A2 IT Animation

A2 IT Animation

1. Fundamentals

   • Objects and Images
     • An object should, ideally, be in its own layer to allow for it to be manipulated independently. Objects can be made up of many different components that are grouped together
       • Objects can be vector drawn shapes such as a rectangle or circle
         • Images from other software can be imported into the animation file. These will have their own layer
           • Objects can be hidden to make manipulating other objects easier
             • When an object is transformed in a keyframe, it will remain that shape from that point onwards
   • The stage
     • The area in animation software where you draw and create your animation
       • AKA the canvas and is measured in pixels. Has a set of x and y coordinates that can be used to locate pixels accurately
         • The top left corner has the coordinates (0,0)
   • Opacity
     • Can also be known as the alpha value
       • Can be manipulated during an animation to create fade in and out effects
   • Text
     • Can be added where the style, colour and font of the text can be changed
       • Can be manipulated using layers, tween and opacity

2. Frames, timeline, layers and timings

   • Frame
     • An animation is made up of a series of frames that are played quickly to give the illusion of movement
       • Users can choose the number of frames per second, the more FPS the smoother the video
   • Timeline
     • Made up of frames in a chronological order from left to right
       • Can move up and down the timeline by referencing the frame number
   • Key Frame
     • Identifies the change in an image
       • Automatically added by choosing a time in the timeline and changing the objects in the animation
   • Layers
     • An animation is made up of layers which each has its own animation schedule
       • These should have an appropriate and descriptive name to not get layers confused
         • Important that objects that need to move independently are in their own layer
           • Can create layer folders to help organisatin
   • Timings
     • In each second, a certain number of frames can be held
       • The higher the FPS the smoother the animation will be but the shorter the animation will be/the more frames are required

3. Tweenings

   • Tweens are placed so that the animation seems more realistic and less "robotic" as the computer will generate the animation between an objects change in key frames
   • Motion Tween
     • Deals with the movement of an object, the computer fills in the gap between an objects movement
       • The item you want to tween needs to be an "object" or "symbol" before you start moving it
   • Shape tween
     • Allows a shape to be changed into a new shape
       • Also known as morphing
         • Shape tweens can also include movement