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I'm often asked "What program do you use?" and "How do you make banners?"
Today, I will be answering those FAQ and explaining my methods.
Basic Tutorial After Effects Version
1. Start up After Effects (preferrable running the latest version such as CS 6 or CC)
2. Create a new composition using the dimesnions 468x60, black background, 20-25 frames per second, Full Resolution
Duration: 6 Seconds (Recommended)
3. (Optional) After all of that, you can import files from Photoshop or pictures into the "Project Panel" such as backgrounds for the banner or fancy texts you pre-made.
4. Create some new texts to animate. Use the workspace "Standard". This is at the top of the Composition window.
5. Use keyframes to animate things such as opactiy, size, position, etc. If you are completely new to After Effects it's the clock icon when you click on a layer and view it's properties. (For Windows) Use short cut keys like T for Opacity, P for Position, and R for Rotation. You can then click the clock icon for a property at two different points in your timeline. The frames in between the two keyframes will be animated.
6. Satisfied with your animation? Time to render and make it a .gif. Click on the "Project" panel again and you should see your composition. Drag and drop it into the Render panel. In the "Output Module" click on Lossless and change the format to PNG Sequence. Press "Render". There should now be a folder on your desktop with your animation in .PNG pictures.
7. Open Photoshop and open the folder. Click on one image and set it to sequence. The pictures are then all in order. Save the file for the web as a .gif.
8. Enjoy your new animated banner made in Adobe After Effects! :D
2. Create a new composition using the dimesnions 468x60, black background, 20-25 frames per second, Full Resolution
Duration: 6 Seconds (Recommended)
3. (Optional) After all of that, you can import files from Photoshop or pictures into the "Project Panel" such as backgrounds for the banner or fancy texts you pre-made.
4. Create some new texts to animate. Use the workspace "Standard". This is at the top of the Composition window.
5. Use keyframes to animate things such as opactiy, size, position, etc. If you are completely new to After Effects it's the clock icon when you click on a layer and view it's properties. (For Windows) Use short cut keys like T for Opacity, P for Position, and R for Rotation. You can then click the clock icon for a property at two different points in your timeline. The frames in between the two keyframes will be animated.
6. Satisfied with your animation? Time to render and make it a .gif. Click on the "Project" panel again and you should see your composition. Drag and drop it into the Render panel. In the "Output Module" click on Lossless and change the format to PNG Sequence. Press "Render". There should now be a folder on your desktop with your animation in .PNG pictures.
7. Open Photoshop and open the folder. Click on one image and set it to sequence. The pictures are then all in order. Save the file for the web as a .gif.
8. Enjoy your new animated banner made in Adobe After Effects! :D
NOTE: Your banner won't turn out 3D without practice and knowledge in effects.
In-Depth Tutorial Photoshop Version
1. Start up Photoshop (preferrable running the latest version such as CS 6 or CC)
2. Create a new project with the dimensions 468x60
3. Create you background and all of your texts FIRST before animating.
4. Organize all of your layers into groups. This comes in handy when animating.
5. At the top of Photoshop go to Window>Timeline
6. Create frames and start animating with your layers!
7. To save go to File>Save for web...>Save
8. Enjoy your new animated banner made in Adobe Photoshop! :D
2. Create a new project with the dimensions 468x60
3. Create you background and all of your texts FIRST before animating.
4. Organize all of your layers into groups. This comes in handy when animating.
5. At the top of Photoshop go to Window>Timeline
6. Create frames and start animating with your layers!
7. To save go to File>Save for web...>Save
8. Enjoy your new animated banner made in Adobe Photoshop! :D
Useful Links for Fonts and Programs
For amazing fonts- http://www.dafont.com/
Photoshop- https://creative.adobe.com/products/download/photoshop
After Effects- http://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects
GIMP- http://www.gimp.org/ or http://download.cnet.com/GIMP/3000-2192_4-10073935.html
Be careful when downloading programs. Alway smake sure they are from the official websites, because it can easily turn out to be a nasty virus. I suggest scanning the files downloaded, but all the links above should be fine (adobe.com, gimp.org). The cnet.com link isn't recommended though.
Photoshop- https://creative.adobe.com/products/download/photoshop
After Effects- http://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects
GIMP- http://www.gimp.org/ or http://download.cnet.com/GIMP/3000-2192_4-10073935.html
Be careful when downloading programs. Alway smake sure they are from the official websites, because it can easily turn out to be a nasty virus. I suggest scanning the files downloaded, but all the links above should be fine (adobe.com, gimp.org). The cnet.com link isn't recommended though.
1. Programs
I use the latest Photoshop version to create all of my 2D banners and After Effects to create my new 3D banners.
If you don't have Photoshop or AE I suggest getting the trial version or a free program such as GIMP.
Don't use programs such as MS Paint. Your banner will turn out horrible if you do.
2. The Size
The size I use to make server banners is 468 pixels in width by 60 pixels in height.
If you are making a banner to post on Planet Minecraft, be sure the file size is under 350 kb.
Files over 350 kb cannot be upploaded to Planet Minecraft.
If you find yourself with a banner over 350 kb, there is a solution!
You can either decrease the banner colors or the banner size to make the file smaller.
3. Be Creative
The background of the banner depends on the style of server. If we take a look at my example Prison banner.
I went with an orange bacground for the color of prison uniforms and grunge for that prison look.
Using dafont.com I got a nice font to go with the overall banner. This is a very basic 2D banner though.
4. Animation
Always make your animations very smooth!
If your animations turn out choppy, that will ruin your banner. I create my banners frame by frame in Photoshop so they turn out smooth. In After Effects I triple check my keyframes and always make the banner loop perfectly.
When using Photoshop, save the file for the web to save as a gif. Use Timeline or similar to animate.
5. Practice
With over 2.5 years of experience my banners turn out much better than when I started.
Your first banners aren't going to turn out super amazing or spectacular. Practice a lot.
Eventually, you could probably make banners that catch a person's attention easily.
I recommend making free banners for the community for at least a year to build up your portfolio and skills.
Be willing to try new animation and banner styles.
Consider leaving a diamond if this has helped you at all :) I would extremely appreciate it to see it has helped.
Examples of banners I've made in Photoshop Only
I use the latest Photoshop version to create all of my 2D banners and After Effects to create my new 3D banners.
If you don't have Photoshop or AE I suggest getting the trial version or a free program such as GIMP.
Don't use programs such as MS Paint. Your banner will turn out horrible if you do.
2. The Size
The size I use to make server banners is 468 pixels in width by 60 pixels in height.
If you are making a banner to post on Planet Minecraft, be sure the file size is under 350 kb.
Files over 350 kb cannot be upploaded to Planet Minecraft.
If you find yourself with a banner over 350 kb, there is a solution!
You can either decrease the banner colors or the banner size to make the file smaller.
How To Decrease a Server Banner's Size
Decreasing Frames: Before trying anything below you can always try deleting some of the frames in your .gif file. If you don't want it to look choppy then completely delete 1-2 slides that have animated words. It is good to limit the amount of animated words from 3 to maybe 5. It depends on the animation style you use.
For Photoshop: When you are saving the file for the web (.gif) you can select "Colors" and change it to a lower number.
The colors are then reduced and so is the file size.
Using a Website for Non-Photoshop Users: You can use websites to easily resize .gifs, reduce colors, or add effects.
Try them all out and use the one you find easiest when resizing or reducing the size.
http://ezgif.com/resize
http://www.gifreducer.com/
http://picasion.com/resize-image/
For Photoshop: When you are saving the file for the web (.gif) you can select "Colors" and change it to a lower number.
The colors are then reduced and so is the file size.
Using a Website for Non-Photoshop Users: You can use websites to easily resize .gifs, reduce colors, or add effects.
Try them all out and use the one you find easiest when resizing or reducing the size.
http://ezgif.com/resize
http://www.gifreducer.com/
http://picasion.com/resize-image/
3. Be Creative
The background of the banner depends on the style of server. If we take a look at my example Prison banner.
I went with an orange bacground for the color of prison uniforms and grunge for that prison look.
Using dafont.com I got a nice font to go with the overall banner. This is a very basic 2D banner though.
4. Animation
Always make your animations very smooth!
If your animations turn out choppy, that will ruin your banner. I create my banners frame by frame in Photoshop so they turn out smooth. In After Effects I triple check my keyframes and always make the banner loop perfectly.
When using Photoshop, save the file for the web to save as a gif. Use Timeline or similar to animate.
5. Practice
With over 2.5 years of experience my banners turn out much better than when I started.
Your first banners aren't going to turn out super amazing or spectacular. Practice a lot.
Eventually, you could probably make banners that catch a person's attention easily.
I recommend making free banners for the community for at least a year to build up your portfolio and skills.
Be willing to try new animation and banner styles.
Consider leaving a diamond if this has helped you at all :) I would extremely appreciate it to see it has helped.
Examples of banners I've made in Photoshop Only
| Credit | odstEN |
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4 Update Logs
Update #4 : by odstEN_ 01/07/2015 8:02:00 pmJan 7th, 2015
Added a brand new basic After Effects tutorial and much more info and examples
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However, there is usually a lot of people on the PMC forums who would be willing to make banners for free! I would try that before considering to pay someone.
When I import the logo on after effects and and resize it so it's visible. But it's pixelated and it looks horrible
If I were you, I would try making a logo at 500x500 or 800x800 pixels so the image would still be visible. Then, you could resize it to be smaller when necessary and still keep the quality. I often do this (except with server icons) to ensure the image appears great when using After Effects.
This link could help you http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/gimptutorials/tp/animated-gif.htm
As for non animated banner, just stick with the dimensions for the picture I posted above and you can freely edit it to however you want it to look.