FET 5622 Assignment 2.2 - Penny Gardner

 

This page contains the animated car and the audio activities:

• Activity 3.7 Animated Car gif
• Activity 3.9 Edited WAV 'I am OK'
• Activity 3.9: Haiku Reading WAV
• References

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Activity 3.7: Animated Car GIF

Please click 'refresh' or press F5 to replay the animation.

I used Fireworks to animate the car. First of all, I positioned the car at the campsite and then counted the number of left clicks needed to take it to the factory, which was 144. I wanted it to accelerate first of all, then have a constant speed in the middle, finally decelerating to a stop. A mathematical approach seemed the best way: I duplicated each frame successively, moving the car 2 clicks, then 4, then 6 etc for the acceleration phase up to about 1/3 of the distance, then a constant number of movements to the left each frame, finally reversing the first phase for the last 1/3 of the journey. This resulted in a fairly smooth animation. The file size is very small, I think this is because the images are being shared across all the frames - presumably this is a fringe benefit of the Fireworks programme. Notice how the car slows right down at the end, this is as it manoeuvres into its parking spot.

GIF file size is 9Kb

Skills gained during this activity:

I was already quite familiar with manipulating and rotating images from having used Photoshop elements. Using Fireworks, I learned how to use layers and frames to create animations and experimented with different frame rates and their effects. I discovered the thrill of seeing ones own animation for the first time! I found out how to stop the animation looping, how to export as a gif and how to import it to a web page.

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Activity 3.9 'I am OK'

Please click the play button u to hear the edited recording.

Hyperlink: If the controller (above) doesn't load, or doesn't work, please click here to play 'I am OK'

The sound file provided was edited using free software from WavePad. I learned how to manipulate sound files using audio software - the easiest to use was WavePad from NCH Swift Sound. Unfortunately, this excellent free software is only available for Windows and not Macs.

WAV file size 47Kb

Skills gained during this activity:

I found that there are different options for exporting sound files, in various formats and in size and quality.

I discovered how difficult it is to get sound files to work in different browsers. Used information from W3Schools to learn about 'embed' and 'object' tags and use of hyperlinks. Learned the difference between Autoplay, Looping and Controllers. Found that Quicktime doesn't work well in Firefox and Opera: it requires a plug in but the plug in doesn't necessarily work. I therefore provided a hyperlink direct to the audio file as an alternative - the browser then selects the player by default.

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Activity 3.9 Haiku Reading WAV file

Please click the play button u to hear the mixed recording.

Hyperlink: If the controller (above) doesn't load, or doesn't work, please click here to play Haiku reading.

I decided to upgrade to WavePad Masters Edition (the free download has a time limit, about one month). I found a great deal of difficulty accessing music clips in WAV format that were not copyright protected. In the end, a good source was Al's Piano Music, played by Al Bowles, offering free downloads of his own recordings.

WAV file size: 127Kb

Skills gained during this activity:

I learned to edit and manipulate sound files: changing the amplification, fading in and out at the beginning and end of the music, adjusting the length of the clips and mixing the files. In order to get balance between the voice and music, I amplified the voice and reduced the music. I think the final balance is just about right; you can still hear the music, but the words are also clear.

 

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References

Bowles, A, (2002) Al's Piano Music, 'Autmun Leaves' accessed 24 September 2006: http://members.aol.com/fssalhb/index.html

Cooltext.com, accessed 24 September 2006: http://cooltext.com/

W3Schools (1999 - 2006) Refnes Data, accessed 24 September 2006: http://www.w3schools.com/media/media_browsersounds.asp

WavePad Audio Editing Software, NCH Swift Sound, accessed 24 September 2006: http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/masters.html

 

Author: Penny Gardner W0031478, Course FET 5622 with Dr Peter Evans

This page last updated on 10 October, 2006