xmas_lights_tutorial

Christmas Lights Tutorial

Many Thanks to Robin's Nest Tutorials for the inspiration and the lights!

For this tutorial, you will need either a tree tube,
or tree branches, which you can download here
and light tubes, which you can download here

The Tree

My tree was made from the "pine needles" tube - sized at 41 %. I opened a transparent image, 400 x 400. To make the top of the tree, I rotated the tube to the right 25 degrees. After I rotated, I sharpened the image - otherwise it looks a bit blurry

	New layer, new tube. Use the mover tool to move this branch to the left. And sharpen the image.

Now do a layers duplicate.
Image / Mirror, and your branch is on the opposite side.

Use the mover tool to get it where you want it.

Keep doing this on new layers, until your tree is complete.

Remember you can increase the size of the tube as you go down, if you like, just remember to keep each tube on a new layer, and sharpen the ones that you rotate.

The Lights

The lights are next!
I used them at (I think) 30% size.
Position your first light where you want it on a new layer.
Name this layer (color light) off

Next, duplicate the layer. Name this layer (color light) on.
Go to colors / brightness & contrast.
Both values should be 20, although I have used up to 40 on the brightness side.
Don't change the 20 value of contrast, though.

Position your next light on a new layer, and repeat the above steps.
Make sure to name your layers "on" and "off"
Continue until your tree is as filled with lights as you would like :))

Now for the animation!

Go to your layers control box. Turn the visibility of all the "on" layers off.
Save as "off" PSP.

Turn the "on" layers back on, and turn the "off" visibility layers off.
Save as "on" PSP

Now you have two images, one off, and one on, and you can play with the animation shop!
If you want to, you can play with which lights come on at a time simply by turning off the visibility of the layers.

You can even make the lights "chase" each other, but it requires more animation frames :))

Tutorials by CarMel