Another request - this time for a "spinning snowflake." This needs a combination of graphics using layers AND animation : you will need Paint Shop Pro to make this image, so if you haven't already got it, click here for a free download.

First make your snowflake – we will be making it three times its finished size so that we can see what we’re doing! Open a new image (click on File / New in the top toolbar) and set the background colour to grey. Set the TOP square of the colour palette to white – this will be your foreground colour and the colour you will be working with. Hit L on your keyboard to open up the layers palette and lock it open by clicking the down-pointing triangle in the top right corner of the layer palette – if the triangle is already pointing upwards, leave it alone!) Click on the icon on the layer palette that looks like two sheets of paper : this will open a new layer – Layer 1.

Go back to the left-hand toolbar and select the draw tool (towards the bottom, it looks like a pencil with a line coming from it) and set its options to single line, width 10, style stroked, no antialias and no vector. Go to “View” (top toolbar) and click “ rulers” (you will use the rulers to find the middle of your image.) Making sure “Layer 1” is highlighted (click on it in the layer palette if it isn’t) draw a single straight line from the middle of the top edge as far as the centre of the square – use the rulers along the edges to check. Now, on ONE SIDE ONLY of this line, draw more short feathery lines joining this central line (see diagram 2.) Click on the “magic wand” in the left toolbar and then on the white lines you have just drawn – they will be outlined with a moving dotted line. Click ctrl C and then ctrl V and a small window will appear with a copy of your “feathery bit” in it. In the top toolbar, click “Image” and “mirror” and the small image will flip over to the right. Hit ctrl C again, then click on the top of your original image to highlight the top of its window, and then this time hit ctrl and shift and E together and the mirror-image will appear as a floating section. Position it so it completes the image already started (see diagram 3) and right-click to fix it in place.

Using the magic wand again, repeat the process but this time flip the image instead of mirroring it – ctrl C / ctrl V / image / flip / highlight image / ctrl+shift+E / match up and right-click to fix. You should now have something similar to diagram 4.

Once again highlight the white lines, ctrl C / ctrl V to get another copy. This time, however, you are going to ROTATE it : click on Image / rotate / right / free / 60 and then copy the rotated image back to the main image as before and fix it carefully in position, crossing the first vertical section as in diagram 5. Go back to your rotated copy and re-highlight it and mirror it this time then transfer it back to the main image : fix as before and you should have created a snowflake (diagram 6.)

Highlight this snowflake with the magic wand and then click on Image / effects / inner bevel and select “custom” then choose the bevel with a curved groove down the middle and slide the settings to width 10, smoothness 10, depth 5 and ambience and shininess to 0. Leave the light settings untouched. Then click OK and your snowflake will become three-dimensional. Now to reduce it in size – click on “Image” then “resize” and set it to 33% and click OK. This is your finished snowflake – you now need to save it with a transparent background.

Next, click on "Image, rotate, right, free, 10," uncheck “all layers” then click "OK" : this will rotate the snowflake by 10 degrees. Save this image as “snowflake2” – don’t forget the background transparency process. “Undo” and then repeat the rotation by another 10 degrees to give snowflake3 and save this too, then ANOTHER 10 degrees rotation for snowflake4.

Now to animate your snowflake!!

Open the animation shop (File / Run Animation Shop) then the Animation Wizard in the File menu of the Animation Shop. Click “next” on the first three menus to appear – the default settings are OK – then “Yes” and 5 (hundredths of a second) then “next.” The next window is “Add Images” – click “add image” and open all four snowflake gifs (in order) then click Next” and “Finish.” Go to “view” and “animation” – you should see a rotating snowflake on a transparent (checkerboard) background. If the background is flashing it means you have forgotten to make one of your images transparent – go back and do it now!! When your animated image is satisfactory, go to “File” and “Save As.” Choose where you want to save your file to and what you want to call it and click “save” and it will return you to another menu – make sure the slider is at the top (best quality) click “next,” “next” again and then “finish.” Your completed animated snowflake should be no more than 11KB in size. Use like any other animated gif.