Photoshop is one of the most used tools by animators to edit pictures and objects. It can sometimes also be used to create basic illustrations and animations. Animating a flag on photoshop is easy. If you want to create an animation for your website or project, you can do it quickly using photoshop tools. It involves two tools – the Free Transformation command and the Animation panel command. The free transformation tool lets you shape the flag image by moving the grid mesh that contains the flag image. The animation panel helps to convert the layers of the flag into animation frames. Here are the steps to create your own animated flags using Photoshop.
Pick an image
The first step is to pick the image that you want to animate. Load the image of the flag on Photoshop. You can find the pictures of static flags on the internet for free. You can also create a flag image of your own using Illustrator. In any case, you will need an object to begin your animation project.
Add layers
Since you will be using the animation panel to create a motion, you will need multiple layers of the same image. “Ctrl+J” is the shortcut key to create multiple layers of the original flag image. At first, begin with just one layer. Next, click on the Edit and find the Transform submenu. Here, clock on “Warp,” which will let you reshape the flag. Drag the grid points to create a warped image of the flag. Next, add a new layer and repeat the above steps. The more layers you add, the smoother your animation will be.
Animation command
Next, you need to use the Animation command of the Windows menu to display the animation panel. Here, you can find the time markings such as “01:00f.” Click on the command menu on the animation panel and convert it to frame view by clicking on “Convert to Frame Animations.” By doing so, you are converting the timeline view of the layers into a from view.
Make frames
Go to the Animation panel one more time and click on “Make Frames from Layers.” This will help you create a new frame for each layer in the panel. Click on the Background frame and drag the frame to the trashcan to delete all unnecessary frames. Pick the first frame in the animation panel and hold the “shift” key to make multiple selections. Click on the arrow control in the lower right corner of any of the frames and set the duration. You can pick the speed for animation. Click on the arrow control one more time to set the duration to Forever.
Save file
When you are satisfied with your animated flag, you can save the file from the Save for Web and Devices option on the File menu. Choose the Forever option for the Looping control and click on Save to save your animated flag.