Schedule for ART 264, Spring 2010
Greenfield Community College: Tuesday and Thursday 5pm-7pm
Click for Syllabus

Week 1
Thu 1/28

First class business
• Introductions, contact information
• Course Syllabus
• Attendance requirements
• Project requirements
• Web resources
• Q&A

Class Exercise
Find a URL for a Flash-based website that interests you. See resources (at right)

Talk about the following:

• Is the Flash complimentary to the site's primary focus?
• Does the Flash give polish to the site, or detract from it?
• Does the Flash play smoothly?

Resources:
Google 'Innovative Flash Sites', 'Creative Flash Sites', or other like search terms to find sites for this assignment.
Remember, it must contain Flash.
Don't talk about any sites that you already know about. You can tell if a site is using Flash if the site is animated in some integrated way, such as scene transitions, moving elements, other special effects

Adobe SW trial versions
download 30 day working software

Topic: Using Dreamweaver
• Preparing the Root Folder for the site
• Create a homepage
• Create additional pages
• Modify Page Properties
• Embed images
• Q&A

Resources:

Dreamweaver Basics

Video tutorials at Lynda.com
They support captioning and can be started and stopped while you work along with the video tutor. Click Here

Topic: Cacading Style Sheets 1 - Text
• HTML vs. CSS text
• Using CSS internally and externally to the HTML document

Guided practice
In-class assignment: Download to your desktop and open the files inside the csstext folder with Dreamweaver. Examine how the HTML is controlled by modifying the CSS file. Further instructions are in the HTML file.

Resources:

CSS basics

Lynda.com Video Tuturials regarding CSS use in Dreamweaver CS3. Underlined clips can be viewed without a membership.

More helpful tutorials and references:
w3schools.com CSS primers

Topic:Cacading Style Sheets 2 - Placement
• Containers, nesting, cascading placement
• Using Left and Right floating
• Q&A
CSS positioning & other options View Instructions

Prepping image files for the web with Photoshop

In-class Assignment for today: You will be given a small site project to assemble using Dreamweaver using these required guidelines.
Help will be provided when needed. The purpose is to ascertain your readiness to proceed with more complex material.

Assignments will be turned in to the instructor for evaluation at end of class. Leave your computer on with your root folder open in the finder.
If you've missed class, you can zip up the root folder and attach it to an email to me here

Group instruction: Introduction to Flash drawing tools, Preparing and importing Photoshop files, creating Graphic symbols, Using the Flash timeline, motion tweening, creating Movie symbols. See Flash concepts

See this online tutorial on building a scene with nested symbols that are animated on a timeline

In-Class Assignment for today:: Create a simple animated scene that demonstrates motion tweening (object location, scaling, color)

In-Class Assignment for today: Create a Flash button that demonstrate good graphic use (vector art, imported images)

Visual aid: How the Flash stage displays nested symbols for editing

Week 6
Tue 3/2-
Thu 3/4

Group instruction: Flash Behaviors and Actions, part two.
In-Class Assignment for today: Assemble a simple animated scene, with help from the instructor, that demonstrates preloading, button behaviors and frame actions

MIDTERM PRACTICE FILES
These are previously given exam projects. The goal is to re-create an interactive flash banner using graphics that are provided to you.

Sample 1: Babyfloat banner ad
This silly ad demonstrates the use of nested symbols, frame actions, and button behaviors. Download the graphic files and see if you can create the flash you see in the preview using them. Download the FLA file to see how the banner ad is constructed in Flash. This is an actionscript 2.0 project.
Preview Flash • Download files • Download FLA

Sample 2: Pilot Chow banner ad
This is quite similar to sample one. Use the instructions to build this project from scratch. This project requires that you create a new actionscript 2 flash file.
Preview Flash • Download files • Download instructions

Sample 3: UFO shooter
A more complex, yet simple 'shooter' game where a moving button is the target. A correct click on the button wins the game. This project uses sound effects. (Actionscript 2.0)
Preview Flash • Download files • Download FLA

Sample 4: Walk for heart health
This ad uses an imported GIF animation but is fairly similar to sample one and two.
Preview Flash • Download files • Download FLA

Sample 5: Kepler Space Telescope
Preview Flash • Download files

Midterm Exam Practice
In-Class Assignment for today: Reverse-engineer this flash movie, with help from the instructor, using the files provided. Note how the movie works- scrutinize what parts move relative to other parts to determine how graphic, movie, and button symbols should be built, and timeline actions, layering, and frame names are applied.

2010 Midterm ROBOT RICKSHAW
Preview Flash • Download Files • Download FLA

Midterm review and correction. Final Project concept discussion
2010 Midterm FLA file HERE

Final Project brainstorming session.
Assignment for today: Be prepared to declare your final project idea in an outline format

Week 9
Tue 3/29
Thu 4/01

Week 10
Tue 4/6
Thu 4/8

Week 14
Tue 5/04
Thu 5/06

ADDED: 5/18 Make up day for cancelled class

5/20 Thursday 5PM FINAL PROJECT CRITIQUE.
All students will present work for evaluation and discussion.

BRING YOUR PROJECT IN ON A CD in case the internet goes down, or if you have not uploaded to a hosting service.

email me at dave@handofdave.com with your site URL