tommy lee - pulsing text icon
My first icon tutorial, using Photoshop Elements.
Let's go from
to 
1. Begin by opening it up in PSE and turning it to a black and white image. (I use Ctrl+Shift+U as a shortcut to make images b/w.) So now you have this:
2. Next, I created a new layer on top of the b/w one added this gradient:
as layer 2.
3. Set the gradient to Lighten and keep the opacity at 100%. Now we have this:
4. Now it's time to add text. I chose the Popsies font at 24 pt. (You'll have to download it off of a font download site; it's not in PSE.)
5. Next, I added an "O" in the font Night Sky (also have to download) up in the corner.
and then set the opacity to around 67-70%, just so you can see through it enough. We're going to erase some of it where it goes over Tommy's hand. So now the opaque one looks like this: 
6. Next, zoom in and select the eraser tool. (Selecting the eraser tool on a text layer will get you a circle with a line through it when you pass it over the image. Just click on the image and a window will say "This type layer must be simplified before proceeding. Its text will no longer be editable. Simplify the type?" and click on "OK.") Once the text layer with the "O" has been simplified, erase the parts of the "O" that go over Tommy's hand and hair so that it looks like it's in the background:
So now you should have 4 layers: the b/w image, the brown/tan gradient, the "rockstar" text, and the "O". You can leave it like this (I think it looks pretty cool this way), but if you want the rockstar text to have a pulse animation, keep readin'.
7. Now it's time for animation. Don't worry, it's not that hard. Save your image as it is right now, though. Save it in PSE as a mid/high-quality JPEG. Let's call it Tommy1.
8. Go back to the layer with the "rockstar" text on it and reduce the opacity to around 80%.
Save this image as a different image than the one in step 7. Let's call this one Tommy2. Save it as a mid-quality .JPEG, around a 5-quality image. Saving them as .PNG files will make the animation too large for LiveJournal.
9. Next, reduce the opacity of the "rockstar" layer again to around 60%.
Save it as Tommy3, then reduce the layer again to 40% 
and save it as Tommy4, then reduce it again to 20% 
and save it as Tommy5. All right, time to animate.
10. Open up a brand new project window in PSE at 100 by 100 pixels. Open up Paint from your start menu (Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >> Paint) Open up the first image, Tommy1. Hit Ctrl+A (Select All) and then Ctrl+C (Copy). Go to PSE and paste Tommy1 to the canvas (Ctrl+V is paste). Go back to Paint and open up Tommy2 and Copy and Paste it to PSE. Once you paste it to PSE, it should show up as a second layer; keep it that way. Paste Tommy3, Tommy4, and Tommy5 in as layers 3, 4, and 5. Your layers should be like this:
Layer 5:
Layer 4:
Layer 3:
Layer 2:
Layer 1:
Cool? Cool. ALMOST done...
11. Go back to Paint and open up Tommy4. Copy and Paste it into PSE as Layer 6, then Tommy3 as Layer 7, and Tommy 2 as layer 8. (We needed to go backwards so we can get the pulsing effect.) So now you should have 8 layers.
12. Finally, it's time to animate. Go to File >> Save For Web (shortcut Alt+Shft+Ctrl+S). A window will pop up in PSE. There is an Animation box that is unchecked by default (on my computer anyway.) Either way, make sure that the Animation box is CHECKED. Once you do that, the Animation options become available. BE SURE THAT THE LOOP OPTION IS CHECKED and set the frame delay to 0.0 sec (the fastest option.) Hit the Preview in [Internet Explorer] button. (You can change what you want to view it in.) If you did it correctly, there is your animation in the window!Save it as a .GIF file (the default save format for animated files.) And you're done!
Questions, comments, etc. welcome. It works in Photoshop Elements, so I'm assuming it works in other Photoshop programs and whatnot (I don't have them so I wouldn't know.)
Let's go from
to 1. Begin by opening it up in PSE and turning it to a black and white image. (I use Ctrl+Shift+U as a shortcut to make images b/w.) So now you have this:
2. Next, I created a new layer on top of the b/w one added this gradient:
as layer 2.3. Set the gradient to Lighten and keep the opacity at 100%. Now we have this:
4. Now it's time to add text. I chose the Popsies font at 24 pt. (You'll have to download it off of a font download site; it's not in PSE.)
5. Next, I added an "O" in the font Night Sky (also have to download) up in the corner.
and then set the opacity to around 67-70%, just so you can see through it enough. We're going to erase some of it where it goes over Tommy's hand. So now the opaque one looks like this: 6. Next, zoom in and select the eraser tool. (Selecting the eraser tool on a text layer will get you a circle with a line through it when you pass it over the image. Just click on the image and a window will say "This type layer must be simplified before proceeding. Its text will no longer be editable. Simplify the type?" and click on "OK.") Once the text layer with the "O" has been simplified, erase the parts of the "O" that go over Tommy's hand and hair so that it looks like it's in the background:
So now you should have 4 layers: the b/w image, the brown/tan gradient, the "rockstar" text, and the "O". You can leave it like this (I think it looks pretty cool this way), but if you want the rockstar text to have a pulse animation, keep readin'.7. Now it's time for animation. Don't worry, it's not that hard. Save your image as it is right now, though. Save it in PSE as a mid/high-quality JPEG. Let's call it Tommy1.
8. Go back to the layer with the "rockstar" text on it and reduce the opacity to around 80%.
Save this image as a different image than the one in step 7. Let's call this one Tommy2. Save it as a mid-quality .JPEG, around a 5-quality image. Saving them as .PNG files will make the animation too large for LiveJournal. 9. Next, reduce the opacity of the "rockstar" layer again to around 60%.
Save it as Tommy3, then reduce the layer again to 40% and save it as Tommy4, then reduce it again to 20% and save it as Tommy5. All right, time to animate. 10. Open up a brand new project window in PSE at 100 by 100 pixels. Open up Paint from your start menu (Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >> Paint) Open up the first image, Tommy1. Hit Ctrl+A (Select All) and then Ctrl+C (Copy). Go to PSE and paste Tommy1 to the canvas (Ctrl+V is paste). Go back to Paint and open up Tommy2 and Copy and Paste it to PSE. Once you paste it to PSE, it should show up as a second layer; keep it that way. Paste Tommy3, Tommy4, and Tommy5 in as layers 3, 4, and 5. Your layers should be like this:
Layer 5:
Layer 4:
Layer 3:
Layer 2:
Layer 1:
Cool? Cool. ALMOST done...
11. Go back to Paint and open up Tommy4. Copy and Paste it into PSE as Layer 6, then Tommy3 as Layer 7, and Tommy 2 as layer 8. (We needed to go backwards so we can get the pulsing effect.) So now you should have 8 layers.
12. Finally, it's time to animate. Go to File >> Save For Web (shortcut Alt+Shft+Ctrl+S). A window will pop up in PSE. There is an Animation box that is unchecked by default (on my computer anyway.) Either way, make sure that the Animation box is CHECKED. Once you do that, the Animation options become available. BE SURE THAT THE LOOP OPTION IS CHECKED and set the frame delay to 0.0 sec (the fastest option.) Hit the Preview in [Internet Explorer] button. (You can change what you want to view it in.) If you did it correctly, there is your animation in the window!
Save it as a .GIF file (the default save format for animated files.) And you're done! Questions, comments, etc. welcome. It works in Photoshop Elements, so I'm assuming it works in other Photoshop programs and whatnot (I don't have them so I wouldn't know.)