[Pro] animated graphics

Good Evening ,

I am working on my own site and would like to do the following - unsure if I should do a flash or random rollover or…..????

My main graphic and logo is 4 puzzle pieces together.

what I would like to do is Have all 4 pieces apart then bring them (randomly separate or all 4 at the same time) into the final together look. I really just want this done at the beginning when someone comes to the site. / back to the home page

can anyone make any suggestions? please

Thank you!

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what I would like to do is Have all 4 pieces apart then bring them (randomly separate or all 4 at the same time) into the final together look.

There’s an action called Move Layer that can do precisely what you want. Select your (layered) object, choose Item > Actions > Move Layer, and set the parameters: speed, x/y start and end point relative to current position, loop on/off.

I can’t tell whether that’s a standard action or one that I’ve added at some point in the past. I think it is a normal bundled one, but shout if you can’t see it in your list.

k

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Keith,

thank you! I knew there had to be something.

I can not find it in 5 pro. Also I checked actionsforge and could not find it there either.. which would it do the all at once or the randomly? - or both?? just curious

J:)

On Mar 16, 2009, at 5:43 AM, Keith Martin wrote:

what I would like to do is Have all 4 pieces apart then bring them (randomly separate or all 4 at the same time) into the final together look.

There’s an action called Move Layer that can do precisely what you want. Select your (layered) object, choose Item > Actions > Move Layer, and set the parameters: speed, x/y start and end point relative to current position, loop on/off.

I can’t tell whether that’s a standard action or one that I’ve added at some point in the past. I think it is a normal bundled one, but shout if you can’t see it in your list.

k

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Hi

I think that it is part of Pro’s standard action suite.

Create a layered item and with it selected Item>Actions>Move Layer - about 5 or 6 down the list.

Have a play.

David

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ok that is a good basic beginning of what I want

now, how can I make 4 pieces of the puzzle (my logo) come together into the final graphic that is on my site now.

(have the current logo of 4 puzzle pieces hidden till the 4 pieces come together -

does that make sense?

thank you

J:)

www.grassrootsweb.net

On Mar 17, 2009, at 3:00 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

Hi

I think that it is part of Pro’s standard action suite.

Create a layered item and with it selected Item>Actions>Move Layer - about 5 or 6 down the list.

Have a play.

David

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Have a look at this http://www.deltadzine.net/grdesign/

Is this the sort of thing that you are after. This example uses the Move Layer action.

You could also do it with an animated gif or Flash - in fact there are many ways but my example is done within FW - no external files or code.

David

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Dave you are amazing!

that is exactly what I want to do. Have the pieces go over the main page and come together..

I am still learning all these neat “tricks” I do so appreciate your patience.

how did you also get the pieces separated so perfectly??

Julie

ps I remember your comment about the page titles - haven’t gotten to that point yet - but They will be done. LOL

On Mar 17, 2009, at 8:45 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

Have a look at this http://www.deltadzine.net/grdesign/

Is this the sort of thing that you are after. This example uses the Move Layer action.

You could also do it with an animated gif or Flash - in fact there are many ways but my example is done within FW - no external files or code.

David

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I just took your logo from your site and opened it in Photoshop, separated the different pieces into different layers and then saved each layer as single PSDs.

Imported each ‘piece’ into individual graphic boxes, apply the action and fiddle with the settings to get them to come together.

Now if you created your logo in illustrator - or similar - you will be able to save each piece as a separate file and get much better quality than I did.

If you want I will send you the FW page so that you can see its construction.

David

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Link on the page to the file http://www.deltadzine.net/grdesign/

David

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Thank you so much!!!

I am learning so much… once I learn one thing - I don’t forget (at least I then have the instructions to refer to)

Julie On Mar 17, 2009, at 9:14 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

Link on the page to the file http://www.deltadzine.net/grdesign/

David

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Can any one tell me what an equal to illustrator and photoshop might be in the mac / apple world or are they the best for graphic editing?

On Mar 17, 2009, at 9:14 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

Link on the page to the file http://www.deltadzine.net/grdesign/

David

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Can any one tell me what an equal to illustrator and photoshop might be in the mac / apple world or are they the best for graphic editing?

On Mar 17, 2009, at 9:14 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

Link on the page to the file http://www.deltadzine.net/grdesign/

David

freewaytalk mailing list email@hidden

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There are alternatives but not equals in terms of features. If you want something lightweight and inexpensive but still very good then try:

Drawing apps Intaglio http://www.purgatorydesign.com/ Vector Designer http://www.tweakersoft.com/vectordesigner/ Lineform http://www.freeverse.com/apps/app/?id=6020 ZeusDraw http://www.chromaticbytes.com/zeusDrawTour.php

Image editors Photoshop Elements http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelmac/ Pixelmator http://www.pixelmator.com/ Graphic Converter http://www.lemkesoft.com/xd/public/content/index._cGlkPTE5Mw_.html

There are others but that’s a start.

Todd

On Mar 18, 2009, at 11:04 AM, Julie Maxwell Allen wrote:

Can any one tell me what an equal to illustrator and photoshop might be in the mac / apple world or are they the best for graphic editing?

freewaytalk mailing list email@hidden

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I am assuming that you want to ‘break apart’ your logo.

In what graphic program was it created? If it was a vector then that would be ideal to get maximum quality.

Illustrator and Photoshop are industry leaders on both Mac and PC platforms but there are others such as Corel Draw that will do mostly the same job.

If you have it as a vector (ie illustrator etc.) then I could do it for you and give you back the 4 pieces as separate files.

David

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Illustrator and Photoshop both debuted on the Macintosh, and were Mac- only for many years after that. So if you are accustomed to using them on another platform, you should use them on your Mac, where they will be at their best. 8-)

If you don’t want to pay Adobe twice, then there are Intaglio (for illustration) and Pixelmator for the raster stuff. Both are less than $100 each.

Walter

On Mar 18, 2009, at 12:04 PM, Julie Maxwell Allen wrote:

Can any one tell me what an equal to illustrator and photoshop might be in the mac / apple world or are they the best for graphic editing?

On Mar 17, 2009, at 9:14 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

Link on the page to the file http://www.deltadzine.net/grdesign/

David

freewaytalk mailing list email@hidden

freewaytalk mailing list email@hidden

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David,

I really forget the program - maybe fireworks….

I have it mainly saved as a jpeg. I would love that - I also want to learn this stuff too.

Julie

On Mar 18, 2009, at 12:15 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

I am assuming that you want to ‘break apart’ your logo.

In what graphic program was it created? If it was a vector then that would be ideal to get maximum quality.

Illustrator and Photoshop are industry leaders on both Mac and PC platforms but there are others such as Corel Draw that will do mostly the same job.

If you have it as a vector (ie illustrator etc.) then I could do it for you and give you back the 4 pieces as separate files.

David

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You really are a major help… thank you!!

I want to learn how to do the separations etc.. but your offer is great also!

thank you.

So for the best tools I am looking for to max my abilities are :

photoshop and illustrator

next intaglio

On Mar 17, 2009, at 9:14 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

Link on the page to the file http://www.deltadzine.net/grdesign/

David

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If you have Illustrator, then Intaglio is not needed. It’s a low-budget Illustrator-like application, but compared with the Adobe product, it’s more of a toy. That said, a lot of people love it and prefer it. But it’s not designed for the same sorts of things that Illustrator is.

Walter

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Thank you!

ok … I have it working - but I need to Put it in its place ( I left the pieces together to show where) also - i did the exact “placement / x /y that David put in his sample - but they are not coming together exactly…

I don’t mean to be stupid - but learning the tweaking on these detailed actions is confusing sometimes.

On Mar 19, 2009, at 10:31 AM, waltd wrote:

If you have Illustrator, then Intaglio is not needed. It’s a low- budget Illustrator-like application, but compared with the Adobe product, it’s more of a toy. That said, a lot of people love it and prefer it. But it’s not designed for the same sorts of things that Illustrator is.

Walter

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Ok I feel stupid -

got it to work in place etc!

is there a simpler way of dragging the objects into different places and experimenting each time?

On Mar 19, 2009, at 10:31 AM, waltd wrote:

If you have Illustrator, then Intaglio is not needed. It’s a low- budget Illustrator-like application, but compared with the Adobe product, it’s more of a toy. That said, a lot of people love it and prefer it. But it’s not designed for the same sorts of things that Illustrator is.

Walter

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Mathematical calculations based on how far apart the pieces are from each other when finished also calculations of distances between start and end points. These figures then used to calculate the figures that go in the action dialogue boxes. Unless your graphics (and containers) are exactly the same as mine you wont be able to use exactly the same co-ordinates.

From your page I would say that you should be able to get your pieces looking better - without the rough edges.

Have you tried exporting the different parts of the puzzle out of Fireworks - I dont have the program any more but I think it does vectors and maybe even can export ai files?

FW can then import ai files and output them as png, millions of colours, to retain transparency.

David

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David,

I did figure out the coord. as you can see. I dont even have fireworks either - these are saved as jpegs. but i was able to go in and save them as gif from illustrator.

I will go in tonight with the full 4 pieces together and separate that way instead of just using separate pieces to see if I can clean it up more… thank you

J:) On Mar 19, 2009, at 5:53 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

Mathematical calculations based on how far apart the pieces are from each other when finished also calculations of distances between start and end points. These figures then used to calculate the figures that go in the action dialogue boxes. Unless your graphics (and containers) are exactly the same as mine you wont be able to use exactly the same co-ordinates.

From your page I would say that you should be able to get your pieces looking better - without the rough edges.

Have you tried exporting the different parts of the puzzle out of Fireworks - I dont have the program any more but I think it does vectors and maybe even can export ai files?

FW can then import ai files and output them as png, millions of colours, to retain transparency.

David

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I dont even have fireworks either - these are saved as jpegs. but i was able to go in and save them as gif from illustrator.

So are you saying that you don’t have the original file for your logo - only a jpeg version? Did you create it originally? or does someone have a Master file. - Because you really need that master to get the quality you want - or redo it in illustrator - try the trace tool and then clean up the paths that are generated. Working from a jpeg will not get the quality right.

David

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I created this myself on a pc a few years ago and when it crashed I lost all. I happened to have the jpeg on a disk for another project

I figured it wouldn’t - I will try to redo it in illustrator - thank you for the tip about the trace tool I am still learning illustrator. Ill let you know what happens. I’ll post when I am done.

Julie On Mar 19, 2009, at 6:29 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

I dont even have fireworks either - these are saved as jpegs. but i was able to go in and save them as gif from illustrator.

So are you saying that you don’t have the original file for your logo - only a jpeg version? Did you create it originally? or does someone have a Master file. - Because you really need that master to get the quality you want - or redo it in illustrator - try the trace tool and then clean up the paths that are generated. Working from a jpeg will not get the quality right.

David

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Everybody is still learning Illustrator - no matter how long you have been using it!

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isn’t that true?? LOL

I’ll post with an example when I get them up.

is the newer versions better than the an older on I have the first CS

Julie On Mar 20, 2009, at 12:08 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

Everybody is still learning Illustrator - no matter how long you have been using it!

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Dave,

can I take you up on this?

I have been fiddling all day on my puzzle pieces - to learn and clean up. I got them clean, but when I put them in FW they are tiny and when I expand them - they get distorted no matter how I save them and i am getting the white background I need transparent

ughhh!! I have been using cs4.

I am attaching the file of the puzzle pieces together. as an ai file.

thank you so much for your help. If you can’t do it - I understand.

I sent you a private email with the ai attachement.

Julie

On Mar 18, 2009, at 12:15 PM, DeltaDave wrote:

I am assuming that you want to ‘break apart’ your logo.

In what graphic program was it created? If it was a vector then that would be ideal to get maximum quality.

Illustrator and Photoshop are industry leaders on both Mac and PC platforms but there are others such as Corel Draw that will do mostly the same job.

If you have it as a vector (ie illustrator etc.) then I could do it for you and give you back the 4 pieces as separate files.

David

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I’ve not used CS4, but the Illustrator CS demo I tried some time ago was a beast of program. I use version 6 from 1996 and am still finding new things to do with it.

I would recommend that you try Intaglio. It has about 80% of Illustrator’s capabilities, is less expensive and its Path tool is similar to AI’s Pen tool. For drawing vector shapes, it’s almost as good as AI.

Alternatively, for this particular job, why not download a font? This is just one of many sites that Google found:

http://www.fontspace.com/category/jigsaw

With the font installed in the system:

1. Type the appropriate letters in AI (or Intaglio).

2. Convert the text to outlines.

3. With the Direct Selection tool, delete the letters you don’t want and replace them with your own content.

4. Save as a PNG and drag into Freeway.

Note that the PNG, TIFF and Photoshop formats support alpha channel transparency. So, for example, a shape drawn in Intaglio which is saved as a PNG will retain its transparent background when it’s imported into Freeway.

Concerning the distortion problem, this happens when bitmaps are scaled (made larger).

In Freeway, scale the logo to the desired size, make a screengrab and paste into AI (or Intaglio). In the drawing program, make the drawn shapes match the screengrab. Delete the screengrab, save as a PNG and drag into Freeway.

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It is a beast.. 5 hours working on it… had to turn to david of course.. he did it without a blink.

I like your idea. THis evening I will try it out and get back to you. I really want to learn this so that other graphics etc I want to tweak / clean up I can.

Julie On Apr 7, 2009, at 10:06 AM, IanB wrote:

I’ve not used CS4, but the Illustrator CS demo I tried some time ago was a beast of program. I use version 6 from 1996 and am still finding new things to do with it.

I would recommend that you try Intaglio. It has about 80% of Illustrator’s capabilities, is less expensive and its Path tool is similar to AI’s Pen tool. For drawing vector shapes, it’s almost as good as AI.

Alternatively, for this particular job, why not download a font? This is just one of many sites that Google found:

http://www.fontspace.com/category/jigsaw

With the font installed in the system:

1. Type the appropriate letters in AI (or Intaglio).

2. Convert the text to outlines.

3. With the Direct Selection tool, delete the letters you don’t want and replace them with your own content.

4. Save as a PNG and drag into Freeway.

Note that the PNG, TIFF and Photoshop formats support alpha channel transparency. So, for example, a shape drawn in Intaglio which is saved as a PNG will retain its transparent background when it’s imported into Freeway.

Concerning the distortion problem, this happens when bitmaps are scaled (made larger).

In Freeway, scale the logo to the desired size, make a screengrab and paste into AI (or Intaglio). In the drawing program, make the drawn shapes match the screengrab. Delete the screengrab, save as a PNG and drag into Freeway.

quote