- 1). Download a free animating program, unless you already have one. A good open source freebie is GIMP, or you can download the free trial of Jasc Animation Shop (see Resources). Download one of these programs, open the folder for it and follow the installation instructions.
- 2). Open your animation program and open the avatar that you want to animate. Edit this first layer if you need it to be different for the beginning frame of the animation. Use the drawing tools ("Pencil", "Paint Brush" or "Color Fill") to add or change things in the image. Copy and paste this first frame into the next frame (if you are working with Animation Shop, or duplicate the layer if you are in GIMP.
- 3). Edit the next frame so that it continues with the animation. Change it just slightly, so that it looks like it is moving smoothly into the next position or movement. If you want to create the illusion of shimmering glitter, change the position of the glitters just slightly and move them around to random positions. Repeat this step until the animated movement is complete.
- 4). Preview your animated avatar. Click on the "Animation Playback" function in GIMP or the "Preview Animation" button in Animation Shop. Change the speed by entering a new speed in milliseconds in the title for each layer in GIMP. If you're in Animation Shop, go to "Animation" then "Frame Properties" and change the number to speed it up or slow it down.
- 5). Save your animated icon when you are happy with it. Save it as a .GIF file and upload it to your instant messenger or social network profiles to use as your avatar.
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