Note: All my tutorials are explained using Adobe Photoshop and Imageready, although there are a varity of other programs that can do the same thing.

In this tutorial we are going to learn how to make a moving avatar using video clips from the Trailer.
Part 1: Editing the Video
Part 2: Converting the video to an AVI
Part 3: Opening the AVI in Imageready
Part 4: Cropping the Video
Part 5: Editing the Clip
Part 6: Resizing the Clip
Part 7: Making a Gif
Part 8: Saving the Avatar

To do this, you need the following.

• Adobe Photoshop
  
• Adobe Imageready
  
• A standard video editor. Since Windows MovieMaker (WMM) is most common, I have used it for this tutorial.
  
• A Video (for WMM, it needs to be a WMV or MPEG file.)
  

Okay, lets get started! :)

Part 1: Editing the Video

First, go to WMM, and go to File > Import into Collections. Select the video file you'll be using (it needs to be a wmv or mpeg file.)
For this tutorial, I'm going to be making an avie of Susan's first journey into Narnia from the Teaser Trailer.

Then, when the clips have generated, click on the clip/s that contains the video bit that you'd like to use. Move them to the Timeline, and then split the video to fit. (If you're unsure how to do this, I'd suggest browsing the 'help' links in the scrollbar on the left of WMM. It will tell you how to split and clip the video so you get exactly what you want, no more and no less.
Don't worry if you have small bits of unwanted frames at the beginning or the ending of the clip you want. You can edit that out manually in Imageready.

Part 2: Converting the Video to an AVI
So, when you've got what you want, go to File > Save Movie File.

Then when the window comes up, do the following.
Save it to your computer

Then click 'Browse' and save it to the file you want.

Then click 'Other Settings' and choose DV-AVI (NTSC).

Then click Finish.

Congratulations, you have just made your first AVI video! Now you're all set to turn that AVI into a gif, and ultimately an avie.

Part 3: Opening the AVI in Imageready

Open Adobe Imageready, and go to File > Open, then select the AVI file you just made.

Now you get to make some decision. You can render the entire clip right now by selecting "From Beginning to End", or you can take the opportunity to edit the clip to the exact length you want by selecting "Selected Range Only."

If your clip is rather long, it would probably be a good idea to edit now; otherwise Imageready will run rather slow and take FOREVER to render.

Also, if your clip is rather short, then you can just leave it be, but if it is rather long, then I would select the 'Limit to every second frame' option. That will cut down on frames and make your gif smaller, but still keep all the footage you want.

Click for Full-Size

So once you've finished that, the gif will render and you will end up with this:

Click for Full-Size

Hooray! You're nearly there! :D

Part 4: Cropping the Video
First thing you do is crop out the black edges so you only have the video part, as shown above. (The crop tool is located 7th down, first row on the Toolbar to your left.)
Now, the gif you have here is a huge size, width and length wise, to make into an avie. So go to Image > Image Size and scale it down to about 300 w. (the length should automatically scale down to fit, so you won't get all stretched out.)

Now that is more like it. (Don't worry if the image seems small, go to View > Actual Pixals and it will get larger.)

Part 5: Editing the Clip
Now, if you already edited the clip (either during Part 1 or Part 3) then just skip down to Part 5. But if you still have all those unwanted frames hanging around, then this is where you get to get rid of them!
First, watch the gif through, and then select (Hold down the ctrl button while you click) the frames at the beginning of your Gif that you'd like to get rid of. (For me, it was frames 1- 13).

Then mash the cute little trash can button at the bottom of the Frame Window! Viola, they're gone!

But you still have all those unwanted layers in the Layer Window that are useless now.
So, to get rid of them, click on the first frame in the Frame Window, and then click on the layer that has the small 'eye' icon on it.

Click for Full-Size

That layer on down are the ones you want to get rid of.
With that layer still selected, link all the layers beneath it. (Just click on the empty box next to the box where the 'eye' icon usually is.

Then go to Layer > Merge Links

Then delete that layer! Hooray you did it! :)
Now do the same thing for all those annoying frames at the end of your clip.

You should end up with this:

Click for Full-Size

Part 6: Resizing the Clip
Now you've got the exact clips you want, now you have to make them the exact right size you want.
Chances are that doing the general resize still made things a little to large for an avie (i.e. for me, Susan was a little to large to fit in a 64x64 box.)
First, go to File > New Document and size it 64x64.

Note: From now on we the tutorial is working with a 64x64 canvas.However, you can chagne this size to 100x100 or whatever size works best for you.

Then, go back to your gif, select the first frame and the first layer, then link allllllll the other layers.

Then, click on the first layer and drag it all the way to the new file. (You'll no longer be needing your original file; from now on we'll be working from the 64x64 file).
Only one frame will show up in the Frame Window, don't worry. You'll fix that later.

Now, with the layers still linked, use the Free Transform tool (First icon, second row on the Toolbar Window) to make the layers a little smaller or larger, whatever you want.

By scrolling through the Layers Window, you'll be able to see how each frame will be placed. By moving the layers in different directions, you'll be able to fit the clip in exactly the way you want it.
Then, when you've got that, crop the whole image. :)

You should end up with this:

Click for Full-Size

Part 7: Making a Gif
Now comes the most tedious part of the whole process. But this part is what makes your gif an avie.

First, add a whooooooole bunch of frames in the Frame Layer. Don't worry that they're all the same...that will be fixed shortly. You need one frame per layer. If you're not sure how many frames to get, just make more then you'll need...you can always delete the extra ones at the end.
Okay, so the first frame has the first layer 'eyed' (we'll call it that, it means that the 'eye' icon is selected and it's the layer you see in the actual file at that moment.), so that is good to go.

Now click on the second frame, and 'eye' the second layer.

Click for Full-Size

That makes the second frame in the gif.
Now click on the third frame, and 'eye' the third layer.

Click for Full-Size

That is your third frame.
Repeat for alllllll the rest of the frames and layers. Boring, isn't' it? Lol for a small 30-frame file, it shouldn't be too bad, but one with 130 might take a while. Don't worry though you'll finish sooner then you think. :)

Part 8: Saving the Avie
So you're alllll finished making all the layers visible. Congratulations, you've just made your first avie!
There are so many other things you can now do the Avie to make it all fancy, such as adding a border, fading the first and last frames, and other things. However, as this tutorial has been long enough, we'll end it here and I'll do the rest of the things another time.
But of course you have to save the avie before you can use it!

So go to File > Save Optimized As

Type in whatever you want to call it, and viola! YOU HAVE AN AVIE!

Here is the finished product:

If you need a place to upload your avie, Imageshack.us is a very hassle free option.

Congratulations and I hope this tutorial helped you! I really hope it wasn't too long or confusing...I'm not very good at explaining things to people. :D If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me

Enjoy!