layer. Here we're using "Screen"
Screenshot of step 3
4. Swirl the swirl
We're going to rotate the swirl in increments of thirty degrees, so create 11 copies of the "0 degree" layer. Rename them, from top to bottom:
"-30 degree"
"-60 degree"
"-90 degree"
"-120 degree"
"-150 degree"
"180 degree"
"150 degree"
"120 degree"
"90 degree"
"60 degree"
"30 degree"
Now, select the "Rotate" tool, go through all the newly created layers and rotate each the number of degrees given in its name.
As the layers heap up on each other the result will look a right mess for now.
Screenshot of step 4
5. Merge in the texture
Now, for each of the swirl layers, create a copy of the "Texture" layer, move this copy so it's the layer just beneath the swirl layer. Select the swirl layer, right click and select "Merge down"
This is going to wreak havoc with your naming scheme, but don't worry about that now.
Screenshot of step 5
6. Size it down.
We're done with the rotating, so let's cut the image down to size. Select "Image -> Canvas Size" and enter the final dimensions of the image -- in this case 100x100. Click "Center" and then "Resize"
7. Border it up.
Select all. Shrink the selection by as many pixels as you want the border to be (in the example 15.) Feather the selection if you want. (In the example, feathered by 5 pixels.) Save this selection to a channel (right click, "Select -> Save to channel") and rename the
channel to "Content"
Now, for every layer cut away this selected bit: Select the "Content" layer, click "Channel to selection", select the layer and press Ctrl-X. Repeate for every layer.
Screenshot of step 7
8. Add content
Create a new layer and place it beneath the lowest "Texture" layer. (You might have to add a layer mask to the "Texture" layer in order to move anything beneath it. Just choose the layer, right click and select "Add Layer Mask")
Paint your contents here, then merge the lowest "Texture" layer down over it.
Screenshot of step 8
9. Animate
Select "Filters -> Animation -> Optimize (for GIF)"
This creates a new image. Save the new image as a GIF. Don't forget to check "Save as animation"
10. Final words
Now, the trouble with this method is that the finished product often gets fairly large. The one created in this tutorial clocks in at 62k, 50% more than the LiveJournal limit of 40k, but then we used a particular thick border (15 pixels across) for the sake of clarity in the example.
In addition to making the border thinner, you can move the border inwards with a static outer border (as in the icon I'm using to post with), superimpose text or figures partly ontop of the border or use the "Erease every other row" script to striate the icon (note that due to the way gifs are compressed, it won't help to delete columns. It has to be rows.)