FORMšPFTXTTCPPBTCPHKCHRS™Ë›HChapter 3: Tutorials›@ Because of ›HDeluxeVideo›@'s scope and depth, it would be impractical to list all its features without some step by step examples as illustrations. For this reason we have designed a few simple exercises to get you started on your road to video expertise, where you will be able to create impressive videos like the ones you saw in the demos. In this section we will be building a simple video from scratch, and then embellishing it by using some of›H DeluxeVideo›@'s special effects. We'll begin by animating a space shuttle, and then we'll modify it by adding a sound track, changing its colors and movement, and so on. We have also included a tutorial on the Framer, ›HDeluxeVideo›@'s animation editor. With the Framer and a set of ›HDeluxePaint›@ (or other IFF-compatible) pictures, you will be able to create videos of professional quality. ›H3.1 Launching the Shuttle›@ In this tutorial you'll learn about moving a foreground object and adding sound effects. We'll begin by building a simple video using images of the space shuttle. First, clear the work space by selecting ›HNew›@ from the Project menu. Open a Scene effect by double-clicking the scene effect box or by selecting it (clicking it once) and selecting ›HChange›@ from the Edit menu. Next, drag down a fresh track and select ›HPicture›@ when you are asked to specify the type of track. This will present you with a Picture Requester. ›H3.3.1 Loading a Picture›@ Our next task is to load the picture we want to use into memory. To do this, click the name "Blast" in the On Disk window. When that picture has finished loading, you can preview it by clicking the TV icon at the bottom of the requester. This will bring up the video screen, which normally lives behind the other windows. To return to the Picture Requester, Click the "front-to-back" gadget at the upper right-hand corner of the video screen (the second box from the right). Click ›HSelect ›@in the Picture Requester to get you back to the Scene window with the "Blast" picture in the video workfile. (The video workfile is an area on the Maker disk that ›HDeluxeVideo›@ uses for making temporary working files. This is why you need to leave additional space on your Maker disk as you work.) You will notice that the name of the track has become "Blast," because it now represents that picture. ›H3.1.2 Adding a Background Picture›@ Next we need to install this picture in our video as a background picture. Pull down an empty effect from the top of the Scene window and place its On arrow on the "Blast" track. When you are asked to specify the type of effect, select "Load" by clicking that gadget in the resulting requester box. This will produce a Load Effect Requester asking you to choose between ›HCut›@ and ›HGet Ready›@. Note that the default value is Cut, which means that when the picture appears for the first time it will appear instantly. The other choice prepares the scene for a wipe or a fade in, a gradual appearance of the image. Click ›HCut›@. When you return to the Scene window, adjust the On arrow by dragging it so that the scene starts at 0:03 seconds. (Suggested placements of the On and Off arrows provide the best subjective timing of the underlying effects. Of course you are free to select other values if you wish.) Select ›HPlay Scene›@ from the Project menu to taste the fruits of your labor to date. It may not look like much so far, but hold on, the best is yet to come. As soon as you are ready to move on (you don't have to wait for the scene to finish) just click the remote control's close box. This will return you to the Scene Script. ›H3.1.3 Adding a Foreground Object›@ Now let's add the space shuttle to our video. First, while you are in the Scene Script, drag down a fresh track and place it under the "Blast" track. As before, you will be asked to specify the kind of track to add. This time, select "Object." When the Object Requester appears, click the name "Shuttle" in the On Disk window. This will load that object into memory. Click the TV icon for a preview of the new object together with the background we loaded previously. To go back to the Object Requester, click the front-to-back gadget as before, Finally, click ›HSelect›@ to complete the process and return to the Scene Script, where you will see that the name of the track is now "Shuttle." ›H3.1.4 Blast-Off›@ Now let's make the object (the space shuttle) appear, take off from its launch pad, and disappear of the top of the screen. First, drag down an empty effect and place it on the "Shuttle" track. When you are asked to specify the type of effect, select ›HAppear›@, because that's what we want the shuttle to do. This will produce a further requester (the Appear Requester). Before you make any selection, however, click the TV icon to see what is happening on the screen. This will bring up the video screen showing the space shuttle on one part of the screen and the launch pad on another. Our first task is to move the shuttle so that it sits on the launch pad. You can use either of two methods to move objects on the video screen, depending on the degree of precision you require. First, you can move the object around the video screen by dragging it with the mouse pointer. Just point at the shuttle, and, while holding the left mouse button down, drag the image across the screen. This method gives you a little more control over the final placement of the object. You can also move an object within the requester itself just by dragging its "effigy" anywhere within the window. To return to the requester, click the video screen's front-to-back gadget or drag the video screen down by the drag bar at the top. Now drag the rectangle which represents the object around the requester window. Notice when you drag the rectangle to the edge of the window, it is actually offscreen in the video screen. You would use this method if you wanted an object to "appear" offscreen, and the video screen method if you needed to position an object with more precision. Because we need to position the shuttle on the launch pad, we'll use the video screen method for this exercise. So return to the video screen and drag the shuttle until it is sitting next to the launch pad. Note that a set of x and y coordinates gives you immediate feedback as you move the object around the screen. The Appear and Move To requesters provide this feature to help you position objects more accurately. When you are satisfied with its position, return to the Appear Requester and then click OK to get back to the Scene window. Move the effect's On arrow to 0:03 seconds. So far, we have a shuttle sitting on its launch pad waiting for blast-off. Now we need to move it from there to the top of the screen and beyond. To do this, drag down a new effects box and place it on the "Shuttle" track. This is when you are asked to specify the type of effect, choose ›HMove To›@. You can now position the shuttle just as you did with the Appear Requester above, by -dragging either the rectangle within the requester window, or the object itself within the video screen. Note, however, that the Move To Requester gives you an additional option: you can specify whether to have the object disappear at the end of its journey. Because we want the shuttle to disappear once it goes off the top of the screen, click ›HDisappear At End›@. Now drag the rectangle representing the shuttle to the top of the requester this time because we want the shuttle to move completely off the screen before disappearing. When you are satisfied, click ›HOK›@ to complete the transaction and return to the Scene window. Finally, adjust the Off arrow so that it shows 3:36 seconds in the duration box, and then adjust the On arrow to 0:03 seconds. To view your handiwork, select ›HPlay Scene ›@from the Project menu and watch the space shuttle blast off from the launch pad and move skyward. If you want to fine-tune the shuttle's journey up-screen, just double-click the Move To effect in the Scene Script to bring back the requester, where you can reposition the shuttle's final destination. ›H3.1.5 Adding Sound›@ Adding a sound effect requires adding a new track and a new effect. When you are back at the Scene Script, drag down a new track and place it under the "Shuttle" track. You will be asked to specify the kind of track you wish to add. Clicking ›HSound›@ will produce a second requester (a "Sound Requester"), giving you a choice of sounds you can move from the disk into memory. Click the sound ›HZoom›@. Because ›HDeluxeVideo›@ uses digitized sounds created from tape recordings, it may take a little time to load the sound. When the disk stops whirring, the name "Zoom" will appear in the "In Video" window, to indicate that it is now available for inclusion into a sound track. Click the loudspeaker icon at the bottom of the requester to hear it. Finally, click ›HSelect ›@to complete the creation of the new track and get you back to the Scene window. Now we need to add a new effect box to let ›HDeluxeVideo›@ know when to play the sound. Drag an effect box onto the new track (which should by now be labeled "Zoom"). This will result in a new requester, this time asking you to specify the kind of effect you want to create with the sound. You can choose between Fetch and Play; for now click ›HPlay ›@because that's what we want it to do. A further requester (the Play Effect Requester) lets you specify the rate, volume and duration of the sound. Go ahead and experiment with these settings, clicking the loudspeaker icon whenever you want feedback. When you are ready to go on, set the rate slide control about a quarter of the way from the left end of the range, because this gives us the most realistic sounding blastoff (feel free to set it anywhere you want, as long as it sounds good to you). As soon as you are satisfied, click ›HOK›@ to return to the Scene Script. Our next task is to position the sound effect so that it plays at the most appropriate time. Adjust the On arrow so that it shows 4:51 seconds, and adjust the Off arrow so that the duration of the sound effect (as shown by the box above the Off arrow) is 4:36 seconds. When you are ready, select ›HPlay Scene ›@to see (and hear) your handiwork. Did you notice a fluctuation in the sound as you played your video? This is because the "Zoom" was played several times over the course of the effect, and the sound's middle range is louder than its beginning or end. To overcome this, you can Copy the entire sound track (first select it by clicking on the track box and then select Copy from the Edit menu) and paste it beneath the original sound track. When you select Paste from the Edit menu, a ghostly outline of the Zoom track attaches itself to the pointer. Just move the pointer below the original Zoom track and click the left mouse button to Paste the copy there. Now move the entire effects box (by dragging it with its Drag Bar) to the right about one second. This should result in reducing the perceived "beat" in the original sound effect. ›H3.1.6 Finishing Touches›@ To wind up this session, let's give our scene a name and save it to disk. First, close the Scene Script window by clicking the close box at the top left. Now choose ›HRename ›@from the Edit menu. To change the name, click the name gadget in the Scene Name Requester and move the cursor to the right beyond the word "Scene" and Backspace over it. Type a new name for your scene, such as "Blastoff," and then click ›HOK›@. Your scene now has a new name. To save your video, select ›HSave As...›@ from the Project menu, click the File gadget in the Save Requester, type a name for your file, such as "Shuttle," and click ›HSave›@. ›H3.2 Adding Titles and Credits›@ In this exercise we will add titles and credits to our basic video to give it a professional touch. Here's how: ›H3.2.1 Title›@ First, if it's not already open, open your shuttle video file by selection ›HOpen›@ from the Project menu and clicking "Shuttle" in the file requester. Pull down a new effects box and place it on the video track after the effect labeled "Blastoff." Note that the new effect automatically becomes a Scene, the only kind of effect that you can have on a video track. Now open the scene effect by double-clicking it or by clicking it once and selecting ›HChange›@ from the Edit menu. This should open the script window for that scene. Now pull down an empty track and select ›HPolygon Text›@ from the resulting requester. This should produce another requester, ready for you to enter the text to be displayed in your video. First, click the ›HText›@ gadget and type in the word "Shuttle," the title of your video. Click ›HOK›@ to return to the Scene Script. Back at the Scene window, drag a new effect box onto the Polygon track and when the requester appears, choose ›HAppear›@. This will result in a further requester, asking you to specify where you want the text to appear. The rectangle inside the window represents the text you will be positioning, at the default position - if you were to click ›HOK›@ at this point, that's where the text would appear when you played your video. Now let's position the title so that it "appears" off-screen at the top. Normally, we can do this either by moving the rectangle in the requester, or by moving the title itself on the video screen. As we saw in the previous tutorial, both methods have the same effect, and each has its advantages. Thus, you would move the rectangle around the requester if you wanted the object to "appear" off-screen, as we do here. On the other hand, if you want the object to appear on the screen, and you want to position it accurately at a certain point (such as we did when we positioned the shuttle on the launch pad), then you may want to use the video screen. In either case, the technique is the same: point the arrow at the object (or rectangle, as the case may be) and, holding the left mouse button down, drag it to the desired location. In this case, drag the rectangle to the very top of the requester window. Now click ›HCenter ›@to let ›HDeluxeVideo ›@center it automatically, and click ›HOK ›@to close the deal. This gets us back to the Scene window, where we can now move the On arrow of the effect so that it shows 0:03 in the time box. So far we have created a title ("Shuttle") and instructed ›HDeluxeVideo›@ to make it "appear" off-screen at the top. Now we want to make the title move into view and come to rest at the middle of the screen. To do this we need to pull down a new effect box onto the Polygon track, this time to tell ›HDeluxeVideo ›@where to move the title. When the new requester appears, select ›HMove To›@. This should present you with a new requester (the Move To Requester). Our next task is to make the title move to a new location. Click the TV icon to bring up the video screen, and drag the title to a point about halfway down the screen. (Or you can do it in the requester window if you prefer - it makes no difference in this case.) Now click Center in the requester and then OK to return to the script window. Our last job is to drag the On arrow to show 0:03 seconds and the Off arrow to show 11:00 seconds, after which we can select ›HPlay Scene ›@to view our handiwork. What you should see is the title "Shuttle" coming down from the top and ending up at the middle of the screen. And yes, it's all your own work, so let's make some credits to let everyone know. ›H3.2.2 Credits›@ When we created the title "Shuttle" we used Polygon text, because it gives us greater control over the movement of the title on the screen. For example, we may want to jazz things up a little by using a Rotate To effect to make the title rotate or flip, or use a Size effect to make it grow or shrink. We will in fact be doing this later (see Tutorial 3, "3.3.4 Change Rotations"), but for now it is important to realize that ›HDeluxeVideo›@ gives you two ways to present text on the screen - Polygon Text, as we saw above, and Text Line, as we shall see now. Unlike Polygon Text, Text Line does not allow rotating, shrinking, or growing, but it does allow the use of different fonts and styles. In other words, the choice comes down to whether you want relatively plain text doing things on the screen, or fancy text doing plain things on the screen. In this case, we'll use the Text Line, because all we want the text to do is move up from the bottom of the screen. First, go to the Scene window, if you're not already there. Pull down a new track, and choose "Text Line" from the requester. This will produce a new requester where we will enter the information that is to appear on the screen. Click the Text gadget and type "By ..." and your name, and then click ›HOK›@ to go back to the Scene window. Now we need to tell ›HDeluxeVideo›@ what to do with this text, so drag down a new effect and place it on the Text Line Track. Choose Appear from the resulting requester, because that's the first thing we want the text to do. The next requester is called "Appear Where?" and asks us to specify the place we want the text to appear. In this case, the default position (at the bottom of the screen) is the one we want, so all we need to do is click ›HOK›@. Now, back at the Scene window, position the effect's On arrow to 0:03 seconds. We still have to tell ›HDeluxeVideo›@ where to move the credits, so drag down a new effect and place it on the Text Line track, When you are asked to specify the type of effect, select ›HMove To›@. This will bring up the Move To Requester. Now click the TV icon to bring up the video screen and drag the rectangle to a point below the title "Shuttle." Go back to the requester by clicking the front-to-back gadget and then click ›HOK›@ to get back to the Scene window. Finally, set the duration of the effect to 2:00 seconds by moving the Off arrow, and then set the start time to 0:30 seconds by moving the On arrow. And now for the moment of truth: ›HPlay Scene›@. Note that the credits moved up when (or shortly before) the title comes to rest. All you have to do is pick up the credits' Move To effect and drag it so that its On arrow coincides with the Off arrow of the title's Move To effect. Try different timing combinations until you find the one that looks best to you. Before we move on to the next section, where we will be modifying and jazzing up our basic video, let's give this scene a new name. First, go back to the Video Script level by clicking in the Scene window's close box at the top left corner. Now select ›HRename ›@from the Edit menu. Click ›HOK›@, and the deed is done. Before you quit this session, be sure to save your work. To do this, select ›HSave As... ›@from the Project menu and then give your file a name. As a final step, let's rearrange the order of the scenes to tidy up our video script a little. For example, let's put the credit scene before the Blastoff scene, since that's the order of occurence. Pick up the Blastoff scene (by its Drag Bar, so as to move the On and Off arrows as well) and drag it to the right of the Credits scene. Then drag the Credits Scene to the very start of the Video Track. Now drag the Blastoff scene so it starts just after the credits. Rearranging your video script in this way makes it easier to see the order in which things occur. ›H3.3 Dressing Up Your Video›@ In this section we will be taking the basic video that we created earlier and making a few modifications to dress it up a little. Just as a word processor lets you go back and embellish the first draft of a piece of writing. ›HDeluxeVideo›@ lets you go back and modify the "first draft" of a video until you have just what you want. ›H3.3.1 Adding a Musical Soundtrack›@ Our first modification will be to add a musical soundtrack to our "Shuttle" video. If you are starting a new session at this point, go ahead and load your file by selecting ›HOpen›@ from the Project menu and clicking "Shuttle" in the file requester. When you arrive at the Video window, drag down a new track and select ›HMusic›@. This will result in a new requester, presenting you with a choice of musical selections; choose "Zarathustra." An additional requester will tell you which instruments your selection uses, so you can make sure that they are in your instruments drawer. Click ›HLoad›@, and then click ›HContinue›@ when prompted. If you want to preview your selection, click the loudspeaker icon at the bottom of the requester, and your selection will be played using the piano voice. Next, drag down a new effect and place it on the music track. Choose ›HPlay›@ for the kind of effect, and then click ›HOK›@. Finally, adjust the On arrow so that the effect will start at 0:00 seconds, to coincide with the appearance of the credits. Finally select ›HPlay Video›@ from the Project menu. ›H3.3.2 Changing Colors›@ When we created the title to our video in the second tutorial, you may have noticed that the letters were a nondescript shade of yellow. Now let's see how easy it is to change this color. First, go to the appropriate Scene Script window by double-clicking the Credits scene effect on the main video track. You must do so because the Polygon track is in the Credits scene of the video. Double-click the Polygon track to produce the Polygon Text Requester, the control panel for polygon text. Directly below the Text gadget you should be able to see a row of numbers labeled "Color" and below that a second row of numbers labeled "Other Color." These two sets of numbers represent the colors that are used in the title. The first of these represents the fill color, the color of the letters themselves, while the second represents the outline of each letter. Note that "7" is highlighted in the first row and "1" is highlighted in the second. This means that each letter is filled with Color Number 7 (which happens to be yellow in this particular palette) and outlined with Color Number 1 (which happens to be black). To change either of these two colors, simply click one of the other boxes. If you want to get immediate feedback, click the TV icon and then drag the video screen up until you can see both the requester and the text. Now as you click each of the color numbers you can see what effect it has. You can also experiment with some of the other effects in this requester, just to see what each one does. When you are satisfied with your new color combination, click ›HOK›@ to return to the Scene window. ›H3.3.3 Modify Movement›@ Now let's modify the movement of the title so that it appears at the left-hand side of the screen and moves to the middle. At the Polygon track, double-click the effect box labeled "Appear," since that is the one that controls the title's appearance on the screen. This brings up the Appear Requester. Now let's move the title so that it begins its journey offscreen on the left rather than at the top. Just drag it to the left-hand side of the screen and release the button. Click ›HOK›@ in the requester window and select ›HPlay Video›@. If everything went as planned, you should see the title move from the left-hand side of the screen to its ultimate position in the center. ›H3.3.4 Change Rotations›@ In this exercise, we will make our title rotate as it moves from its origin to its final position. First, drag down a new effect box and place it on the Polygon track. When ›HDeluxeVideo›@ asks you to specify the kind of effect, select ›HRotate To›@. This will produce the Rotate Requester, where you can specify the kind and the amount of rotation. As you can see, you can rotate the title through 720 degrees (+360 to -360) in any of three axes. The best way to familiarize yourself with this effect is to experiment with it, trying out different rotation combinations. As you experiment, bear in mind that the rotation in degrees is relative to the title's original orientation, so that if you rotate it 180 degrees it will end up as a mirror image of the original. For the purpose of this exercise, change the degree of rotation to +360 for the vertical axis, and leave the others at zero. This will result in the title rotating about its vertical axis as it moves from its starting position to its final resting place. Position the Rotate effect so it starts at 3 seconds and lasts for 3 seconds. ›H3.3.5 Strobe a Movement›@ In this exercise we will be exploring the world of strobes and trails, in which objects leave images of themselves behind as they travel from one side of the screen to the other. By using the Strobe effect, you will be able to create effects similar to those stroboscopic photographs showing a golfer swinging a club or a tennis player swinging a racket. Here's how: First, while at the Scene Script, drag down a new track. When you are asked for the kind of track, specify Foreground, because that's where strobe effects take place. Now drag down a new effect box and lay it down on the Foreground track. This time, click the gadget marked "Strobe," and then move the effect box labeled "Appear," at 0:03 on the time bar. Now move the Off arrow so that it coincides with that of the Move To effect. Now when you ›HPlay Video›@, you should see the title leave a trail of images as it makes its way to its final destination. ›H3.3.6 Change Background Pattern›@ In this exercise we will be modifying the background pattern, choosing from a number of preset patterns. As you may have noticed when we played our Shuttle video, the background behind the launch pad was a plain, patternless gray. Of course, it is sometimes preferable to use a plain background, so as not to detract from the foreground objects, but there are times when you may want to add more pizzazz to your video. This artistic judgement we'll leave up to you - for now, let's see how to make the changes. First, while you are in the Credits Scene window, drag down a new track, and make it a Background track. Then drag down a new effect and choose Pattern; this will bring up a new requester, the Pattern Effect Requester (see Chapter 5, Section 5.5.17 for more information). Click the TV icon and let's try various combinations of pattern effects to see how this requester works. First, look at the four gadgets on the left-hand side of the requester, below the two rows of color numbers, labeled Jam 1, Jam2, Comp, and Inv. These four boxes control the way the primary and secondary colors interact. As its name implies, Jam 1 uses just the primary color in combination with Color 0 (the background color), while Jam 2 uses both the primary and secondary colors to create the background pattern. To the right of these four is a set of eight pattern boxes. Clicking each one of these boxes produces a different pattern on the video screen. You might want to spend a few minutes clicking various combinations of these effects to see exactly what each one does. You can click ›HOK›@ at any time and then select ›HPlay Scene ›@from the Project menu to see your changes. And if you don't like what you see, you can always reopen the requester and try again. While you're there, you might want to experiment with the second pattern effects box on the background track, to see what it does. As a final exercise, you might try going back and changing the original jump cut (when we Loaded the Blast picture back in Tutorial 3.1) to a Wipe. Go back to the Blast track for that scene and open the Load Requester by double-clicking the Load effect box. When the requester appears, click ›HGet Ready›@. Back at the Scene Script, drag down a new effect and place it on the Blast track. Make it a Wipe effect. Now experiment with different wipes with the Wipe Effect Requester. See Chapter 5, section 5.5.10 for more information about this requester. By now you've probably seen enough shuttles and launch pads to last you a while, so let's move on to something completely different - animating objects with the Framer, ›HDeluxeVideo›@'s animation sequencer. This is the subject of the next tutorial, coming right up... ›H3.4 Using the Framer›@ Although ›HDeluxeVideo›@ is not primarily an animation editor, it does contain an animation utility that lets you string sequential images together to create the illusion of motion. You can then use these images in your videos, just as you would any other picture or object. Framer animation sequences are stored in the Objects drawer along with both Multi-cel (multi-frame) and single-frame objects. Although these objects look the same, ›HDeluxeVideo›@ can tell the difference. The following tutorial describes how to use the Framer animation tool that is included on the ›HDeluxeVideo ›@Parts and Utilities disk. You can use the Framer to animate pictures created with ›HDeluxePaint›@. ›H3.4.1 Starting Up›@ Insert the Parts disk in the drive and double-click the Framer tool-icon. This will produce a low-res screen titled "Framer Picture Screen". We will be using this screen to load the pictures that make up your image sequence. You will also notice a frame made up of six boxes labeled "a" through "f." These represent the animation's cel sequence, with ›Pa›@ representing the first cel, ›Pb›@ the second cel, and so on. ›HMoving the Frame:›@ Above the a-box is the ›Pdrag box›@. You can use this to move the frame sequence around the picture screen. To do this, move the mouse pointer into the drag box, press the left mouse button, and, while holding the button down, drag the box around the screen. Release the mouse button to stop dragging the frame sequence. As you can see, the drag box works just like the title bar of a window. ›HSizing the Frame: ›@Below and to the right of the a-box is the ›Psize box›@. Use this to change the size of all the boxes in the frame sequence. Move the mouse pointer into the size box, press the left mouse button, and move the mouse while holding the button down. When you are satisfied with the size of the frame sequence, release the left mouse button. The size box works just like the sizing gadget of a window, but it sizes all the boxes in the frame sequence equally. ›HChanging the Number of Frame Boxes:›@ The default frame sequence is for a six-frame animation sequence. The change the number of frame boxes, select ›HChange Frame ›@from the Project menu. After the Frame Sequence Requester appears, click the ›Pplus sign›@ gadget by the number "6" until the number of frames is increased to 10, then click ›HOK›@. You should now see ten frames ("a" through "j"), with the tenth box on the second row. If the frames go off the screen, adjust the drag box and the size box until you can see the entire frame sequence. ›HChanging the Frame Orientation:›@ The default frame sequence is suitable for an animation sequence oriented from left to right. To change the orientation of the frame boxes, select ›HChange Frame ›@from the Project menu. After the Frame Sequence Requester appears, click the Down gadget, and then click ›HOK›@. You should now see the frame sequence going down the screen instead of across. If the frames go off the screen, adjust the drag box and size box as before. ›HChanging the Rows or Columns: ›@If you have the frame sequence set to go across the screen, you can change the number of columns by adjusting the number below the Across gadget in the Frame Sequencer Requester. Likewise, if you have set the frame sequence to go down the screen, you can change the number of rows by adjusting the number below the Down gadget in the Frame Sequence Requester. By changing the number of frames, the size, the orientation, and the number of rows or columns, you can adjust the frame sequence to a wide variety of patterns. ›H3.4.2 Making a Sample Object›@ You will find a picture called "Firecracker" in the Pictures drawer of the ›HParts and Utilities›@ disk. This is an example of the kind of picture you can draw with a paint program as a first step to creating your own animated objects for ›HDeluxeVideo›@. ›HLoading a Picture:›@ Select ›HLoad›@ from the Picture menu. Find the name "Firecracker" in the list of files and click on it. (This should result in the name appearing after the word file near the bottom of the requester). Then click ›HLoad›@. If your picture contains more than eight colors, you may need to reduce the number of colors. At this point, choose ›HBest ›@so that the best eight colors will be used for the picture. (As you become more proficient using ›HDeluxePaint›@ pictures in your videos, you might consider saving eight-color versions of your art along with the originals. See Appendix C for more information on doing this.) When the picture has loaded it will appear under the frame sequence. Select ›HChange Frame›@ from the Project menu to change to six frames going across the screen in six columns. Now use the drag box to position the upper-left corner of the a-box exactly over the upper-left corner of the first box in the firecracker sequence. Now use the size box to position the lower-right corner of the first box. If it exactly matches the first box, it will also match all other boxes in the sequence. ›HMaking the Object: ›@Once the frame is set to match the boxes in the picture, select ›HMake Object From Frame›@ from the Project menu. This option "cuts" a copy of the object from the "picture screen," switches to the "object screen," and draws the first frame of the object sequence inside a bounding rectangle. ›HTesting the Animation: ›@With the firecracker visible in the object ›HAnimate›@ from the Project menu and watch the fuse burn and the firecracker explode. To stop the animation, click either mouse button. ›H3.4.3 Saving an Object to Disk›@ Once you have made an object, use the following steps to save it to disk: ›HAdjust its Location: ›@With the object visible in the Object Screen, hold the left button down within the bounding rectangle and drag the object to its new location. This location will be saved with the object and used by ›HDeluxeVideo›@ as the objects default "Appear" location. ›HSave:›@ Select ›HSave›@ from the object menu. When the requester appears, you should be able to see the name "Firecracker" in the File gadget. Each object you make is automatically given a name by concatenating the picture's name with the number of objects you have made in a Framer session. If this is the first object you have made, its name should be "Firecracker." If you want to use a different name, click the File gadget and type one in. Then click ›HSave›@ to save the object to disk. To achieve the best results with the Framer, you need to use a special technique when using ›HDeluxePaint›@. In particular, when you are creating a sequence of images, you need to place each image in ›Pexactly›@ the same location in its rectangle, so that when you animate the sequence using the Framer, the animation will not "wiggle." You can do this by simulating the frame in the Framer by using a one-pixel brush to draw a rectangular border around the first image, then copying and pasting that (rectangle and all) to the next position, and so on. You'll find that by using this technique, you can create smooth animations every time. ›H3.5 Using Scene Generators›@ ›HDeluxeVideo ›@contains special routines known as "Scene Generators" that can create completed video presentations with a minimum of input from the user. These routines are like templates - they transform raw data into the same animation routines each time. These routines are exactly like the Scene Scripts you create by hand, but the creation process is faster. Use the Scene Generators as a shortcut, adding personal touches and effects after the scene has been generated. If you want to create business presentation graphics or titles and credits for your home videos, work through the following simple exercises. You'll be surprised at the ease with which you can create impressive effects. ›H3.5.1 A Piece of Cake›@ ›HDeluxeVideo›@'s Pie Chart scene generator converts your raw data into an animated pie chart, without any need for further input from you. Here's how: First, start a new video file by selecting ›HNew›@ from the Project menu. Next, select ›HLoad Scene Generators ›@from the Scenes menu to load the required set of routines from the disk into memory. To do this, press the right mouse button to make the menu bar appear, move the pointer up to the menu bar, drag it down until it highlights the desired option, and release the button. After the disk activity stops, pull down the Scenes menu again, and you will notice that it now has a different set of options. Select ›HCharts›@ from the primary menu and ›HPie Chart›@ from the secondary menu (move the pointer to the right until ›HPie Chart ›@is highlighted, and release the button). A requester window should appear, awaiting your input. If you have a set of actual data that you would like to put into pie chart form, then go ahead and use it; otherwise, use any figures you like. To enter data, click the gadget labeled ›HTitle›@ to put a cursor there, and type in a name for your pie chart. Next, click the first gadget under Pie Piece Names and type in a name for the first pie segment. Now click the first gadget under Values and type in a numerical value. Note that your numerical data need not be in any kind of format, such as percentages - ›HDeluxeVideo ›@takes care of any data conversions that may be required. Repeat this procedures with the remaining segments. If you are using actual data and you have more than six segments, save the last gadget for an all-encompassing "Other." If you need to change any of the values, click the corresponding gadget, delete the existing value (by deleting or backspacing over it), and then type in the new value. When you have completed filling in the information, click ›HOK›@. This will bring you back to the Script window, where you will find that the scene box now bears the title of your pie chart. And now for the moment of truth: from the Project menu, select ›HPlay Scene›@. Wow! When the scene stops, press the close box on the remote control to return to the script. If you want to save this video, select ›HSave As...›@ from the Project menu. Click the File gadget in the resulting File Requester, type in a name for your video, and click ›HSave›@. ›H3.5.2 Your Name in Lights›@ For this exercise we will be creating a title and one or two subtitles for a movie or other video presentation. When you are ready to leave your pie chart, select ›HNew›@ from the Project menu to clear your working area. When ›HDeluxeVideo›@ asks "Save Video?" click "›HDon't Save›@" with the left button. You should get a new Script window, as we did when we started the pie chart video above. This time, select ›HText/Title›@ from the Scenes menu, and select "Simple" at the next requester. The resulting Title Scene Requester can accommodate a main title and a byline. For the main title, click the third gadget and give yourself some credit by entering your name. Click ›HOK ›@and then select ›HPlay Scene›@ from the Project menu. The foregoing is just a sample of the creative ways in which you can use ›HDeluxeVideo›@'s many features as you follow the road to video expertise. The following two sections ("Inside DeluxeVideo" and "Reference") should provide you with all the information you need to create first-class videos. TCPHK CHRS TCPHKCHRS