30536a - Learning Activity 01

30536a - Learning Activity 1

Rate your experience

Rate your current experience with manipulating the following elements by ticking the box if you feel you have the skills.  Download PDF and print this page to complete.

Text

v     Use an illustration package to create and manipulate type

v     Use a layout package to place type

v     Understand the restrictions placed on text on the web

v     Know what a web-safe font is

v     Apply styles

v     Install fonts

Apart from the restrictions placed on text on the web and knowing what a ‘web safe’ font is (what are those), I am familiar with all the tasks.

Still images

v     Use an image editing package such as Photoshop or Lightroom

v     Manipulate layers

v     Select and edit objects using a range of selection tools

v     Use masks

v     Colour correct an image

v     Export in different formats

I have a basic understanding of image editing in Photoshop and Lightroom in all those functions.

Audio

v     Download mp3 files

v     Use an audio editing package to edit tracks

v     Apply special effects

v     Record a voice over

v     Make a podcast

I can download mp3 files and record voice-overs, and maybe ‘rip’ CD (compact disc) tracks to mp3 (and syncing them to an iPod or something familiar), but that would be about it.

Animation

v     Use an animation tool such as Flash

v     Create layers and guides

v     Import assets

v     Understand key frames and tweening

v     Use symbols and the library

v     Create masks

This is something I will have to familiarise myself with more, as I am not overly familiar with flash.  Being a cartoonist by trade, I am mainly familiar with doing comic strips and/or scanning the images to JPEG format or something similar.  I am not so familiar with Flash or any other Adobe video editing products.  There are some less expensive software packages that I have used to create videos and animations.  I am familiar with those ones. 

One is Microsoft Movie Maker – this came with Microsoft Office, and it enabled me to make videos from home movies, and to add text, still images and sound.  More up to date versions of Office allow one to export PowerPoint presentations and convert them to videos (wmv for Microsoft).

Other software applications, like Roxio, enable the same thing (and they allow one to burn the videos to a DVD, so one can watch it on the ‘big screen’).

Another software package I have used is Clay Animation, whereby one can shoot the frames screen-by-screen and then convert it to video (mpeg) format.  While it allows one to add sound, this audio format is WAV, not mp3.