Mastering Adobe Animate 2021

Mastering Adobe Animate 2021

by Joseph Labrecque, Ajay Shukla
Released February 2021
Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
ISBN: 9781801074162

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Book description

Step into the world of animation and go beyond the fundamentals of Adobe Animate to bring experiences to life through expert-led content

Key Features

  • Produce rich motion graphics and interactive animations for multiple platforms and discover different ways to use Animate
  • Explore the key features and enhancements in the latest Adobe Animate release
  • Take your Adobe Animate projects to the next level by delving into creative workflows

Book Description

Adobe Animate is platform-agnostic asset creation, motion design, animation, and interactivity software. Complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts, practical examples, and hands-on walkthroughs, this book shows you how to use Adobe Animate to create immersive experiences by breaking through creative limitations across every medium.

You will begin by getting up to speed with what you need to know about Adobe Animate quickly. Next, you will learn how to get started with Animate as a creative platform and explore the features introduced in the most recent version of the software. Moving on, you'll consume and produce media assets for multiple platforms through both the publish and export workflows. Following this, you'll delve into advanced rigging techniques and discover how to create more dynamic animation with advanced depth and movement techniques. You'll also find out how to build projects such as games, virtual reality experiences, and apps for various platforms. The book concludes with an examination of different methods used to extend the software for various needs.

By the end of this book, you'll be able to produce a variety of media assets, motion design materials and animated artifacts, and interactive content pieces - all while targeting a variety of platforms including HTML5 Canvas, WebGL, and mobile devices.

What you will learn

  • Gain a solid understanding of Adobe Animate foundations and new features
  • Understand the nuances associated with publishing and exporting rich media content for various platforms
  • Make use of advanced layering and rigging techniques to create engaging motion content
  • Create dynamic motion by using the camera and variable layer depth techniques
  • Develop web-based games, virtual reality experiences, and multiplatform mobile applications
  • Extend Animate with extensions, application-level scripting, and the creation of custom integrated tutorials

Who this book is for

This book is for web, graphic, and motion design professionals with basic experience in animation who want to take their existing skills to the next level. A clear understanding of basic animation concepts will help you to get the most out of this book and produce impressive results.

Table of contents

  1. Mastering Adobe Animate 2021
  2. Why subscribe?
  3. Foreword
  4. Contributors
  5. About the author
  6. About the reviewer
  7. Packt is searching for authors like you
  8. Preface
    1. Who this book is for
    2. What this book covers
    3. To get the most out of this book
    4. Download the example projects, media assets, and code files
    5. Code in Action
    6. Download the color images
    7. Conventions used
    8. Get in touch
    9. Reviews
  9. Section 1: Getting Up-To-Speed
  10. Chapter 1: A Brief Introduction to Adobe Animate
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Understanding Adobe Animate
      1. A Bit of History
      2. Familiar uses of Adobe Animate
    3. Exploring New Features of Animate
      1. Assets Panel
        1. Managing Animate Assets
      2. Social Share and Quick Publish
        1. Social share
        2. Quick Publish
      3. Timeline and Symbol Enhancements
        1. Converting Layers to a Symbol
        2. Converting Symbols to Layers
        3. Additional Looping Options for Graphic Symbol Instances
        4. Copy and Paste Tween Settings
      4. Advanced Rigging
        1. Rig Mapping
        2. Bone Tool Enhancements
      5. Auto KeyFrame
      6. Hands-on Tutorial Creator
      7. Selective Texture Publishing
      8. New Canvas Blend Modes
      9. Stream Audio Sync in Canvas
      10. Enhanced Video Export
    4. Keeping Up to Date with Animate Releases
      1. Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop
      2. Adobe Blog
      3. Adobe MAX
    5. Summary
  11. Chapter 2: Exploring Platform-Specific Considerations
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Exploring Animate Document Types
      1. Flash Platform Runtimes
      2. Branching Out to the Native Web
      3. Open to Custom Platforms
    3. Understanding ActionScript 3.0 Documents
      1. Adobe Flash Player
      2. The SWF file format
      3. The ActionScript Language
    4. Understanding HTML5 Canvas Documents
      1. HTML and JavaScript
      2. The Canvas Element
      3. The CreateJS Libraries
    5. Exploring the Adobe Integrated Runtime
      1. Adobe AIR
      2. Adobe AIR and ActionScript 3.0
      3. Adobe AIR and HARMAN
      4. AIR for Desktop
      5. AIR for iOS
      6. AIR for Android
    6. Experimenting with Animate Beta Platforms
      1. WebGL glTF – Standard and Extended
      2. VR Panorama and VR 360
    7. Summary
  12. Chapter 3: Settling into the User Interface
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Exploring the Animate Interface
      1. Important User Interface Elements
        1. The Document panel
        2. The Timeline Panel
        3. The Tools panel
        4. The Properties Panel
        5. The Library and Assets panels
      2. Choosing Your Start Settings
      3. Changing your start settings
    3. Managing Workspaces and Panels
      1. Using the Default Workspaces
      2. Customizing the Workspace
      3. Saving a Custom Workspace
      4. Managing Workspaces
    4. Customizing the Tools and Timeline panels
      1. Customizing the Tools Panel
      2. Exploring the Timeline Tools
      3. Customizing the Timeline
    5. Managing Animate Preferences
      1. Customizing preferences
      2. Keyboard Shortcuts
      3. Managing Your Preferences
    6. Summary
  13. Chapter 4: Publishing and Exporting Creative Content
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Publishing versus Exporting
      1. Publishing your Projects
      2. Exporting your Content
    3. Publish Settings Differences between Document Types
      1. Publishing ActionScript 3.0 Documents
      2. Publishing HTML5 Canvas Documents
      3. Publishing AIR Document Types
      4. Publishing Beta Document Types
    4. Options for Exporting your Content
      1. Exporting Video Files
      2. Exporting Animated GIFs
      3. Exporting Image File sequences
      4. Export Options from the Library Panel
    5. Sharing Content as Animate Asset Packages
    6. Summary
  14. Section 2: Animating with Diverse Techniques
  15. Chapter 5: Creating and Manipulating Media Content
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Working with Shapes
      1. Understanding the Shape Tools
    3. Animating with Shape Tweens
      1. Exploring Shape Tween Properties
      2. Manipulating Shape Properties across Tweens
    4. Working with Symbols
      1. Creating symbols
      2. Exploring Symbol Types
    5. Animating with Classic Tweens
      1. Using Classic Motion Guides
      2. Exploring Classic Tween Properties
    6. Summary
  16. Chapter 6: Interactive Motion Graphics for the Web
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Designing a Document for the Native Web
      1. Creating a New Document for Digital Advertising
      2. Importing External Content
      3. Creating Text Objects
    3. Animating with Motion Tweens
      1. Building Symbols for use in Motion Tweens
      2. Including Additional Library Items
      3. Adjusting the Timeline
      4. Animating with Motion Guides
      5. Exploring Motion Tween properties
    4. Adding Interactivity with JavaScript
      1. Writing code with the Actions panel
    5. Summary
  17. Chapter 7: Character Design through Layer Parenting
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Working with Advanced Layers mode
      1. Assessing Layer Mode Benefits and Gotchas
      2. Switching between Layer Modes
    3. Animating a Character with Layer Parenting
      1. Preparing assets for Layer Parenting
      2. Establishing a Layer Hierarchy
      3. Animating using Layer Parenting
    4. Exploring Additional Character Animation Features
      1. Making Use of Graphic Symbols
      2. Importing Audio for Stream Sync
      3. Configuring our Graphic Symbol Frames
      4. Assigning Visemes and Automating Lip Syncing
    5. Summary
  18. Chapter 8: Animating Poses with IK Armatures
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Building an Armature using Inverse Kinematics
      1. Understanding Inverse Kinematics versus Forward Kinematics
        1. Aspects of Layer Parenting
        2. Aspects of Inverse Kinematics
      2. Using the Bone Tool to Rig Symbol Instances
      3. Refining the Rig Properties
      4. Using the Bone Tool to Rig Shapes
        1. Using the Bind Tool to Refine Shapes
    3. Animating an IK Armature
      1. Creating Additional Poses
      2. Managing Armature Poses
    4. Sharing a Completed IK Rig
      1. Saving a Rig for Reuse
      2. Importing a Rig within the Assets Panel
    5. Summary
  19. Chapter 9: Working with the Camera and Layer Depth
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Understanding the Camera
      1. Examining the Starter Project
      2. Activating and Manipulating the Camera
    3. Understanding and Manipulating the Layer Depth
      1. Activating the Layer Depth Panel
      2. Modifying the Layer Depth
        1. Using the Layer Depth without the Camera
    4. Animating the Camera
      1. Setting Camera Keyframes
      2. Adding Motion and Easing to the Camera
        1. Creating Text and Attaching Layers to the Camera
    5. Applying Layer Effects and Filters
      1. Adding Effects to the Camera
      2. Adding Filters to a Layer
    6. Summary
  20. Section 3: Exploring Additional Platforms
  21. Chapter 10: Developing Web-Based Games
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Understanding the Game Concept
      1. Starter Document Overview
      2. Exploring the Timeline and Stage
      3. Exploring the Project Library
    3. Preparing the Game Timeline, Stage, and Library
      1. Labeling the Timeline
      2. Creating Dynamic Text and Clickable Overlays
      3. Adding Linkage IDs within the Library
    4. Programming the Game with JavaScript
      1. Creating Global Variables
      2. Programming the Start Screen
      3. Programming player actions
      4. Programming Enemy Behavior
      5. Programming the Game Loop
      6. Programming the End Screen
    5. Summary
  22. Chapter 11: Producing Virtual Reality Content for WebGL
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Overview of Virtual Reality Documents
      1. Managing Scenes for Virtual Reality
      2. Capturing Photographs for Virtual Reality
      3. Adding Textures to Virtual Reality Scenes
    3. Adding Additional Content
      1. Importing Transparent 3D Renders
      2. Animating with the Asset Warp Tool
      3. Animating Warped Objects
    4. Writing Code for Virtual Reality Interactions
      1. Moving from Scene to Scene
      2. Interacting with Animated Objects
      3. Refining Perspective within the VR View Panel
    5. Summary
  23. Chapter 12: Building Apps for Desktop and Mobile
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Working with the Adobe Integrated Runtime
      1. Installing an AIR SDK in Animate
      2. Configuring an AIR for Desktop Project
      3. Testing your AIR Project
    3. Building a User Interface
      1. Working with Button Symbols
      2. Using Components within an AIR Project
      3. Exploring Advanced Movie Clip Symbol Settings
    4. Programming an AIR Application
      1. Establishing a Document Class
      2. Writing ActionScript Code
    5. Converting an AIR Application for Mobile Devices
    6. Summary
  24. Chapter 13: Extending Adobe Animate
    1. Technical Requirements
    2. Creating Custom In-App Tutorials
    3. Writing JSFL Scripts
    4. Understanding the Animate Custom Platform SDK
    5. Summary
  25. Other Books You May Enjoy
    1. Leave a review - let other readers know what you think

Product information

  • Title: Mastering Adobe Animate 2021
  • Author(s): Joseph Labrecque, Ajay Shukla
  • Release date: February 2021
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781801074162