How do i add a blinking light on a picture? example inside of what i want

[murkr]

hello everyone i am new to this forums but i am a little fimilar with photoshop, well i no how to follow directions

i have Photoshop CS3.

i started my own business selling xbox controllers on ebay and i would like to make a picture that is of a xbox controller but a blinking light in the middle, and i want to make 3 pictures with different speeds.
OR IF YOU DO THIS FOR ME I WILL SEND $10 PAYPAL

i got the idea from another persons ebay page and i tried to copy the picture so i can put it on this forums but the page wont let me right click so im going give the item number and just look at the picture to see what im talking about Item number: 330286213529 go to ebay and type that item number in and look at the page

but i dont want that exact button blinking i want this button blinking red in the middle of the xbox controller


does anyone know of any tutorials i can follow, id really appreciate it!

Thank you for your time, you would really be helping me out with this business, im trying to make this my main source of income seeing as though i just lost my job

[Tamlin]

What you need to do is create an animated GIF. GIFs are currently the only image filetypes that contain animation (you can also do animation in Flash but I don't know if eBay would permit you to embed a Flash file on one of their pages).
If you have Photoshop CS3, you can create animations within the application (previous versions came with a sister application called ImageReady specifically for making animations and other web graphics). Here is a link with lots of animation tutorials:

Photoshop Animation - Tutorial

One thing to be aware of, however: GIFs only support a maximum of 256 colours, so if your original image is a photograph containing subtle gradients and colour-shifts, it's going to look a bit crappy when you convert it to a GIF. As a fairly frequent eBay customer, I have to say that the thing that attracts me most to an item (and a seller) is if they have included good clear photographs - I'm afraid cheesy animated effects in a sub-par image would not impress me at all.
Just sayin'.

[synthetic]

I agree with Tamlin... best bet is animated .gif for this. I also agree you need a nice shot to work with.... getting a nice photo of the controller to use for the animated .gif will make a lot more difference in selling the item than the blinking light will. Look at some commercial sites that sell controllers and look at their pics... most are very nice and professional looking. The more professional you make yourself look... the better the odds are of making more sales.

[Koepaard]

you mean like this? :/

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...link-light.gif

[murkr]

wow thank you all your answering my question i apprecaite each and every answer.

Originally Posted by Koepaard

you mean like this? :/

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w...link-light.gif

yes that is pretty much perfectly what i want just maybe alittle brighter of a light so it gets the attention of customers easier. but that looks great how did you do that?
that isnt the picture i want to use i will make a controller when i get my new leds so i can have a controller actually put together then put the blinking light like you just did on that black controller shell.

Originally Posted by synthetic

I agree with Tamlin... best bet is animated .gif for this. I also agree you need a nice shot to work with.... getting a nice photo of the controller to use for the animated .gif will make a lot more difference in selling the item than the blinking light will. Look at some commercial sites that sell controllers and look at their pics... most are very nice and professional looking. The more professional you make yourself look... the better the odds are of making more sales.

yes i no what you mean, but i cant use a stock picture from the websites because i am installing my own L.E.D's in the controller and i want the lights to blink to show the customer how it will work.

Originally Posted by Tamlin

One thing to be aware of, however: GIFs only support a maximum of 256 colours, so if your original image is a photograph containing subtle gradients and colour-shifts, it's going to look a bit crappy when you convert it to a GIF. As a fairly frequent eBay customer, I have to say that the thing that attracts me most to an item (and a seller) is if they have included good clear photographs - I'm afraid cheesy animated effects in a sub-par image would not impress me at all.
Just sayin'.

well when i take a picture with my camera what do i have to do? save it as only 256 colors? what do i do so i dont have that problem.


thanks for all the help guys, wish i could of responded sooner iv been busy

[Tamlin]

Originally Posted by murkr

well when i take a picture with my camera what do i have to do? save it as only 256 colors? what do i do so i dont have that problem.

No - you can work on the image in Photoshop as a JPG, but when you save it as a GIF (which you will have to do if you want the animation) it will be converted to 256 colours. You can control the colour palette that is used, however, if you select File > Save for web and devices... after you have created your animation.

[670haze]

thats pretty cool -not at that stage yet...still creating some minor graphics *cant wait to try that animation out