Creating Animation Lesson 1 Objectives Create a new animation file Insert content in frames Add and delete frames and keyframes Create framebyframe animation Preview and test an animation Create motion and path animation ID: 759139
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Slide1
Digital Graphics & Animation
Creating Animation
Lesson 1
Slide2Objectives
Create a new animation fileInsert content in framesAdd and delete frames and keyframesCreate frame-by-frame animationPreview and test an animation
Create motion and path animation
Use layers
Copy and move frames
Use the onion skin feature to view multiple frames
Slide3Overview
A majority of Web sites today feature animated graphics – that is, graphics with motion, also called
animations
or
movies.
These graphics take many forms including moving or blinking logos, flashing advertisements, lively cartoon characters, product demonstrations, or even how to tutorials.
Presentation graphics programs also enable you to use animations to enhance onscreen presentations.
Slide4Graphics Programs
Leading programs for creating animations include Macromedia Flash MX and Adobe LiveMotion, while many programs differ slightly, most include common elements.
You will learn how to create and save an animation file, set options for the file, import graphics for use in the animation, use different methods to control object motion, and preview an animation.
All work will be completed in class utilizing Edulaunch.com web based medium and Macromedia Flash8.
Slide5Explore an Animation Program
Before you can create an animation, you must become familiar with the unique features of your animation program.
Most programs include a
stage
where you place the content for the animation. The stage is called the
composition
in Adobe LiveMotion.
The size and shape of the stage determines the dimension of the finished animation.
Slide6Explore an Animation Program
You can import graphics to place on the stage, or use the animation program’s drawing tools to create objects.
In addition, to the stage, animation programs include a
T
imeline
that holds the frames for the animation.
A
Frame
is
a single image from the sequence of images that make up an animation , video or movie.
Slide7Explore an Animation Program
You animation program offers its own additional tools and features. For example, Flash groups its features in a
panel
(small floating windows).
One key panel, the toolbox, provides tools you can use to draw and format objects in flash.
These tools look similar to and are used in much the same way as tools in the graphics program Macromedia Fireworks, in which you will be utilizing this semester.
Slide8Explore an Animation Program
Flash also includes a special panel called the property inspector that appears below the stage by default.
The Property inspector displays settings you can use to alter any object selected on the Stage.
Note: You can close or minimize panels if desired to free up more space in the program window for the stage.
Slide9Create a New Animation
When you create an animation, you create a
project file
or work file to hold the animation content. You follow several steps to prepare the file for use.
First, you will need to set the size of the stage
Ideally the stage should be large enough to accommodate the graphics and motion you plan for the animation.
You can change the units of measurement for the Stage and even change its background color.
Slide10Create a New Animation
After you have set the stage size, you can adjust zoom setting to make it easier to work with the stage.
Save the new project using the familiar “Save As” command on the File menu.
Your animation program saves the project file in its native file format. In Flash, for example, project files use the filename extension
fla
.
Slide11Insert Content in a Frame
The animation project initially contains a blank stage, a single frame, and a single layer. You will learn to create and insert content, as well as add layers and frames, to build the animation.
Typically, you add graphics that you created in another application to build the animation.
You import a graphic file into the animation project file using a command such as “import” on the file menu.
Slide12Insert Content in a Frame
Some programs allow you to import the graphic to a library to make the graphic file easier to use repeatedly.
Another method for adding content to a frame is to use your animation programs toolbox.
Use these tools to create shapes, lines, and text objects on the stage and format them with stroke and fill options just as in a graphics program.
Slide13Insert Content in a Frame
Once you’ve imported a graphic, you place it on the stage in the appropriate location.
If the graphic is in a library, simply drag it to the stage.
You can rename graphics stored in a library to help you remember their content.
Use a command on a menu or shortcut menu to rename a library object.
Slide14Insert Content in a Frame
In Flash, you can import an imported graphic to a
symbol
to help reduce movie file size.
Flash stores the symbol file only once in the file even if you use the symbol repeatedly throughout the animation.
Use the convert to symbol command on the modify menu to create a symbol. To add a symbol to a frame, drag it from the library panel just as you would a graphic
Slide15Add and Delete Frames an KeyFrames
Cartoons initially were animated by hand.
An illustrator drew successive variations of a character on clear acetate
cels
Each
cel
showed the character in a slightly different position
When
cels
were viewed in rapid order, the character then appeared to move.
The more
cels
the artist drew, the longer the animation
Slide16Add and Delete Frames an KeyFrames
Each frame in your animation I slike a single cel.
The frame holds the content the movie displays at that point and time.
So, to increase the length of your movie, you have to add more frames.
If you delete frames, you decrease the animation length.
Slide17Add and Delete Frames an KeyFrames
Animation programs actually enable you to add two types of frames: regular frames and keyframes.
Regular frames simply hold content.
A
Keyframe
provides greater power. You can use a keyframe to specify a change in the animation, such as a new position for an object.
Slide18Add and Delete Frames an KeyFrames
Add a frame or keyframe using a command on the “Insert” menu.
Delete frames by first selecting them and then using a command such as “Remove Frames”.
You can also delete frames using a command such as “clear Keyframe”
Slide19Create Frame-by-Frame Animation
At the simplest level, all you need to do to create an animation is move one object on one frame to create some movement in your animation.
When you play the animation, the object jumps to a new position for that frame, creating an illusion of movement.
When you create your own animations, you will want to include action in more than one frame.
To make the job easier, insert a keyframe at each change in the action.
Slide20Create Frame-by-Frame Animation
Changing the content in a keyframe changes the content in all regular frames following the keyframe on the timeline until the next keyframe.
If your animation program creates movies at 12
fps
(frames per second) by default, inserting a keyframe every 12 frames results in a change in the action every second.
A project with 60 frames results in a 5-second movie.
Slide21Create Frame-by-Frame Animation
When you insert a keyframe, you can change its content in a variety of ways. You can add and delete objects, replace one object with another, move objects, resize or rotate objects, and so on.
All these actions simulate some kind of motion or action. For example, you may have seen advertisements that flash different messages on the Web.
In this case, the animation’s creator replaced one image or text object with another keyframe.
Slide22Create Frame-by-Frame Animation
As you are building your animation, remember to add a keyframe where you want the animation to stop.
The keyframe should e placed to allow sufficient viewing time after the final content change
If you insert a new graphic at frame 35, for instance , place the final keyframe at frame 50 to allow for the display of the final graphic.
Slide23Preview an Animation
You can preview an animation at any time during its creation.
Leading animation programs offer several ways to preview your final animation.
You can drag the
Playhead
– the vertical red marker in the Timeline – to see how the animation progresses. ( Drag the playhead toward frame 1 to rewind the movie!)
You can also use commands on a menu such as “Control” to play or rewind the movie.
By previewing the animation before you publish the final movie, you can identify and eliminate problems.
Slide24Create Motion and Path Animation
Keyframes provide you with even greater power when you want to include real action in your animation. You can create a motion Tween
for an object using keyframes.
The animation program calculates the proper position for the object in each frame between the keyframes.
It’s called “
tweening
” because the program creates the in-between frames for you. You can create two different types of movement using tweening: basic motion and path animation.
Slide25Basic Motion Animation
The first type of movement, a basic motion animation, is created when an object’s position is different at the end of the movie from the start of the movie.
Place the object in its starting position in the first keyframe.
In the last keyframe, move the object to its final position.
Slide26Basic Motion Animation
When you instruct the animation program to create a tween, it creates a straight path between the two positions, and the object moves along the path during the movie.
Animation programs differ greatly in the steps to create motion.
In Flash, you create motion tweens using either a menu command or an option on the property inspector.
Slide27Path Animation
If you want your object to follow a more elaborate route, use the second type of movement tweening: path animation.
When creating a
path animation
, you draw the route or motion path the object should follow.
The animation program again calculates the object’s proper position along the route for each frame.
A
motion path
is drawn on a guide layer to control path animation and can include curves, loops and angles.
Slide28Path Animation
You have few limits in determining where you want your objects to travel.
To create path animation, you must insert a special layer in the animation called a motion guide layer.
You draw the path for the animation on this layer.
To draw the path, you can use tools such as the Pencil or Pen, or another shape tool.
Slide29Use Layers
Layers
enable you to enrich the content of any movie.
Layers, are like transparent sheets stacked on top of each other.
Layers appear as part of the Timeline, with a separate row on the Timeline for each layer.
Layers allow you to position objects in front of one another.
Slide30Use Layers
For example, you can have objects on one or more layers and also use a layer to include a background behind the objects.
Placing objects on different layers lets you animate an object on one layer while leaving the other objects static (not moving).
You can create simultaneous motion on different layers, such as having an object on one layer follow a motion path while an object on another layer simply changes in color or appearance every several frames or so.
Slide31Use Layers
Using layers also makes editing easier.
You can change the content on one layer without disturbing the work you’ve done on the other layers in your animation.
Generally, the order of your layers in the Timeline controls which content appears “in front” of the content of layers.
To content of layers higher in the list appear in the front of the content on other layers lower on the list.
Thus, if you want to create a layer to hold background content, it should be last in the list of layers.
Slide32Use Layers
Layers allow you a great degree of flexibility because you can modify them in a number of ways after creating them.
You can add and delete layers as needed, hide and redisplay layers or even lock a layer to prevent further editing.
To select a layer to work on, just click the layer name.
Slide33Copy or move a Frame or Frame Series
Because you may not know exactly what you want from an animation until you see it onscreen, you may need to adjust the order of some frames.
Or you may like a particular animation sequence so well that you decide to copy it to numerous locations in your animation.
You may even decide that you need to extend an animation sequence.
Slide34Copy or move a Frame or Frame Series
You can accomplish all these objectives by working with the frames on the Timeline.
If you want to move or copy a motion sequence, be sure to select both the first and last keyframes.
Pasting the copied or moved sequence overwrites existing content in the destination frames, so insert blank frames first, if needed, to hold the pasted frames.
Slide35Copy or move a Frame or Frame Series
To move or copy a sequence with a motion path, select the frames on both the motion guide layer and the content layer before moving or copying.
When you are inserting or deleting frames on one layer, make sure to adjust the number of frames in other layers as required.
Otherwise, the animation may end for one layer but continue for others.
Slide36View Multiple Frames
Most animation programs offer an
onion skin
feature that enables you to view the contents of multiple frames onscreen at once.
When you do so, you can check an objects motion and determine whether you may need to make slight changes to the position of an object in a particular frame.
In this way, the onion skin functions as a static preview of a portion of your animation.
Slide37View Multiple Frames
When active, the onion skin feature displays two markers on the Timeline, a starting marker and an ending marker.
Drag these markers to
e
nclose the frames you want to check.
When you use this feature, consider hiding all layers, but those holding the motion sequence.
You’ll be able to see the onionskin objects much more clearly if you do.
Slide38Test a Movie
The onion skin feature can really help you fine tune your animation, but it doesn’t offer the excitement of viewing the live motion.
You can use a command such as “play” to preview your animation or “Test a Movies” in a window that simulates a Web Browser.
This allows you to see how your animation may look when viewed on a web page.
Slide39Test a Movie
You can find the command to test a movie on the same menus as the command to play the animation.
This menu may also offer commands to control how many times the animation plays.
A Loop command, for example, prompts the movie to play over and over until you issue a “Stop” command.
Slide40DAILY HOMEWORK
We complete 1 chapter in a week.
Monday
–Read chapter & Complete all chapter vocabulary-
Due Monday
Tuesday
– Complete True-False & Fill in the blank questions –
Due Tuesday.
Wed/Thurs
– Complete Written Questions –
Due Friday
Homework is due daily.
10 points off every day its late.
You can turn work in early- just in case of absences.
Absences are not excuses.
Work received after the assigned week is late and receives 50%.
Slide41Vocabulary
AnimationFpsFrameKeyframeLayerMotion pathMovieOnion Skin
Panel
Path Animation
Playhead
Project File
Stage
Timeline
Tween
Slide42True or False
You should create a stage as large as your monitor?
A common method of adding content to frames is to import graphics created in another program
Keyframes hold special characters called controllers
Insert a keyframe each time you want to change the animation action
It is best to preview an animation only when you have finished creating it.
Slide43True or False
You cannot change the position of frames once you’ve added them?
In basic motion animation, you draw a path for an object to follow?
Layers make it easy to position objects in front of one another?
Background objects would usually appear in the layer at the top of the layer list?
If you intend to copy frames, you should first create blank frames to hold the copied frames?
Slide44Written Questions
What do you add to specify a change such as a new graphic or motion in an animation?What is the simplest technique for creating movement in an animation?What do you add to have an object move along a particular route in an animation sequence?
What feature enables you to select frames and view a static preview?
What can you do to a keyframe to change the length of an animation sequence?
Slide45Fill in the Blank
The _____ holds frames in the animation
The _____ holds imported graphics
Use tools in the _____ to draw or manipulate objects on an animation layer
Drag the _____ to rewind or play a movie in an animation program
To have the animation program calculate movement from one frame to another,
craete
a(n) _____
Slide46Fill in the Blank
Insert a(n) _____ layer to create path animation.
_____ a layer so that its content does not appear on the stage.
To select multiple layers, click one layer, hold down _____, and click another layer.
The _____ feature lets you view the contents of multiple frames at the same time.
Use the _____ command to play an animation over and over until you issues a “Stop” command.
Slide47Project Assignment
Flash Skill lessons