ADOBE PHOTOSHOP HELP! ((easy 10 points for best answer)) [picture included]?

Question

how can i make a picture with static in the background?

kinda like this:

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n23/r-e-b-e-c-c-a-m-o-o-r-m-a-n-/emo%20goth/deadworld.gif

Answer 1

Photoshop CS3 has an Animation feature. It's under the Window menu. You create a layered file (at 72 dpi because this is essentially an image for the web), with each part of the static on a separate layer. You only need the main image on a single layer because it is not changing. So once you've created the main image with an area removed where the "static" would show through (probably created from a black background with the Noise filter applied), and you have created several layers each with a slight variation of the static, you would open Animation. You create individual frames by turning on layers you want to appear in each frame (click the eye icon next to the layer thumbnail to turn a layer on or off, actually show or hide), selecting new frame in the Animation palette. So since you want your main image to show all the time, you would always leave that layer "on"; but for each frame you want a different part of the static to show, you would turn off the layers you don't want to show, and then turn on the one you do want to show. Once you have all your frames setup the way you want, you go to Save for Web and Devices, select Gif from the file types, adjust the number of colors you want, and then Save. Give the file a name when the Save dialog comes up and where you want to save it to, and click Save. It will render out an animated gif file. To test the file, open it in a browser window. Test how it runs (too fast, too slow, ok?) You can reopen the image and adjust frame timing or add frames or tweens, and then resave and test it again.

If you have Photoshop CS2, you would create your layered file and then go to ImageReady to do the animation. In CS3, this is all part of Photoshop.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Learn how to use the Lasso Tool, what that will do is give you the ability to select the background and delete it.  Now, as for the animated part that's not Photoshop's job.  It's better handled by fireworks or flash.

take care,

Chad

Edit: Ignore what I said, Amy is right.  I had no idea that Photoshop had that!  Thanks for the info Amy, I learned something new.  Neat feature!