Animated icons can create the illusion of movement by displaying various layers consecutively. Such animated pictures can add an eye-catching look to emails, webpages and instant messages. Some websites make animated icons for you, but often require you to look at ads or pay money. Instead, use a photo editing program, such as Adobe Photoshop, to make animated icons on your own computer.
Instructions
1. Open Adobe Photoshop. Click "File," then select "New."
2. Create a new, blank image palette with a height and width of 100 x 100 pixels. This size is the common size format used by icons in emails, webpages and instant messengers, such as Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger.
3. Click "Window" in the menu bar and select "Show Layers." A small window will appear next to your image. In this window, you will see what layers your picture has. It should currently show only one layer.
4. Click the paintbrush icon in the image palette window and draw on the 100 x 100 image canvass. This will be the first layer to be displayed. You can also copy and paste an image file (a file ending in ".jpg" or ".gif") into this first layer.
5. Go to the "Layers" window that you opened in Step 3. Click on the button that reads "Duplicate." This will make a copy of the current layer.
6. Draw another picture using the paintbrush, or copy and paste another picture image into this layer. This will be the second layer to be displayed. When you're finished, click "Duplicate" like you did in Step 5. Repeat as necessary until you have filled up each layer with images or drawings. Each layer will be displayed one after the other.
7. Click "File" in the menu bar and select "Save As." Save the image as a .gif file. Adobe Photoshop will export your images with the built-in layers. You can now use this animated icon in emails, webpages and instant messenger programs that support the uploading of image files. When a user sees your icon, the icon will rapidly display each layer and the end result will be an animation.
