Christmas Lights

1. Open a new canvas that is 150 by 150 pixels wide, 72 ppi, RGB white background.

2. Select your elliptical marquee tool and set it to a fixed size of 30 pixels wide by 150 pixels high. Use this marquee on your canvas and click Edit=>fill set to 50% gray, normal mode, 100% opacity.

3. Click Select=> All. Then click Edit cut. Then cliuck Edit Paste to center your image.

4. Click Filter=> Render=> Lens Flare.

Set the lens flare to 129% brightness and lens of 35mm Prime. Set ythe cross hair as close to themiddle as you can get..

5. Click Filter => Distort=> Polar Coordinates. Set the option from Rectangular to Polar.

6. Select your move tool. Click Edit=>Transform=>Scale. Move your image closer to the center. Set the width of your image to 50%.

7. Insert a layer. draw a rectangular marquee of fixed size 15 pixels wide by 25 pixels high. Position it just over the pointed end of the shape so that the base of the rectangle fits exactly to the shape on layer 1.

8. Select the Gradient tool and set the gradient to reflective gradient. Set your foreground color to hex #666666 and background color to hex #CCCCCC. Hold your shift key down and Draw your gradient from the center to the right.

Turn off your background layer.

9. Click  back on layer1. Control Click layer 1. Insert a new layer. Set your

• forground color= #000099
• background color= #6666FF

Select your gradient tool set to radial gradient. Drag the gradient from the lightest place to the bottom of the bulb. Set layer mode to Color Burn.  Insert a layer called blue on top by clicking on the top layer and hitting the button on the bottom of the layer palette to insert a layer. hold cntrl, alt, shift keys down and hit your letter E.

Turn off the eye on that layer.

10. Add a new layer Set your colors to the following

• forground color= #990000
• background color= #FF00CC

Select your gradient tool set to radial gradient. Drag the gradient from the lightest place to the bottom of the bulb. Set layer mode to Color Burn.  Insert a layer called pink on top by clicking on the top layer and hitting the button on the bottom of the layer palette to insert a layer. hold cntrl, alt, shift keys down and hit your letter E.

Turn off the eye on that layer.

11. Add a new layer Set your colors to the following

• forground color= #009900
• background color= #00FF00

Select your gradient tool set to radial gradient. Drag the gradient from the lightest place to the bottom of the bulb. Set layer mode to Color Burn.  Insert a layer called green on top by clicking on the top layer and hitting the button on the bottom of the layer palette to insert a layer. hold cntrl, alt, shift keys down and hit your letter E.

Turn off the eye on that layer.

12. Add a new layer Set your colors to the following

• forground color= #009900
• background color= #00FF00

Select your gradient tool set to radial gradient. Drag the gradient from the lightest place to the bottom of the bulb. Set layer mode to Color Burn.  Insert a layer called red on top by clicking on the top layer and hitting the button on the bottom of the layer palette to insert a layer. hold cntrl, alt, shift keys down and hit your letter E.

Turn off the eye on that layer.

Creating your sting of lights

13. Click File=> New and create an image that is 300 pixels wide by 100 pixels high, RGB, 72 ppi, white. Fill the background with black.

14. Switch to the lights image. Highlight the Red layer and use the move tool to drag it onto the new image. Highlight the green layer and drag a copy onto your new image. Highlight the red image and drag a copy onto your new image. Highlight your pink layer and drag a copy onto your pallet.

15. Use the move tool to distribute these bulbs on their layers of the new image. Check show bounding boxes and pivot when necessary.

17. Open up blending options on the red layer by right clicking on the layer and selecting blending options. Check Inner glow. Set the inner glow settings to the following

• blending: screen
• Opacity = 75
• Noise = 0
• Color Hex #FF6666
• Technique = softer
• source = Center
• Choke = 0
• size = 5 px
• contour = normal.

18. Right click on the red bulb layer and select Copy Layer Style. Right click on the green layer and slect past layer style. Open up blending options and change the inner glow color to  hex value #66FF66.

19. Right click on the red bulb layer and select Copy Layer Style. Right click on the green layer and slect past layer style. Open up blending options and change the inner glow color to  hex value #FF66FF.

20. Right click on the red bulb layer and select Copy Layer Style. Right click on the green layer and slect past layer style. Open up blending options and change the inner glow color to  hex value #6666FF.

21. Turn off all your blending options/layer styles. Click on the background layer and click the link on the layers palette below to insert a layer. Call this layer Wire.

22. Select your brush tool, and set it to 3 pixel hard brush. Set the foreground color to grey, hex #666666. Click on the base of the red bulb, Hold your shift key down and click on the base of the Green bulb. Hold your shift key down and click on the base of your Pink Bulb. Hold your shift key down and click on the base of your Blue bulb. Extend the wire to the left of the red and to the right of the blue.

23. Click the button on the bottom of the tool bar to jump to image ready. Open your animation panel. Set the time at the bottom of the frame1 to 0.2 seconds.

24. Add 3 frames so there are 4 frames in all.

25. Click on frame 1. Turn on the layer styles/blending options for the red bulb.

26. Click on Frame 2, Turn on the layer styles/blending options for the green bulb. Turn the other layer styles off.

27. Click on Frame 3, Turn on the layer styles/blending options for the pink bulb. Turn the other layer styles off.

28. Click on Frame 4, Turn on the layer styles/blending options for the blue bulb. Turn the other layer styles off.

29. Click back on frame 1 and set the optimize palette to GIF, 256 colors.

30. Click Save optimized as and save your file.