[Oregonian]

Man that takes awhile. Two paths, total of 50 path rotations.

[fencepost]

Oregonian said:

Did you use two paths and draw one the opposite direction to do yours, fencepost? Mine doesn't look a bit like yours.

No, just one path. I suspect it's all in where the center of the path lies, the path shape, and the angle of rotation that gives each version its own look. You did really well with it!!

I wonder if I should add a script to copy a path a certain number of times and rotate it the desired angles. That would speed up the process. Then you could just click on each path and run the script the appropriate number of times.

[Oregonian]

Oh, maybe your path crossed the center then. Back to the drawing board. I had used guides 50% h & v and my path was to the left of the y axis.

[molly]

very nice "O" I gave up....

[Oregonian]

Thanks molly. I can't get the gradient choice to work. I've chosen gradient in the dialog and even brought it up in the toolbox with the blend tool but it still makes my stroked path a solid color.

Ah! Figured it out. Have to set the gradient length. Got it!

[fencepost]

O, When you choose the gradient in the script, are you setting the length as well? It's right below the gradient option.

Molly, why are you giving up so soon? :cry:

[Oregonian]

fencepost said:

O, When you choose the gradient in the script, are you setting the length as well? It's right below the gradient option.

Yeah, I figured it out. Posted on previous page that I did.

[fencepost]

Ok, we must have been posting at the same time.

[Oregonian]

Oregonian said:

Oh, maybe your path crossed the center then. Back to the drawing board. I had used guides 50% h & v and my path was to the left of the y axis.

That's what I did wrong. This path was in the center of my image and crossed both axes.

[molly]

cuz :oops:

Quote

you need to set the first (bottom) layer as the active layer. What happened is you animated your first path, then started on the top layer each time after it was done. So it drew one, then the next, the next, and so on. If you set the bottom layer active each time before you run the script, it will appear like they are all being drawn at the same time.

I don't understand about setting the bottom layer. I don't see a bottom layer, In the path there is only one and in the layers there is only one layer until I run the script the first time. You then say high-lite the bottom layer, then run the script. (What bottom layer?) :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Oregonian]

Here ya go Molly. This is an image of the bottom 5 of my layers. First I made a white background image so I could see what I was doing, then added transparent Layer #1. Before you run the script, you only have one transparent layer. Drew my path. Ran the Animated Path stroking script in Paths.

Back to the Layers. Select the bottom image layer (Not the white background layer), select the Rotation tool, click the path choice in the dialog, rotate 15°.

Back to the Paths. Run the script.

Back to the Layers, again select the bottom layer of the image (not the bg).

Click the image window, the rotation tool comes up, 15°. Back to the paths.

Keep doing that until you have made the complete 360 degrees. You can see the image grow as you stroke it with the Animation script in the Paths.

This was corrected to say 15° instead of 30 degrees.

[molly]

Thanks "O". I will try it. I have been putting the rotation 15 degrees manually each time. Are you saying it will change 15 degrees by itself?

Quote

Click the image window, the rotation tool comes up, 30 degrees.?

[Oregonian]

I used 30 degrees in mine. Each time you have to enter the degree amount and click Rotate.

You can use any amount of degrees you want but I was tired of rotating the path. 15 degrees looks better.

I will fix it to say 15°.

Here's one at 15° and now my brain and mouse hand are fried. :mrgreen:

[molly]

fencepost said:

Absolutely. ccbarr posted a couple of examples here: -script-animated-path-stroking-path-suite-t46679.html
Additionally, you could create paths from fonts and do it that way as well, but there are some nuances using fonts. I'll prepare a tutorial on using fonts when I get the chance.

After doing this over 4 times and getting the exact same results 4 times I just don't know why mine ends up like this. I followed the tute word for word.

[fencepost]

Molly, can you redo the tutorial one more time for me, but take some screenshots and post them so I can check something for you? After you get the first petal animated and you've rotated the path for the second petal, I need a screenshot of the path stroking dialog and the settings you're using and a screenshot of the layers dialog window with showing which layer is active. Don't change anything from before. Just try it out again exactly as you've already done. If you can provide this information, I may be able to offer some advice.

Thanks, Art

[Oregonian]

I have one more thought to add.

Molly I can see you are rotating your path just fine. It's perfect.

What I am wondering is if after you click the bottom image layer, rotate the path, do you return to the Path and run the script each time you rotate the path?

[molly]

"O" That is so sweet what you did there....

"FP," I will do that

Anyway, I am not sure but I will try it again two more times......I printed it and followed it word for word, so I thought......... :x

Edit: Okay I did it over and over and over again and it is still exactly the same. One thing I see that is happening is it keeps adding copies of #1. I started at #1 for every petal BUT there is also copies of #1... :? :? :? :?

[fencepost]

Molly, you're rotating the top layer after running the script. You need to be rotating the path. I get the same thing when I rotate the top layer:



Here's a modified screenshot from the tutorial what needs to be selected to accomplish rotation of the path.



You have to pick the paths button in the rotate tool. The default is to rotate the layer. If you don't change it, only layers will be rotated. Once you've rotated the path, make sure you select the correct layer to begin drawing on, which is the second one from the bottom.

Also, don't worry about all the copies of the layers that are being made. That's the way the script works. I intentionally wrote the script to do that and didn't want it to change any of the names. That way, if the user has a specific name given to a layer, it remains that way after the script is run.

Lastly, for some reason, your animation has a jpg extension on the end of it. It still plays as an animation, but it's really a gif. Don't know why that is, but I thought I would point it out to you.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need additional clarification.

Art

[Oregonian]

fencepost said:

Lastly, for some reason, your animation has a jpg extension on the end of it. It still plays as an animation, but it's really a gif. Don't know why that is, but I thought I would point it out to you.

The extension is not Molly's fault. ImageShack does that to all of the images no matter what the extension. They still seem to work ok, though.

[fencepost]

Yeah, it still plays fine. I didn't know it was the image host, which is actually tinypic. Thanks, O.