Animated Egyptian Eye

This is an intermediate level tutorial. Shown below is an archive file which you will need to download. You can select the archive flavor of your choice: Stuffit™ or Zip. Inside the archive are two files. One is a master frame in PDF format and the other is a drawing template in GIF format containing the shapes of all the frames:

Click to download tutorial file:

eyeblink.zip

What You Will Need For This Tutorial

You will need a drawing program to create the frames and an animation program to assemble them. This tutorial uses CorelDRAW® to create the frames, but you could also use Adobe® Illustrator®, Macromedia® FreeHand® or Deneba Canvas™. Once all the frame images have been created, you will assemble them in an animation program. This tutorial uses Adobe ImageReady™, but you could also use Macromedia Fireworks or Jasc® Animation Shop™ to make the animated GIF file. There are many animation programs available to do this. Check Royal E. Frazier's software page for details.

This tutorial assumes that you are already familiar with basic path manipulation in a drawing program.

Tutorial Description

There are ten frames in this animation. You will first place the GIF template in the drawing program on its own layer, then create a new layer for the frames. Then you will open the PDF file and copy and paste the vector data as frame number one. Then you will export the frame as a bitmap image. Next you will copy (or duplicate) the frame and paste it as frame number two and shape its points and paths then export it as a bitmap image. You will continue this process of duplicating one frame to make the next then shaping its points and paths then exporting the frame as a bitmap image until all the frames have been made.

When you have made all the frame images, you will assemble them in an animation program, adjust the timing of the frames and export the finished animation as a GIF file.

The Advantage of This Technique

The technique used in this tutorial is one of the best ways to create animations. By using a drawing program to create the frames and by shaping each frame based on the previous one, you can achieve subtle changes in movement. As you will discover, this will make a very smooth animation. Also, vector graphics will render as smooth anti-aliased shapes when exported as bitmap images.

So let's get started.

1. First, startup CorelDRAW® and click File > New to create a new file. For this tutorial we will be using version 9, but version 8 would be fine, too. You will see a new blank document in the workspace (below left). Save the file as eyeblink.cdr. This tutorial assumes letter size portrait for page size and orientation. Click the "Landscape" button on the toolbar to switch the page orientation (below right). This will give us enough room to make the frames.

2. Next, load the template file, eyeblink_template.gif contained in the archive downloaded previously. Click File > Import... then navigate to the file and import it. The mouse pointer changes to an angle shape along with the name of the file. Click once to place the file into the document.

3. Your workspace should look something like the one below:

4. The next thing we want to do is lock the template and add a new layer for the art work. Bring up the Object Manager (below left). Click the Pencil icon on Layer 1 to lock it (circled below right). This prevents accidental shifting of the template.

5. Next, click the New Layer button (circled below left). This will add a new layer (Layer 2) to the document and will activate it at the same time (below right).

6. Next, load the PDF file containing the master frame, eyeblink_master.pdf. This file is also contained in the archive downloaded previously. Click File > Open then navigate to the file and open it. CorelDRAW will make the art work editable like other vector objects. This is the first frame of the animation. Marquee-select the frame and click Edit > Copy to copy it into the clipboard.

7. Switch to eyeblink.cdr and click Edit > Paste. This will paste the master frame into the document. Once you have done this, you can switch to the opened PDF file, close it, then switch back to eyeblink.cdr.

8. Using the Pick Tool, position the first frame directly over the first frame in the template (in the upper left corner).

9. Click View > Wireframe to change to wireframe view, then position the frame more closely over the template. Throughout this tutorial you can use the wireframe view to precisely align each frame over the template.

10. Now switch back to normal view by clicking View > Normal. The first frame is ready to export as a bitmap image. Click File > Export... to export the frame as an image.