mondaydotsdownloads

instant alpha and moon phases

2010-03-30T17:30:40-07:00

download the keynote file: download moonslidedeck

script: I recently got a question about how to phase a moon using keynote animations on the showroom background. If you were to do it on a white background you could simply drop a white circle on top of your moon and dissolve it in.

This gets a bit more complicated when you try to attempt the same effect on a complex background like the beautiful showroom background included in Keynote. You can't simply drop a white circle on the moon because it looks awful. So how do you accomplish this.

You can accomplish it using instant alpha. First copy the part of the moon you want to phase out, and paste it on another slide. Then using the square shape, create a high contrast background. From there export the slide in .png format.

Open your newly exported picture and instant alpha the moon cut out. I like to use preview, but you could also do this within keynote. Once done, save your image. In keynote, create a new slide, drag your image in, make sure it is centered, and then export the slide to .png again. Then take your newly exported image and drag it back in over the moon. Instant Alpha the background, apply the dissolve build, and you are done!

multiple inspectors

2009-05-30T13:17:15-07:00

This is one of favorite keynote tips/tricks. It greatly enhances productivity.

Having Multiple inspectors in Keynote will dramatically improve your productivity especially if you are using keynote as an animation tool. At first I was only using one inspector and I had to click between the build, text, graphic, and metrics pallettes when editing my dots. I found a simple trick to create multiple inspectors. The trick is to simply option + click on the palette and a second inspector will appear. You can do this for as many times as you need inspectors. That is how you create multiple inspectors and thanks for watching.

bezier line path move

2009-05-30T13:15:19-07:00

Download the keynote file to practice: download bezier line path.key

In this "how-to" I will show you how to use a bezier line as an object path. The magic move transition is great if you have an object or objects and you want them to move from one point to another in a straight line between slides, but there are going to be times when you need to hand animate an object for more complex movements.

The way that you hand animate something is to go into the build inspector and select action>move. As you can see the object moves from right to left. Also note that when an item has a move build attributed to it, it is represented by a red diamond with a dot in the center next to the object. Let's say you want the dot to move in a more complex manner. You can add points on the movement path by option clicking on the path. Then you can slide these points to make a more complex movement.

This is good but it is not the fastest way. The fastest way to make a complex move is to create a bezier line and use that line as the object path. First you will want to create a bezier line by selecting the line and creating the motion path you desire. You finish the bezier line by double clicking on the last point. Once you have the path you desire, select both objects, and from the menu options select format > shape> Make Motion Path from Shape. You'll notice when I do this the dot becomes a dashed red line circle. This is not the desired outcome. The dot has become the motion path for my line. See how the line moves in a circle instead of the dot moving along the line. The reason this happened is because the dot was on a layer more towards the back than the motion path line. Of the two objects you select, the object more towards the back will become the motion path for he object more towards the front. The way you fix this is to move the motion path to the back by selecting the line by itself and selecting back from the tool bar. Then reselect both the line and the dot and from the menu option click Format> Shape> Make Motion Path from Shape. This will give the desired outcome. You can also adjust the time in the build pallette to make the dot move faster or slower. And that is how you use a bezier line as the movement path for a dot. Thanks for watching!

zoom effect

2009-05-23T11:41:55-07:00

Zooming can be a very effective tool when creating dot models. It gives the viewer the feeling that you are showing them a secret and it gives you the ability to dig deeper into a concept or issue. For this effect you need a frame of reference other than the dots. In the animation above I used a square.

There are two ways to zoom:

1. Zoom everything else and keep the dots the same size (first zoom)
2. Zoom the dots with everything else (second zoom)

Let me know if you find another way to zoom!

download zoom effect

dot roll

2009-05-23T11:29:26-07:00

Getting a dot to roll can be difficult. If you simply use the magic move transition and on the following slide rotate and move your dot, it will just look like it moved and not rotated. Being able to identify the dot is rotating is key to making it roll. Your viewers need a frame of reference. The above animation has 4 different ways to make a dot roll:

1. Use the reflection option in keynote
2. Add a smaller dot to show where the larger dot is in its rotation
3. Use an advanced gradient to give a 3-D look (the problem here is that it looks like the light source is also rotating which could disorient the viewer)
4. Apply a very subtle gradient (this option is my favorite, but does not show well online)

download rollingdot.key

color move

2009-05-23T11:14:23-07:00

Color is an important consideration when building dot models. Are your dots happy? peaceful? frustrated? angry? dangerous? confused?

Another consideration is whether the color creates or removes prejudice from the dots? What will the viewer assume about the dot if it is a certain color? The more abstract the color the less likely the viewer will be to form prejudices about the dots.

Here is a great write up on color theory.

Magic move will change your dots colors. Download the Keynote file and try it for yourself:

download color move.key

stretch jump

2009-05-23T10:41:07-07:00

This is a short animation is of a dot mustering up the strength to jump into the air. It was done completely with the magic move transition in Keynote with the speed issues fixed in post with iMovie.

It demonstrates that the magic move transition will animate an object even when a shape stretches or changes in size.

download stretchjump.key

musical dots

2009-05-23T10:32:27-07:00

This short animation demonstrates another way to use the magic move transition in Keynote. It had an interesting effect of creating a pulsating circle. The dots move from their beginning point to their finishing point in a straight line but when the move at the same time it gives off the illusion of that the circle is retracting and expanding.

download musicaldots.key

square-triangle-blob

2009-05-23T06:44:13-07:00

This animation really shows the power of the magic move transition in Keynote. It was done using only the magic move transition. If you download the files you can change the order of the morph simply by changing the order of the slides. Download the file and give it a try!

Download square-triangle-blob.key

dot merge

2009-05-23T06:35:26-07:00

This is a simple animation of two dots merging together. Instead of having them just run into each other, I created a blob effect by making them longer as they came together. When you export out of Keynote this leaves some spots in the video where the dots are not moving during the merge. You can clean this up in iMovie in post by deleting the non moving part of the video. Download the keynote and give it a try!

Download Dotmerge.key