Course Outline for Digital Media 34A, Page 2

Chabot College

Course Outline for Digital Media 34A, page 2

Fall 2007

Chabot College Fall 2007

Removed Fall 2010

Course Outline for Digital Media 34A

FLASH I

Catalog Description:

34A - Flash I 1.5 units

Introduction to Flash, an authoring application for bringing animation, sound, video, and interactivity to web pages. Creating images with Flash’s vector-based drawing tools; importing and modifying images, sounds, and video clips; animating those elements; embedding the resulting animation in a web page. 1 hour lecture, 2 hours laboratory.
[Typical contact hours: lecture 17.5, laboratory 35]

Prerequisite Skills: None

Expected Outcomes for Students:

Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:

1. use basic operating system features, including navigation of the desktop, saving and moving files to various storage media, and adjusting system preferences;

2. launch Flash, navigate and customize its interface, use the tools available on its toolbars and palettes, and apply commands by means of menus and keyboard shortcuts;

3. describe the differences between raster (bitmapped) and vector (object-oriented) images;

4. use Flash’s drawing tools to create and edit vector images consisting of lines and fills;

5. create and edit symbols, and organize the library in which symbols are stored;

6. build multi-layer, multi-frame visual sequences in the Flash timeline;

7. create simple animation by means of motion-tweening and shape-tweening;

8. use specialized mask layers and guide layers to enhance animation;

9. import multimedia files, including bitmapped images and audio and video clips;

10. integrate imported multimedia files into an animated movie, and optimize the movie to improve its performance over low-bandwidth connections;

11. create buttons using simple ActionScript commands to add basic interactivity to a Flash movie;

12. export (“publish”) a Flash movie in a format suitable for streaming over the web;

13. integrate a Flash movie into a web page, and test its performance under real-world conditions.

Course Content:

1. Basic operating system features, including navigation of the desktop, saving and moving files to various storage media, and adjusting system preferences

2. Launching Flash, navigating and customizing its interface, using the tools available on its toolbars and palettes, and applying commands by means of menus and keyboard shortcuts

3. Differences between raster (bitmapped) and vector (object-oriented) images

4. Using Flash’s drawing tools to create and edit vector images consisting of lines and fills

5. Creating and editing symbols, and organizing the library in which symbols are stored

6. Building multi-layer, multi-frame visual sequences in the Flash timeline

7. Creating simple animation by means of motion-tweening and shape-tweening

8. Using specialized mask layers and guide layers to enhance animation

9. Importing multimedia files, including bitmapped images and audio and video clips

10. Integrating imported multimedia files into an animated movie, and optimizing the movie to improve its performance over low-bandwidth connections

11. Creating buttons using simple ActionScript commands to add basic interactivity to a Flash movie

12. Publishing a Flash movie in a format suitable for streaming over the web

13. Integrating a Flash movie into a web page, and testing its performance under real-world conditions

Methods of Presentation:

1. Computer demonstrations

2. Lecture with whiteboard

Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:

1. Typical Assignments

a. Create an animated sequence using frame-by-frame animation

b. Create an animated sequence using motion-tweening and shape-tweening

c. Create an animated sequence incorporating sound and imported images

d. Create a Flash movie whose content can be changed by the user’s click of a button

2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress

a. Homework assignments

b. Quizzes and exams, including a final exam

Textbook(s) (Typical):

Macromedia Flash Professional 8 Hands-On Training, James Gonzalez, Peachpit Press, December 22, 2005

Special Student Materials:

Portable file-storage device, such as a USB flash drive