Web Animation for Dummies

by Baron, Cynthia L.; Lewinter, Renee

• ISBN13: 9780764501951
• ISBN10: 076450195X
• Edition: CD
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-09-01
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc

Summary

Provides tips for creating Web animation, including choosing color, using type and photos, and preparing a sequence of images for animation

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(6)
How to Use This Book	1	(1)
How This Book Is Organized	2	(2)
Part I: Room to Move: Animation Basics	3	(1)
Part II: Tricks with Pix	3	(1)
Part III: Heavy Lifting: Making Technology Work for You	3	(1)
Part IV: Getting Moving: Animating GIFs & Plug-Ins on Parade	3	(1)
Part V: The Part of Tens	4	(1)
Part VI: Appendixes	4	(1)
No Margin for Error: All About Those Icons	4	(1)
Moving Right Along	5	(2)
Part I: Room to Move: Animation Basics	7	(76)
Chapter 1: Surveying a Moving Landscape	9	(22)
The Many Faces of Web Animation	10	(2)
Personal Web sites: Anything goes	10	(1)
Business Web sites: Not quite button-down	11	(1)
Animated advertising: A banner year	11	(1)
Editorial animation	11	(1)
Split Levels: The Animation Continuum	12	(16)
Easy threshold solutions	12	(4)
GIF animation	12	(3)
Repurposing presentation software	15	(1)
Midrange solutions for more power	16	(9)
Java applets	17	(3)
Inline plug-ins	20	(2)
Going inline	22	(3)
Programmer's paradise	25	(3)
VRML and animation	26	(1)
CGI scripts	26	(2)
ActiveX	28	(1)
Learning to Love Your Limitations	28	(3)
Chapter 2: The Dream Theme -- Telling a Visual Story	31	(10)
What's the Big Idea?	31	(3)
Web animation is not a daytime game show	32	(1)
Brainstorming without galoshes	32	(2)
Cold Assessment: What Can You Really Do?	34	(2)
Make 'Em Laugh...Maybe	36	(1)
Connecting Ideas to Existing Sites	37	(3)
Animating logos	37	(1)
Animated buttons	38	(1)
Animations as emphasis	39	(1)
Come Into My Parlor, Said the Spider to the Fly	40	(1)
Chapter 3: Planning a Moving Experience	41	(14)
Surf's Up: Making a Storyboard without Wiping Out	42	(11)
Boy Scouts at the beach	42	(2)
Preparing the storyboard template	44	(2)
Location, location, location! Placing your characters	46	(2)
"I've been framed!" -- breaking out of the box	48	(1)
Using imaginary 3-D	49	(2)
Cropping to fit the action	51	(1)
If you can't beat 'em...join 'em!	52	(1)
The Secret of Index Cards	53	(2)
Chapter 4: Getting into Character	55	(28)
Setting the Mood -- Posing Your Characters	55	(10)
Strike a pose: Making simple changes for good effect	56	(1)
Asymmetry: Avoiding the perils of perfection	56	(3)
Personality: Becoming a minor god	59	(1)
Moody hues	60	(2)
The eyes have it	62	(2)
Body language	64	(1)
Dissecting the Moving Parts	65	(2)
Trading Technique for Technology	67	(2)
Onion-skinning without tears	67	(1)
Betwixt and in-between	68	(1)
Making Still Images Move: The Classic Techniques	69	(10)
Studies in Arc-y-ology	69	(4)
Making a mass with volume: Weight and gravity	73	(1)
Anticipation: The weighting game	74	(1)
Squash and stretch	75	(2)
Overlapping action	77	(1)
Speed up and slow down	77	(1)
Going cyc-lotic	78	(1)
Timing -- or, the Lowdown on Stand-Up	79	(4)
Part II: Tricks with Pix	83	(98)
Chapter 5: Color Me Simple	85	(22)
Color Is Not a Box of Chocolates	85	(5)
Finding the Color Picker	87	(2)
Deciphering the RGB numeric values	89	(1)
The Lean, Mean Palette for Fat-Free Color	90	(1)
Going Beyond Default Palettes	91	(2)
Making Your Custom Color Palette	93	(1)
Creating the Right Color Mix	94	(7)
The Color Model Sketch	95	(1)
Reading the color thermometer	96	(1)
Warm colors	97	(1)
Cool colors	98	(1)
Neutral colors	99	(2)
After Mixing, Throw Out the Blender!	101	(2)
Putting a Positive Spin on Negative Space	103	(2)
High Contrast Avoids High Anxiety	105	(2)
Chapter 6: Roll Over, Gutenberg, and Rock Your Type	107	(20)
Designing Type	108	(6)
Opening your type chest	108	(3)
Building a font family	111	(1)
Changing the proportional ratio	111	(1)
Changing the stroke thickness	112	(1)
Roman versus italic and script typefaces	113	(1)
Bagging the Right Typeface	114	(2)
Looking for Type Fonts?	116	(1)
Playing the Mix and Match Game	117	(5)
Combining serif with sans serif fonts	118	(2)
Opposites attract	120	(2)
Figuring Out When to Anti-Alias	122	(1)
Combining Titles and Text	123	(2)
Using Decorative Letters and Numbers Without Overkill	125	(1)
Flying Logos and Icons: How Not to Crash and Burn	126	(1)
Chapter 7: Art Without Guilt: Using Clip Art	127	(20)
Can't Draw? Don't Worry: Clip Art to the Rescue	127	(1)
Selecting Clip Art for Animation	128	(8)
Moving your visitor	129	(1)
Staying put	130	(1)
Other animating experiences	130	(1)
Escape from the endless edit	130	(2)
Collections originally designed for print	132	(1)
Buy their CD-ROM catalog sampler, or check out their Web site	132	(4)
Hints for Customizing Clip Art	136	(6)
Changing clip art colors	139	(1)
Modifying a silhouette to suggest action	140	(2)
Basic Training on Intellectual Property -- Garlic for Legal Vampires	142	(5)
First variation in our story	143	(1)
Second variation in our story	144	(3)
Chapter 8: Dynamic Photos	147	(20)
Raiding Your Photo Album	147	(4)
Scanning Your Photos	151	(3)
Getting Digital Photos Ready for the Web	154	(4)
Millions You Can Choose	158	(3)
Licensing and usage fees	158	(1)
File formats and file sizes	159	(1)
What's out there	160	(1)
Playing with Effects and Filters	161	(6)
Feathering an edge in Photoshop 4.0	161	(2)
Corel PHOTO-PAINT 6.0 artistic vignette effect	163	(1)
Creating a cutout drawing	163	(1)
Creating a cutout in Photoshop 4.0	164	(1)
Creating a cutout using Microsoft Image Composer 1.0	165	(2)
Chapter 9: Universal Graphic Widgets	167	(14)
Building Frames: One Layer at a Time	167	(4)
Grid for Action	171	(2)
Transforming Multiple Objects from One Source	173	(1)
Lifting a Finger: Creating Isolated Action in Your Image Area	174	(5)
Metamorphosing Photos into Clip Art	179	(2)
Part III: Heavy Lifting: Making Technology Work for You	181	(48)
Chapter 10: The Skinny on Image Size	183	(12)
Lessons in Economy	183	(9)
Image size	185	(1)
Cropping	186	(2)
Losing your resolution	188	(3)
Unnecessary background detail	191	(1)
Simplify, Simplify, Simplify	192	(3)
Virtual zit prevention made easy	193	(1)
Anti-aliasing can be counterproductive	193	(2)
Chapter 11: Mondo Conversion: Rehabbing Your Files	195	(26)
Choosing a File Format	196	(4)
GIF file format	196	(1)
System picture-file formats	196	(1)
TIFF file format	196	(1)
Photoshop file format	197	(1)
JPEG file format	197	(1)
Other file formats	197	(1)
What do we recommend?	197	(3)
How Do You Compress a File?	200	(3)
Making a JPEG conversion	200	(3)
Convert One for the GIFfer	203	(7)
The Incredible Shrinking GIF	210	(4)
Vive la Difference!	214	(7)
Chapter 12: Getting Browser Ready	221	(8)
Planning Events	221	(1)
Appreciating the Value of Testing	221	(3)
Attaching Your Animation to Your HTML Page	224	(2)
Quo Vadis? Seeing Your Animation Through Browsing Eyes	226	(3)
Part IV: Getting Moving: Animating GIFs & Plug-Ins on Parade	229	(72)
Chapter 13: Free Ride: Web Animation on a Shoestring	231	(22)
Common Ground	231	(5)
Position	234	(1)
Delay	234	(1)
Disposal	234	(1)
Looping	235	(1)
Using GifBuilder -- Moving in Place	236	(9)
Bringing in the files	236	(1)
Transparency obscura	237	(2)
Setting universal animation options in GifBuilder	239	(1)
Changing frame size	239	(2)
The delights of delay	241	(1)
A good disposal method	242	(1)
Getting a little loopy	242	(1)
Using the special features of GifBuilder	243	(1)
Using transitioning effects	243	(2)
Shrinking after we dissolve	245	(1)
Using Microsoft Gif Animator -- Seeing Stars	245	(8)
Chapter 14: Cheap Tricks: Inexpensive Web Animation Software	253	(22)
Animating with GIFmation Special Features	254	(9)
Opening multiple animations	254	(1)
Making real-time edits	254	(1)
Building global palettes automatically	255	(3)
Controlling transparency	258	(1)
Editing anti-aliased edges	259	(2)
Onion-skinning	261	(2)
Using GIF Construction Set	263	(12)
Using the Animation Wizard	264	(5)
Making an LED sign	269	(1)
Creating soft shadow banners	270	(3)
Editing transitions	273	(2)
Chapter 15: You Pay, You Play: Commercial Web Animation Software	275	(16)
Java Applet of Our Eye: WebMotion	276	(3)
Why use WebMotion?	276	(2)
Drawbacks?	278	(1)
Flexing Animation Muscle: RubberWeb Composer	279	(3)
Why use RubberWeb?	279	(1)
Drawbacks?	280	(2)
Tripping the Light Fantastic: ObjectDancer	282	(2)
Why use ObjectDancer?	282	(1)
Drawbacks?	283	(1)
All in One Box: WebPainter	284	(3)
Why use WebPainter?	285	(1)
Drawbacks?	286	(1)
No Flash in the Pan: Macromedia Flash 2	287	(4)
Why use Flash?	288	(1)
Drawbacks?	288	(3)
Chapter 16: Making the Final Cut	291	(10)
The Wisdom to Tell the Difference	291	(1)
Major Problems -- Can This Movie Be Saved?	292	(1)
Minor Headaches -- Take Two Aspirin And	293	(8)
The file is too big	293	(1)
Animation as football field	293	(1)
Animation deep as a well	294	(1)
The file is too long	294	(1)
Limiting yourself to one simple action	295	(1)
Breaking up your animation	295	(1)
The file is too slow	296	(1)
Delaying reaction	296	(1)
Eliminating frame creep	297	(1)
The file runs rough	298	(1)
The case of the missing frames	298	(1)
The case of the incomplete edit	298	(1)
The case of the mixed messages	299	(1)
Post-animation blues	299	(1)
Please make it stop!	299	(1)
The file worked fine on my system!	300	(1)
Part V: The Part of Tens	301	(18)
Chapter 17: The Checklist -- Ten Software Gotta Haves	303	(4)
Gotta Have Layers	303	(1)
Gotta Have Scale, Skew, Rotate, Flip, and Flop	304	(1)
Gotta Have Transparent Background	304	(1)
Gotta Have Palette Optimization	304	(1)
Gotta Have Placing Coordinates	305	(1)
Gotta Have Netscape and Microsoft Browser Compliance	305	(1)
Gotta Have Editing for Text, Image, Header, and Comment Blocks	305	(1)
Gotta Have a Viewer	306	(1)
Gotta Have a Download Test	306	(1)
Gotta Have Good Documentation	306	(1)
Chapter 18: Ten Commandments of Image Conversion	307	(4)
Thou shalt consider bandwidth and keep it holy	308	(1)
Thou shalt crop thy files to their minimum	308	(1)
Thou shalt work at screen resolution	308	(1)
Thou shalt scale files before indexing	309	(1)
Thou shalt edit before JPEG conversion	309	(1)
Thou shalt index to the Netscape palette	309	(1)
Thou shalt optimize thy palette	309	(1)
Thou shalt not dither flat art	310	(1)
Thou shalt not anti-alias moving objects	310	(1)
Thou shalt not interlace animation frames	310	(1)
Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Make the Earth Move	311	(8)
Earth Turning	312	(1)
Earth Closing In	312	(1)
Earth Circling Sun	313	(1)
Rock 'n' Roll Earth	313	(1)
Earth Walk	314	(1)
Earth: Soccer It to Me	315	(1)
Earth Lifting	315	(1)
Earth Express	316	(1)
Earth Moving	317	(1)
Earth Rising	318	(1)
Part VI: Appendixes	319	(16)
Appendix A: Places to Visit Online	321	(6)
Global resources	321	(1)
Searching Yahoo!	321	(1)
Web sites that go somewhere	321	(1)
All about GIF animation	322	(1)
Freeware and shareware to download	322	(1)
Resources	322	(5)
Software and Filters	322	(1)
Fonts	323	(1)
Stock Photography Agencies	324	(1)
Clip Art, Stock Photo, and Textures CD-ROM Collections	324	(1)
Royalty-Free Sound and Music CD-ROMs	325	(1)
Digital Cameras	325	(2)
Appendix B: About the CD	327	(8)
System requirements	327	(1)
How to use the CD using Microsoft Windows	328	(1)
How to use the CD using a Mac OS computer	329	(1)
What you find	330	(3)
Animation tools and viewers	330	(1)
Authoring and imaging tools	331	(1)
Image and sound samplers	332	(1)
If you have problems (of the CD kind)	333	(2)
Glossary	335	(6)
Index	341
IDG Books Worldwide Registration Card	Back of Book