Audio Editing

As well as using Flash, I have used Audacity to make and edit my 2 soundtracks. Firstly I took the song "In Motion" by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for the background music. Obviously this song is over 60 seconds long so needed editing down. To do this I used Audacity, and selected a short 5 second clip, which is a breakdown in the song but will act as my finish. You can Cut and Paste Audio selections in Audacity so I cut the selection out, deleted the rest of the song and added Pasted the selection to the end of the animation.

Next, for the Narration, I used a External Microphone to record my Narration. Then When in Audacity, there are a number of changes to be made. Firstly, To shorten the length of the clips, I deleted any downtime and silence in the Audio File by selecting and deleting the relevant sections.

Then, using the Add Label at Selection Tool, the user can create tracks within the recording. Put simply where ever you label the recording, when you export it'll become a Track. I used this tool to split each Track into relevant subject, e,g by the devices it explained. This will make it easier for me to place into flash.

Lastly, you can export the Tracks into MP3s using the Export Multiple option. Here you define a storage area and the Export settings and Audacity makes multiple tracks based on your labels.

I can now import these into my Flash Library, and place them into the Animation, using the time line and key frames to edit things like volume etc.

On reflection, I could have used a more reliable and quality audio capture device, the quality wasn't terrible but it could have sounded better. I am also having initial issues  with

Week 9 - Producing the Animation Part 2

With all my images prepared and completed my opening sequence, my Animation has really taken shape. As the core of the Animation is relatively simple in terms of technique, I have mastered one effect and then repeated throughout the animation. This means I have just hit 44 seconds of Animation, mainly made up of Shape tweens.

I put effort into making the "Speed Ball" tween. For the sections when the inkblot moves across the page, instead of just being a moving ball, it streamlines itself during movement, as if being acted on by air resistance. This gives makes it streak across the page, hopefully rounding off the idea that the balls of ink are animated.

I have also have made an attempt at using Motion Guides. So far this has been difficult, and I'm finding it difficult to move the balls across screen let alone, add in a "Speed Ball" shape tween. I will have to think about this more and do more work before Friday, where I hope to finish.

Week 8 - Producing the Animation Part 1

With the pre-Production work completer, and various tests undertaken, I have started animating the Project. I have followed my storyboard, with so far the only changes made slightly altering the amount of frames per storyboard panel to allow for my own editing preferences. The animation is quite fluid, with my aim main is to use and perfect the Shape Tween. This is the tween that morphs one shape into the other. I have so far done both simple morphs, such as an inkblot to elipse shape. I have done the double break apart's of text, to go from an elipse to text and the most complicated effect, multi layer, simultaneous morphs, all using the same shape tween method.

The process, while enjoyable is alot more time consuming than I thought, especially when coming to multiple morphs at the same time. I also need to consider producing the rest of my Vectorized and recoloured images. Only vectorized images created in a programme like Adobe Illustrator can Shape Tween, but as the computers in E21 don't have this software they will need to be prepared outside of class.