EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE
WRITING ASSIGNMENT #2 - THE LEARNING CURVE
Now that you've seen the software tool we will be using this semester, we need to learn how to use it! So, your writing assignment this week is not really a writing assignment, but a learning assignment. Follow instructions below to complete the assignment.
Windows Movie Maker
Locate the Windows Movie Maker program on the main program menu. This is a program that permits you to load a number of images sequentially to create an animation. Follow the steps below to create your first animation using this program.
1. Double click on the Windows Movie Maker icon to load the program. When the program loads, locate and open the "My Pictures" file by double clicking on its icon. Select the "Sample Pictures" folder and add each of the images to the "Collections" panel of Windows Movie Maker.
2. Once your images are in the "Collections" panel, drag and drop each image onto the Movie Maker working area (the film strip at the bottom of the Movie Maker window).
3. Click on one image to select it. Click on the "Play" button in movie maker. What happens? Next, select all of the images on the film strip and click the "Play" button again. What happens now?
4. Change the timing of your animation so that each image appears for 1 second. To do this, delete all images from the Movie Maker working area (the film strip at the bottom of the page). From the menu bar at the top of the screen, choose "Tools" and "Options". When the "Options" dialogue box appears, click on the "Advanced" tab at the top of the dialogue box. You will see "Picture duration:" and "Transition duration:" with a box containing numbers for each. Use the scrolling arrows to make Picture duration: 1 second, and Transition duration: 0.125 second. Now click "OK" and drag images back to the Movie Maker working area. Now replay your movie. Note that each image now displays for 1 second with a 0.125 second transition time. This movie will play rather quickly. It is also possible to alter the timing of individual frames of the movie.
5. To alter the timing of an individual frame, click on the "Show Timeline" icon above the film strip area. Once the timeline is visible, click on the magnifying glass icons to zoom in on the timeline. You will see the time scale change as you zoom in. Zoom in until you can see outlines of individual images in your movie. Click once on any single frame. Note the this frame is highlighted with a black border. Note also there is an arrow point on the right margin of the black border. Move your cursor to this arrow point, click once and hold down the mouse button, then drag the image edge to a new position, making this image 5-seconds duration.
6. Select all images in your animation and click on the "Play" button. Were you successful getting the image you selected to appear for 5 seconds while all other images appeared for 1 second? If not, go back and edit your timeline and try again. If you are successful, exit the timeline view by clicking on the "Show Storyboard" icon. Now, learn to add special effects to your movie by experimenting with video effects and video transitions available from the "2. Edit Movie" panel on the left of your screen.
7. Continue experimenting as long as you like. When you are done, use "File" "Save Project As.." and "File" "Save Movie File..." to save all your work to your directory. Mr. Sharif and I will review your work and provide some feedback regarding your very first animation using this software.
Grading Rubrik for This Exercise
All images in order, movie plays, one image displays for 5 seconds, all others display for 1 second. All images in order, movie plays, one image displays for 5 seconds, all others display for 1 second. All images in order, movie plays, one image displays for 5 seconds, all others display for 1 second. One Video effect and One video transition attempted throughout movie. Several Video effects and several video transitions attempted throughout movie. Several Video effects and several video transitions attempted throughout movie. Captions added to convey information. Movie plays without gaps or hitches, resolution of images adequate (not pixelated). Movie plays without gaps or hitches, resolution of images adequate (not pixelated). Movie plays without gaps or hitches, resolution of images adequate (not pixelated). Video effects and video transitions create pleasing asthetic quality ("wow" factor) throughout; image transitions smooth and fluid.
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