Exfo can you put a tut on the site sometime of how to do the moving text? Is it similar to scan bar? You sig's looking great!
Hey, thanks everyone, glad you like it. Yeah, Matt, it is actually very similar to the whole scan bar concept, since I'm not a mod I'll just post a tut here and probably on SR eventually: Shimmering text effect: 1. Take a sig you made, (it's easier if you've got a finished jpeg/gif sig with just the background layer). 2. Now duplicate the layer. 3. type your name (or whatever) above the first layer (so type it on the duplicated layer). press and hold the 'ctrl' key and click on your just typed layer in the layer screen (so not in the sig). you should now have a selection line around your text. 4. Okay, now select the top of the two identical layers of your sig, (but make sure you don't deselect) and hit delete, then select your text layer (with the selection still active) and press delete there too). 5. Nex tap ctrl + shift + n (new layer) and make sure it's transparant (so no color) and put it between the first and second layer (in the middle). 6. In your new layer you'll be constructing a gradient, or simply using a standard one. If you plan to make your own you'll have to pick colors that you feel will allow the text to look like it's shimmering (or whatever effect you want to convey). To create a custom gradient you can just click on the gradient icon in the toolbar, double-click on the actual gradient image in the upper left (a longish bar that displays what the current gradient will appear as). Then you can change the color or the gradient by double-clicking on the little tabs on the gradient. To add another color tab just double click somewhere just below the bar. The color sheme and style is up to you of course. 7. Now that you have a working gradient just make a short (several cm's long or so) horizontal line to the left of your text. The actual length is up to you, if you want the text to be easliy readable a longer gradient will be needed and so on. 8. Then hide all the layers except the gradient layer you just made by pressing the little eye-shaped icons. You can easily see your gradient now, if you make it properly there should be a distinct area of ligher colors in one area, you want to get rid of the background filler colors so all you have is the thin gradient. To do this take out you magic wand tool (w), and simply click on the unwanted areas and hit delete so you just have a plain gradient. 9. Good job, now transfer your project to imageready with the lowest button in your toolbox. 10. In your bottom left you should have the animation screen (if not go to view>animation). Click on the little right-pointing arrow in the upper right of the animation bar and hit "new frame". There should now be two frames in that screen. 11. Select the second screen. Hide all the layers except for the gradient layer. Move the gradient to the right (if that's the way you want the shimmer to go of course) until it's just past the last text letter. Just unhide all the layer now. 12. Now you have to tween all the frames. With the second frame still selected hit the little icon with the tiny balls and make sure that the frames are put between your first two frames and add 12 frames. 13. This is optional but you can now select your first frame, you should see '0 sec.' right under the image right. Press that '0 sec' and change it to '0,2 sec.' 14. You're all set, press play and admire it. If the gradient just doesn't work hit the "edit in photoshop" button at the bottom of the toolbar and change the gradient, and then repeat the imageready steps. 15. Don't forget to go to file>save optimized once you're finished! Good job!
Oh, do you mean how did I make the tenticles? Basically all you've got to do is use the polygonal lasso tool to make a pointed shape, with it still selected, fill it with black (or whatever color you want, black works for me anyway). Now go to the layer effects icon on the bottom of the layer pallete and fool around with bevel and emboss, gradients, etc., and pattern overlay especially (I had to make my own in a sig and then use the selection tool to crop an area to save as a pattern and then used it on my tenticles). Once you make a nice tenticle you'll have to create the wavy look my going to shear and finding a suitable wave factor. Make more tenticles of different sizes and then just copy and paste the layer style so you save work. To move then to the edge just rotate the canvas. Hope this helps if you haven't figured it out already.
I realize it's a little hard to follow but I don't know what to tell you. What about it didn't work for you (you're refering to the text effect right)? Maybe I'll post step by step images though it's a pain w/ dial-up.
Wow, I need to learn how to use Photoshop, I'm behind the times. But I guess it would help to GET Photoshop first.