BP14_Flash3

I have finished my first tutorial series on creating a webiste using Flash at Lynda.com with Paul Trani.  Very informative!!  The program itself is incredibly complicated and multidimensional.  However, in the training with Paul Trani, he breaks it down into sizable chunks so that it can be followed.  The training series is broken down into ten sections that walk you through the initial setup of the website to publishing.  Believe me there are a lot of things in between!

After watching this series of informational videos I know why those annoying advertisements start playing out of nowhere.  The advertisers have it set that way, but now I know how they did it!  I also am aware of the annoying sites where you aren't able to tab your way through text areas when entering data.  They haven't entered the code into Flash that allows that.  The default sends you to the navigation bar's first button.  Little things like that I will now be aware of as I am surfing the web.

Here is my certificate for completing the first training session in Flash at Lynda.com.

 
I can assure you that the first time I have to complete a project using Flash I will be watching the tutorial for each section and then completing my project for that section.  That in itself makes Lynda.com an asset that you can't live without.  Especially in Full Sail time!!!

BP13_Flash2

Flash truly takes websites to another level.  Websites using a template are the fast food of websites.  Flash websites are like dining at a five star restaurant.  A totally different experience altogether!

There is so much interaction and dimension that can be added to websites using Flash.  The key seems to be to keep it systematic when adding layers to the different pages.  When you are adding audio to buttons you want to add the audio to each button at the same time so that the audio will occur each time a user clicks on one of the navigation buttons.

Screenshot from Paul Trani training at Lynda.com

One of the amazing things about Flash and the reason it is so difficult to navigate is there are so many options that the user has to choose from.  This is of coarse why it is such an amazing program and why it creates stunningly interactive websites.  Just in the adding audio section alone there were multiple ways in which the user was able to manipulate or edit the audio being uploaded.  First the user was able to choose and edit the audio from a library or upload their own.  Second once the audio was chosen the user then is able to choose from options of how long the audio will play, how loud, how it will fade and to what degree it will be interactive to the user through roll over bars.

Another feature to Flash that is outrageously creative is the video capabilities.  The user is able to upload video from a multiple range of sources and then the choices really start to appear.  The user is able to manipulate the way in which the frame fits around the video, the tools that are attached to the video bar, the viewing options and the way in which the video is introduced to the screen through animation.  The animation library has many options for the user to choose from.  Once the animation is chosen then the user is able to manipulate that action to fit his or her own specifications.  So even though the user is choosing from a set group of animations, he or she is able to manipulate it enough to make it their own.

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Wow, what a complicated program!  Basically, Flash is a progam that designs websites by layering graphics and text onto a one dimensional panel.  By layering with tabs and buttons the viewer of the website will only see a layer at a time.  But, to the designer all of the layers are visible.  After watching the first four training sections on Lynda.com it occurred to me that I am very grateful that this program isn't introduced to us until the sixth class in our program.  If we were expected to create our first website with Flash, instead of using the template program of iweb, I don't know if I would have made it this far into the program.  But, after the experiences of the first four months under my belt I know that I will be able to figure Flash out as well.  I am grateful, however, for the chance to preview this very complicated program before I am expected to produce something with it!

Here is a screenshot from Lynda.com of Paul Trani taking the viewers step by step in creating a basic Flash website.

Adding layers of graphics into Flash

From my beginning perspective on the program Flash it is imperative that the user keep very organized while creating.  Each layer must be created in a systematic way.  Each button and graphic must be added in the same order for each of the pages in the same order.  Otherwise, it would be very easy to forget a graphic on one of the pages or add two to one page and none to another.  It is also important to become familiar with the program, Photoshop.  As Paul Trani takes us step by step in creating this website most of the graphics that he is importing come ready from Photoshop.  I would follow this advice and create using Flash as he suggests.  The time to experiment, it seems to me, is after one becomes familiar enough with a program to feel comfortable enough with the standard way to create in a program.  Then is the time to play with it and come up with your own way of doing things. 

BP11_Xtranormal Commercial

This is the commercial that I created for Xtranormal with Xtranormal.  I hope that you enjoy it!!

BP10_Blog Review

Here is a link to my comment on Kevin McLain's blog.

BP9_Blog Review

Here is a link to my comments on Noelia's blog.

BP8_Xtranormal Review

Xtranormal is an animation Web2.0 tool that is fun and easy to use!

This tool creates short animated videos from text.  Simply choose your setting and characters and you are ready to get started.  By clicking on the character you are able to add text that the character will say in the video.  You can add facial expressions and body movements.  You can change the camera angle to allow the characters to seem more real.  There is even a place to add your own voice to characters if you wish to not use the computer generated voices for your characters.

I can see students really enjoying the ability to create animated stories to share with their peers.  You could even connect it to a theme that you are studying, so that they could infuse some of the knowledge of a particular subject that the class is studying into their video.  I can see this tool as a very enticing program to get students writing who otherwise are not motivated to do so.  I am currently working in a secondary special ed class and I can see several assignments where this may be an activity to showcase the knowledge that they have gained at the end of the theme.  Many of these students have to be enticed to do any writing at all.  However, most of them are very involved with digital technology and video games.  The likeness of the characters in this tool to that will create a lot of excitement for the assignment.

Once you have created a video there are many ways to share it.  You can upload it to Facebook, Youtube, Myspace and a variety of other social networks.  You can also email it to yourself and share an url of the video to view right on the Xtranormal site.

The downside to this tool is that it isn't a very sophisticated animation tool.  The motion of the characters and the speech are  a little jolty and unreal.  However, it is a wonderful program to get started with!