A Christmas Countdown
This tutorial was done in Paint Shop Pro 7 but should be easy enough to translate into any layers capable graphics program. If you have done the live clock or calendar tutorials, then you should find this one very easy :) We are using cell properties just like before, except this time it involves editing some javascript : ) The original javascript I edited for this tutorial came from the generator found at Sharon's Scripts ..
This tutorial is designed specifically as a Christmas Countdown but would also do well for a baby on the way, a birthday countdown, countdown to various holidays or even a countdown to your next new layout if you like to change them at regular intervals ; )
Okay, open PSP ! New Canvas, 250 w x 150 h, transparent. I am making this countdown a little larger than the others I offer in the linkware section since it makes it easier for first timers to make, however once you are comfortable with the process, I would suggest making them a little smaller if you are offering them to others as most people prefer smaller "extras"
For our christmas calendar we need to make the foreground color #9E0E09 and the background color white ( # FFFFFF ). Floodfill your image with the red. Now go into SELECTIONS >> SELECT ALL then back into SELECTIONS >> MODIFY >> CONTRACT and contract 2 : ) Floodfill with your background ( white ) color.. This is what I have thus far :
Well of course, that is just too simple and plain
for me = Þ So I am going to use my gift faery and some stars to decorate
it with :) Here are some cute Christmas graphics for you to decorate yours with
if you haven't anything on hand or do not feel up to making your own. Remember
to leave space for a title at the top and then the countdown itself in the middle.
( SEE THE ONE ABOVE )
Obviously, you don't want to sell your countdown if you make it with these little
graphics I made. But feel free to after you make one all your own *Ü*
You're gonna have to decorate the Christmas Tree yourself ; )
Here is what I have come up with :
You are welcome to add shading and whatnot similar
to what we used in the live clock and calendars, however due to time constraints
being as they are and me wanting desperately to animate this instead I am going
to skip shading in this tutorial.
You may want to go on and add a NEW LAYER : ) LAYERS >> NEW RASTER LAYER
name it Happy Holidays!. Set your background to a red or green color.. ( Im
using #207020 ) use your text tool 
and a fun, chrismassy font, to add Happy Holidays! at the top of your image.
Different fonts require different sizes but size 14 seems most fitting for the
font I chose ( I used Country House ) Here is what mine looks like :
At this point you will want to save your image as xmascountdown.gif . Don't close it just yet!! Add a new layer, name it Christmas . With your text tool once more in red or green, one size bigger than Happy Holidays, add Christmas to the center bottom of your image. This is how mine looks now ...
Keep in mind, the word Christmas has to be small enough to fit in the center of your image and at the bottom of your image, because on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day , the word Christmas will move from the bottom of your image, up to right below Happy Holidays. So now what you need to do is SELECT ALL >> FLOAT >> DEFLOAT .. Then IMAGE >> CROP TO SELECTION . This is what you should have now :
You need to SELECTIONS>> SELECT ALL >> FLOAT >> DEFLOAT. Then go to FILE >> EXPORT >> GIF OPTIMIZER. In the gif optimizer you will want to have the following settings :
Make sure you have checked OUTSIDE THE CURRENT SELECTION under the TRANSPARENCY
tab....
You will want to check FULL TRANSPARENCY FOR PIXELS BELOW and enter 1 next to
opacity. It is also important to use the existing image color for those pixels
so make sure you have checked next to NO USE EXISTING IMAGE COLOR as well..
I hate dither, and I try to only use it when I absolutely have to- so use 256
colors, and check the radio button next to Optimized Octree..
As far as Format goes, it doesnt matter so much to me, so adjust only if you have a preference..
Now I have gone on to make the ribbon on my little faery gift sparkle a bit.. But otherwise let's move on to the script.
~Link Hearts Enchanted~
Links are definitely appreciated! Please feel free to right click to save one of these images to your hard drive and link them back to:
http://www.heartsenchanted.com
Thanks for your support!
