Empowered User
Basic Animation
For more than a decade, a program called Adobe Flash was used to create interactive animations and games on the web. Flash was used in service of terrible designs and unnecessary animations, but it was also used by artists, designers, and game developers to create compelling digital content. Unfortunately, the browser plug-in used to deliver Flash content earned a well-deserved reputation for memory leaks and system crashes. First, mobile phones cut off support for Flash content. Eventually, by the end of 2016, most leading browser manufacturers did the same.
The good news is this: Adobe Flash CC has been rebranded as Adobe Animate CC. Rather than creating animations in the clunky Flash format, the reinvented toolkit can be used to create animations that will play in any browser.
In order to complete this badge, you will need access to a copy of Adobe Animate CC. You can download a thirty-day trial version from Adobe, and you can also access the software on any of the lab computers. (Note: This badge is not available for students who have already taken the mobile gaming course. If you have taken the mobile gaming course and are interested in pursuing an intermediate animation badge, please contact me via e-mail.)
BADGE DELIVERABLES
- Log on to Lynda.Com, and locate "Adobe Animate CC: The Basics" by Joseph Labrecque. This tutorial's duration is 2 hours and 21 minutes, so you should expect to devote approximately 5 hours to following along with the tutorial.
- Work through the first nine modules of this tutorial. Don't just watch and try to memorize the steps. Instead, you should follow along with the instructor, with your hands on the mouse and keyboard. In order to do this, you will need to download the "exercise files" that are linked to the lesson. If you are unable to locate the files, please contact me, and I'll point you in the right direction.
- When you have finished the first nine modules, use what you have learned about Adobe Animate CC to create a 30 to 60 second animated movie that depicts interactions between at least two moving characters.
- When you have finished creating your animation, publish your project in HTML5 format and upload all of the files to a subfolder of your account on the class web server.
- On your personal blog, in a short (3-5 paragraph) blog posting with a captioned screenshot, include a link to your HTML file and explain how you created your animation. What is your initial reaction to the Adobe Animate environment? What would you like to learn how to do next with this tool?
- Remember to complete the badge assignment by e-mailing Dr. Delwiche with the subject line "Pending: Empowered User Animation" and be sure to link to your blog posting in that message.
USEFUL RESOURCES
- Ben Moss, 2016, "First look at Adobe's Animate CC," Web Designer Depot, February 9.