Tutorial for Illustrator

http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Flash_bitmap_tracing_tutorial

Tracing a bitmap with Illustrator

Step1 - Trace the bitmap

Illustrator CS3 has more sophisticated bitmaps tracing features. Here is a very short example that includes a shape tween:

• Open the picture in Illustrator
• Select it
• Now you will have a "Live Trace button" on the control panel on top
• Next to it is a little pulldown menu from which you can select various options, for a portrait you may choose "Color 16"

Live tracing with IllustratorCS3

Once you hit the trace button, the controls on top will change and you can play with all sorts tracing methods and parameters

Live tracing controls with IllustratorCS3

Step2 - Import to Flash

• Copy/paste if from Illustrator with the options: Paste using AI File Importer preferences and untick maintain layers
• You may adjust the size of the stage to the size of the picture somewhat, I chose to add some big margins for a reason you will see later.
• Convert it to a symbol (so that you have a copy in the library)

Step 3 - Break it Apart

• Then right-click->Break Apart
• You have to do this several times, since illustrator produced object groups within object groups (use ctrl-Z if you think you went too far).

Step 4 - Create a new keyframe

• Right-click on frame 20 and hit F6 to create a new keyframe with the same picture.

Step 5 - Distort the picture in keyframe 1

Try everything you can

• Select parts and change the color with the paint bucket. That's actually the only thing I did
• You also can move parts, but probably you then should start with a much simple ray trace.
• Distort parts with the Selection Tool, the Subselection tool and the Free Transform tool

Step 6 - Add a shape tween between the two frames

... enjoy

Tune

• You also may at the very end (after the last keyframe) insert the original jpg picture. Tracing bitmaps is a very difficult issue, since there are many kinds of algorithms you can select from.

Basically the machine must be told how to group similar pixels together into a vector objects. For example, an algorithm can group together pixels with similar brightness, similar color, or try to find lines from similar pixels.

Publish

• In the HTML setting you probably want to take off the "loop" option

You can admire the result

Files: flash-cs3-shape-picture-morphing.*)

Directory: http://tecfa.unige.ch/guides/flash/ex/shape-tweening-intro/

Updated Animatic

I've updated the animatic with my pencil tests and Sam's Logo. I've also tried to add more shots of the audience like Mike and Dan suggested. Timing may need to be worked out.

Theme Music

Here is the theme music. I wanted this chicken-picking country feel to it. I like it. My brother Lewis wrote the music.

New Animation Tests, Drawings and Such

Here are some drawings from the animation. They are still drawings that will be animated later in after effects.

Here is the Prof with the light shade on his head.
Here is the Prof looking inot the audience.

Here is the Prof shocked with lightshade on his head.

Here is Mort worried.

Mort Twang.

Mort in pain..

Mort

Fatbback Bits in gravy gloop.

Well Mike told me to put more bits of the audience in, which I hope to get some 2nd years to do. Hence these are shots to tell the 2nd years what I need. I'll put them in the animatic.

Here are the two pencil tests that I did yesterday. The first is Mort being selected from the audience. The second is Mort's head swelling up and down. These are all made up of different shots, so you will see a lot happen in these videos.

Research

Here are some videos from YouTube I thought I put up for Research.

This episode of Dexter's Laboratory has a sound effect I really like.



This shows Dexter zipping around the lab is useful for research.



This I just really like.

Animation Video Tests

Here are some of my recent animation tests.



This first one is a redo of the Professor's Goodbye scene. Everything is good, but the fall is too slow. It was filmed on twos, so I can either remove frames or shoot on ones.






This second one is Susie's Ending. I need to re-draw the waving sequence as I think I drew the hands wrong. Hands are tricky.






These are just two bits of Mort in the background.






These are just miscellaneous RAM animations. Mostly of him hopping around.

Sam's Test

Sam did a test for the logo. I think it really works. Now to find some appropriate music to go with it.