How to Make Animated Flashing Pictures
Make an animated flashing picture by using Windows Paint to create animation frames and using free Web services to assemble an animated image from those frames. You can use what you've learned from this project to create other animations besides those of flashes. Note that there are open source applications you can create animations with, such as Blender, GIMP and Pencil. If you don't want to create new images for your flashing animation, add a flash to an existing image, such as a digital photo.
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Instructions
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1
Open Windows Paint, and then click the black color swatch from the "Colors" heading. Click the paint bucket icon from the toolbar, and then click the canvas to color it black. This action forms a black background for your flashing image, which will make the flash easy to see.
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2
Select the white color swatch from the "Colors" heading, then click the "Brushes" button to display a list of brushes you can use for painting. Click any of the brushes, and then click near the center of the canvas. Drag to create a small, roughly oval or circular shape. This shape represents the start of the flashing animation.
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3
Click the "File" menu's "Save" command, and then type a name for the image in the "Name" box. Jot down on paper the name of the folder you're saving the image to, then click "Save" to save the image.
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Use the instructions from Step 2 paint a larger version of the oval you just made, such that the revised shape is significantly larger than the first image, but still small compared to the overall canvas size. You're not confined to an oval shape; you may paint something like white rays emerging from the initial oval. These rays represent rays of light from an actual flash.
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Repeat Step 3 to save the revised image, but change the filename. For example, if you saved the first image as "Flash1," save the new file as "Flash2."
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Use the instructions from Step 2 to paint a third frame that enlarges the second image. Save the latest image with a new filename by following Step 3's instructions.
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Open your Web browser, and then navigate to a site that makes animated GIFs for free. For example, surf to Picasion, Make a GIF or GIF Ninja.
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Upload your images to the site's servers by using the website's controls. Use the folder name you jotted down in Step 3. For example, on Picasion, click the "Browse" button, and then navigate to and double-click the first image you created.
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Follow the site's prompts to set the speed for your animation, and to download your completed animation. Double-click the downloaded file to open it in your browser, which will play the animation.
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References
- Microsoft Windows: Paint Tools
- "Best of the Web"; Matt Bell; 2010
