Animation, Web Design, and so on...

[Dreams]

I have no idea if anyone here is taking classes in these areas, but even if you're not, I'd be willing to walk you through some stuff if you're interested in these fields.

I have a degree in animation, and I do web design on the side.
Essentially, my portfolio for both can be seen at www.dreamsthunder.com.

I know how to do 2D & 3D animation, as well as Flash. As far as web design goes, I do my own layouts and hard-code things using HTML and CSS... I don't know how to write scripting languages, although I can tell you how and what to use, and where you need to modify it. I know other artsy stuff as well, since I attended an art school, but I'm not much of a classical artist (painting, graphic design, etc) besides being able to sketch out things in proportion and color it with colored pencils and chalk pastels.

This is the best I have to offer anyone who's interested... that, and Japanese help. But you know where to find me. ^_^ *nods at Japanese forum*

[Queen-Mion]

I can also offer assistance to BEGINNERS of Web Design. I took a semester's course, so I am NOT a PROFESSIONAL at it. However, if you want to know the basics, I can teach you them.

I'm currently in the middle of Graphics Design, and I've taken a semester of 3D Torture; though I enjoy 3D Animation, the course itself had a messed up CD which literally made it more of a challenge. Despite my trouble, I completed the entire course and made a 98.

[Commander Sparx]

I'm going to become an Animator when i'm older. So I could tell you in a few years. >.<

[Slash]

Anyone here know any CSS and Dreamweaver? I hate web, but I need to produce a website for my portfolio pieces, and I'm completely and utterly stuck.

So far, I made my layout in Photoshop (That's the easy part), cut out the pieces, and am in the process of importing it into Dreamweaver. That's about where I am...

[Dreams]

Haha, I forgot I posted this thread too.

I can help you with CSS. What kind of CSS did you want to use?

I have Dreamweaver, but I only really use it to check error lines on JavaScript code, etc. (Like I said, I hand-code stuff.) But I could give it a run-through and help you out if you're stuck. Have you totally imported your layout into DW then? What do you want to do with your site next?

Oh my gosh. Turd Ferguson. SNL Celebrity Jeopardy is one of my all-time favorite skits.

[Slash]

Haha, quick response time for forgetting about it regardless xD

Well, truth be told, there's so much I don't understand I'm not sure where to start. That post was kinda a pre get-ready-for-stupid-questions post. I'm importing pieces into DW right now, but from there I'm really lost. I took 2 web classes, and were so lost that I forgot how to do everything.

The cop-out way I'm doing it, is taking a website I made before, grabbing the same dimensions, and importing the new layer on top of it, so that the code will be somewhat right.

Is it possible to paste code here in the forums? If it is, I may need, if you're willing, to look over it and let me know what needs to be there and what doesn't. I'm sure theres tons of noob mistakes, because sometimes I just stick random bits of code places because I don't know where it goes...

Beware, this will be a chore.

On the other hand, the web site is real basic and straight forward, so it might not be as bad as I'm making it out to be. Really, all it has to do is be functional. I'm not looking for anything advanced.

((SNL Jeopardy is my absolute favorite. Best years of SNL ever))

[Dreams]

Well, if you find out that awful things are happening to the site, like suddenly there's a sideways scrollbar 5 miles long and Rick Astley is at the end of the page, I'll help you fix it. But the old code might do the trick. If you have questions, just think about what needs to be done and post away.

Hmm... do you already have webspace where you can upload the files?
Because then I could see what you're doing/what you want to do, and view the source code.
Or maybe if you could take a screencap of it or something, as well as post the code.

(I have no idea if you can post code here. Let's see.)

<html>
<head>
<title>poopy</title>
<body background="thing.jpg">
<font face="arial" size=2>I like to eat chicken<br></font>
</body>
</html>

Yep. VICTOLY.

[Slash]

Well, as it stands it surprisingly looks as if everything is in working order, least for the index page. This won't be the last of me though, mark my word.

[Queen-Mion]

How do you make layouts in photoshop? o_O I've heard about people doing that, and I haven't found any options whatsoever to make a layout.

[Slash]

There are no 'options' to make layouts. You start with a blank template, 760x420 standard, and draw up what you want it to look like, buttons, where the content will go, everything. Then, you get the slice tool, and slice buttons, top (banner), middle (content), and bottom. Then, File>Save for Web. Take the colors down to somewhere are 32 for smaller file sizes (so the pages will load faster for people with dialup). And save them. It'll put them in a folder called images, and they'll all be .gifs for ya. Normally, when you're slicing your middle, you do it real tiny height wise, and just put repeat on when you place it in DW or whatnot (Also to make load times much, MUCH faster).

[Dreams]

Actually, I would recommend saving images as JPG at 60% in the Save for Web option. GIFs only create smaller file sizes when there are very few colors involved, or effects like glowing text, etc, aren't being used. Plus, GIFs tend to get corrupt/distorted more often than JPGs. (I can't explain this except to link a couple of old graphics I have: here and here. Although I obviously don't have pictures of what they looked like originally, you can see something went wrong with them.)

If you need to save transparent images, I would suggest saving them under the PNG-8 option.

[AnitaGuida]

Wow I never though I would find a thread about this here.
I’m studding communication and design multimedia right now, and I have been studing multimedia for the past 3 years. I don’t know as much as I would like to, I just work with some basic programs like flash, Photoshop, Dreamwever, premier, anim8or, audacity and I’m learning java too. I hope next year I can star making short movies and learn more programs.

[divinephoenix]

Would you know what program to use making things like this, and can you please teach me how.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm11 ... me/gif.gif

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg24 ... lolgif.gif

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k9/Four_2006/Yeah.gif

[Dreams]

Animated GIFs can be made in GIF animation software, or some higher-end animation products like Flash, After Effects, etc. If you poke around on cnet, I'm sure there are free GIF animators to be found: try here. I use Ulead GIF Animator, which is a really good program. They might have a free trial, but other than that, it's not shareware.

Animated GIFs are just made up of a bunch of still images put together, like regular animation. You can import images into the GIF software, or some will allow you to draw right in the program. You can also draw the frames in programs like Photoshop or Paint and then import them in and animate them. It's not hard at all - you just get stuff in the right order, then set the frame rate, and it's done. The frame rate determines how fast the animation goes, and in GIF animators, you're just specifying how many seconds you want each frame to appear for before moving onto the next one.

Errr, am I making sense? Because I tend to ramble.

Anyway, those ones you have linked there are a little more complex than the usual slap-dash moving anime avatar you typically see. To do things like that, you'd need to know a little animation background - ie, how things move, how fast they move - just to plan out the action and make it look good. The nice thing about programs like Flash is that you can draw poses for the beginning and end of an action, and have the program fill in the motion inbetween (aka tweening).

I'm gonna stop rambling at this point and ask if anything I said made sense. :)

[divinephoenix]

I have a little knowledge with Flash. But the tweening seems a bit advanced and that's the part I have problems with.

[AnitaGuida]

Tweening in the flash is not that hard. Try it like this: draw an image in one of the layers and in the first keyframe, then create other keyframe(F6) with some distance but in the same layer. In that last keyframe put the picture in other place. RightClick on the space between one keyframe and other and put "create motion Tween" option. If you play it, it will move, and that's about it in the motion tween. You still have other tween called "Shape Tween", instead of moving an object it makes a motion between it's shape. Try doing the same thing I have said for the motion tween but instead of moving the picture in the last key frame just but it bigger. Put the shape tween (if you put motion tween you can change it in the proprieties at the bottom of the flash program), and try it out.

I hope I could help though maybe Dreams would be able to explain this better to you.... I'm sorry if I was very confusing...