Animate the hand fan using Pictures to Exe

Our good old friend Lin Evans shows those of you who have Pictures to Exe (a powerful photo slide app, now called "PTE AV Studio 10") how to use the animated hand fan Photoshop action to create a photo slideshow.

Note that I am not affiliated with WnSoft Ltd, the maker of Pictures to Exe. I am a fan of Lin's works. If you want to contact him, you can reach him on the Pictures to Exe Facebook group.

Let me pass you to Lin Evans:

Instructions:

For those who do not use styles or wish a simplified version without shadows, I have created a PTE Template which you can use to create the folding and unfolding fan without shadows. The background included in the default grayscale which the Fan Action defaults to, but it is very simple to replace it with your choice of background or even a video by simply using the “Properties” tab in the Objects and Animations screen in PTE. Just click on the background layer to highlight, then click on the small “file” icon, navigate to your choice of background or video and double click it.

Click to download the template file

To use this template, you will need PicturesToExe and Photoshop. Create your Fan as instructed by Panos then once you have added your picture and adjusted, press Enter and the action will complete your fan. Once you see the completed fan, go to “Image” “Image Size” and change the large horizontal value to 1600 x 905 which will give you a resize of the image to a value which is compatible with most modern computer.

You are next going to create files from layers and there will be a total of twenty two images created. To do this, click on “File” (at the top left of the toolbar) then highlight “Scripts” and choose “Export Layers To Files.” Choose a folder or create one to hold the files you will be creating, then make certain that “Trim Layers” is unchecked, Change the file type to “PNG 24” and be certain the “Transparency” is checked. Give the “File Prefix” a simple and short name then with visible layers unchecked, click on “Run” and Photoshop will create the files and place them in the folder you have chosen.

Next open PTE and load the PTE project provided. Go to the Objects and Animations screen an click on the “Properties” tab. You will see files in the lower right quadrant of the screen. The ones you are going to substitute with the exported files have numbers ending in one through nineteen (1-19). Click on the first one at the top of the list to highlight it (#19) then click on the small “open file” to the right of “Picture” and navigate to your exported files as layers.

Select the file ending in 19 and it will replace the #19 fan blade with your new one from your own fan. Do the same for each of the remaining 18 files then save the PTE project under a different name. If you wish, replace the background image with one of your own choosing or even with a video. Mute the sound on the video if you do not want it to play.

That’s it folks. Now your own fan will close and open just like the PTE example in the template.

Lin