Tag Archives: Animate

Introduction to Adobe Animate CC – Spring 2024

Welcome to Adobe Animate CC! Where Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard vector graphics drawing program, a program called Adobe Flash was the industry standard in rich media production for much of the past decade. Flash allowed its users to produce everything from basic animations to interactive multimedia experiences, to applications such as games.

Adobe Animate works a lot like Flash, but adds a lot of new features that are only possible in HTML5, the current web code standard. We are going to spend the next couple of weeks learning about Adobe Animate, exploring its relationship to Illustrator, and learning how both programs can help you to develop rich interactive multimedia experiences for the web.  

Objectives:

  • Identify the elements of the Animate interface, including the Stage, Timeline, Panels and Tool Panel.
  • Produce Rectangle, Rectangle Primitive, Oval, Oval Primitive and Polystar shapes, and discuss their properties.
  • Explain the difference between Object-Drawn shapes drawn with and Merge-drawn Shapes.
  • Explain the difference between Shape Primitives and standard Shapes.

Student Friendly Objectives:

  • I can  identify the elements of the Animate interface.
  • I can produce shapes using the Animate tools.
  • I can explain the difference between a shape drawn with Object Drawing enabled and disabled.
  • I can explain the difference between a Shape Primitive and a standard Shape.

Video Links:

Adobe Animate CC
How to Create and Publish an HTML5 Canvas Document 

Topics Discussed:

  • Start a new document in Animate CC using the Welcome screen.
  • HTML5
  • Canvas
  • Stage
  • Timeline
  • Panels
  • Tool Panel
  • Rectangle Tool
  • Rectangle Primitive Tool
  • Oval
  • Oval Primitive Tool
  • Polystar Tool
  • Object Drawing

Assignment:

  1. Produce a single HTML5 Canvas. Name it “Your Name – Animate Day 1″
  2. Edit the properties of the Stage to make a 30fps, 1280 x 720 pixel (HD) stage for animation. Change the color of the stage to any color you like (other than the default white).
  3. Use the Shape tools to draw examples of the following shapes:
    • Rectangle
    • Rectangle Primitive
    • Oval
    • Oval Primitive
    • Polystar Polygon
    • Polystar Star
    • Two overlapping Object drawn shapes (representing the properties of Objects)
    • Two overlapping Merge drawn shapes, where one shape takes a “bite” out of the other
  4. Upload the completed “Your Name – Animate Day 1.fla” file to the “Introduction to Adobe Animate CC” assignment post on the Google Classroom page by the end of the day on Friday.

Assigned: April 18th, 2024
Due Date: April 19th, 2024

Adobe Animate – Final “Pac-Man” Animation

Objective:

  •  I can use Adobe Animate to produce a complete HTML5 animation that tells a story featuring Pac-Man.

Links:

Topics Discussed:

  • For a complete list of Topics Discussed, please see the previous lessons.

Assignment:

  • First, create a new HD 1280 x 720 HTML5 animation document running at 30fps.
  • Use File -> Import -> Import to Stage or the “Pin Library” techniques demonstrated in class to move the “Pac-Man” graphic symbol, and any other symbols that you wish to use in your animation to your new document.
  • Using the Adobe Animate CC techniques studied in class, your task is to design an HTML5 animation using motion  tweens and embedded animation to have Pac-Man “wocka” as he moves onto the stage, performs some action, then leaves the stage. Take a look at the Pac-Man Intermissions YouTube video above for inspiration!
  • Your animation must be a minimum of 8 seconds long, without titles. (That’s at least 240 frames at 30fps!)
  • Your animation should have a basic story that should be obvious to the viewer. What kind of story can you tell with Pac-Man? What other characters will you need to add to tell your story? Will you need to use text or word bubbles to create dialogue? Remember that Pac-Man must enter the stage, perform his action, then leave the stage. Depending on the story you want to tell, 8 seconds may not be enough!
  • Your animation should have at least one original background. You may use a background that you produced on your own, or you may use an original photograph (one you took on your own). You may not use any photographs downloaded from the internet. Alternately, you may draw your own background in Illustrator, Animate, or Photoshop.
  • Your animation should have an audio soundtrack. I will provide music clips to use, but you may import music that you have available as long as you use less than 8 seconds of music. You may create sounds using Garageband if you have experience with this software.
  • You may only use images and text that you have created yourself. This includes artwork, photographs and animations. You may, however, use downloaded audio under fair use guidelines if the clip you place is shorter than 8 seconds. Anything else that you did not create yourself may not be used.
  • When your animation is complete, save it as “YOUR NAME – Final Animation.fla”.
  • Seniors: Turn the finished .fla Animation file  to the Google Classroom “Final Animation” assignment post by end of day on Friday, May 19th.
  • Underclassmen: You may turn in the finished .fla Animation file to the Google Classroom “Final Animation” assignment post by end of day on Monday, May 22nd.
  • Everyone will be taking a multiple-choice final exam on Friday, May 19th. Seniors who complete the exam early may use the remaining time to turn in their Final Animation, if necessary.
  • All completed movies will be viewed at an in-class film presentation on May 23rd.
  • You must have an 8-second movie to present by end of day on Monday, May 22nd, bearing in mind that Tuesday the 23rd is a half-day where we will be watching the finished products together. Failure to have a movie to present on the half-day Presentation Day will result in an “zero” on your final project grade.

Do your best, and good luck!

Assigned: May 11th, 2023
Due Date: May 22nd, 2023