PE6_Practical Experience_Flash

I was able to import my video into Flash, but it was HD and much too large for the stage window. I found "Free Transform" the same tool used in PhotoShop and Illustrator to resize image components and layers. This worked like a charm and after a few tries, the publishing we worked out too. Unfortunately, Blogger does not accept .swf. My iWeb site would not accept it or imbed it either, so in order to show it on the blog I simply recorded my screen using ScreenFlow and posted that.

For this practical experience, I didn't use any of the tools (animation and tweening) that make Flash famous, but that will take some time to get a handle on. I did learn a few things, though and will keep working on Flash.

PE5_Practical Experience_Flash

I have watched several Lynda.com tutorials on adding and animating text.  I think I could get it to work with a little more time, but I am going to have to cut my losses and import video created in iMovie, with titles and try to get that to work in Flash.  I have figured out how to import the video and apply "skins" with various forms of interactive controls.  I will continue to work with flash leading up to month 6.  I would like to be reasonably proficient heading into that class.  When I figure it out, I think I can bring the video and audio in separately so that I can fade the video in and out at will in order to use animation in my titling while not losing the running audio dialogue.

For this practical I selected a color that I would use on my class website, copper, for the skin and controls.  You can view the video right in the timeline using FLV Playback (a new feature in Flash).

I am going to figure out how to publish this before calling it a night.

Persusive Message Video, David Burch

Please view my ETC Final Video below:

PE4_PracticalExperience_Flash CS5

I have decided to use Adobe Flash for this PE.  I have used Flash very rarely for several years.  I have never built an entire web site with it, but I have used flash templates to build sites.  As a creative director, I have used Flash experts (technicians) to incorporate banner advertising on my customer's websites as well as using Flash video embedded in sites.  In one of the web design classes I took, we were asked to use some basic Flash animation to learn the simplest Flash functions, but I haven't done any hard core work and haven't touched in a couple of years.

At some point, I hope to incorporate Flash into my Graphic Communications program at work and find a way to teach flash and my curriculum at the same time.

PE3_PracticalExperience_GarageBand

The video below is just a simple test of the podcast function inherent to GarageBand;

Ha!  There's 30 seconds you'll never get back!  The last 30 seconds of your life belong to me.  I feel so empowered…and mean.

PE2 - Practical Experience 2 - Garage Band

Ha!  You are now being blogged by Captain Practicality!  Ya' gotta love the internet!  Inspired by Michael George's post, I went looking for Midi files of songs that had deep personal meaning to me…I had also just watched the little help video about creating ringtones…Could anyone possibly assume that the A-Team theme song from 1983 would exist.  I have to admit, my mouth was hanging open for a second.

There were actually several versions of the A-Team Theme Song as well as a Midi version (which sounded pretty weird before I messed with it).  I had played with my iPhone and ringtones before.  I used the memo recording app on my iPhone to record a song that makes me smile every time I hear it, the CBS Sunday Morning theme song, brought that into iTunes and made it a ringtone ( I think - its been a while).  Now I know how to create one from scratch (and share it with friends).  I would post the A-Team ringtone, but I'm sure that would violate something.

Therefore, so as NOT to deny you your own A-Team ringtone…I provided the link to the page where I found it above.

Not quite on par with air-conditioning or refrigeration, but pretty darn practical.

PE1 - Practical Experience 1 - Garage Band

Thank you, Full Sail!  I am finally learning to play the guitar!   I chose Guitar Band as my Practical Experience for this week because a I realized that I was growing too dependent on my "I'm not good at the music part of production…" excuse.   Peter Binskin (another member of Cyber Group) has been my go-to-guy for music (when we are working on a group project) and figure it is time to stop taking him for granted.

I mentioned in another post that one of my concerns was that I was not taking responsibility for the music portion of my video production by using canned tracks from RoyaltyFree music or some other purchasing site for generic music.  If I want to take control of my creative work, I should include the music.  This, however is the secondary reason for my attempt.  I want the chicks to dig me.  Yes.  You heard me right…and yes, I've been married for 21 years, I'm 41 yrs old and have 5 teenagers.  Nonetheless.  I want to be the guy by the fire on the camping trip that is playing the guitar.  I really want to be that guy.

I won't fit in too many guitar lessons on this bunch of posts, but I'm gonna stick with it.  After watching the tutorials incorporated into GarageBand, and discovering just how cool the software simulates everything that you would need for a basement (or Garage) band set up - stuff like Stomp Boxes - I think I'm ready to move on to some Lynda.com vids.  I'll let you know how it turns out.  Wayne's World - watch out.