Watch and Learn Illustrator!

1 - Introduction (Running Time - 10:05)
Bert introduces us to a workflow for making web ready videos. Using Photoshop CS3 Extended as a primary production tool, and Flash CS3 as a finishing tool for integrating audio, video and other mutli-media resources. And with the additional support of Utility programs Quicktime Pro and Audacity, we learn how to produce great looking and sounding videos as quick loading Flash movies. This is an overview of all of the steps involved in the process, with a brief description of the role of each of the four programs involved.

2 - Photoshop Layers and the Animation Timeline (Running Time - 17:04)
Learn to make a basic layered composite in Photoshop. This video is a review on the basics of building a layered composite. Using a single piece of video footage, we learn how to build a composite, and have a look at the basic tools on the animation timeline. Video, still images, animated text warping, adjustment layers and the basics of key frame animation are touched on, as we enhance and refine graphics for a short video logo.

3 - Editing Video with Photoshop (Running Time - 13:30)
Take a more detailed look at the features of the animation timeline. Bert shows us how to edit by splicing together four bits of video footage. We learn how to create basic cuts and transitions, adjust the beginning and ending points of video clips, and apply various key frame techniques to make footage flow together. Straight cuts, cross fades, wipe transitions and fade-outs are touched on. We create our first 20 second video sequence.

4 - QuickTimePro and Audacity (Running Time - 20:00)
This video is an introduction to our two support programs. First we visit QuickTime Pro and are introduced to the basic properties screen, where we can strip out the audio to either delete it, or extract it for use in our audio editor. Then we move on to Audacity, where Bert shows us how to build up a multi-track audio mixing board. Here we review the basic editing tools for audio: making selections on the time line and doing basic editing, cutting and pasting, adjusting volume levels and moving materials along the audio time line. We perform a simple audio mix of three short audio clips, to make twenty seconds of mixed audio as a companion piece for our 20 seconds of video footage.

5 - Importing Audio and Video into Flash (Running Time - 14:30)
With consideration given to importing files to minimize file size and maximize quality, we learn how to import video footage to Flash. Touching on all the important aspects of codecs, pre-editing, deploying the clips in a readily usable format for Flash. We walk through the Sorenson Spark Import Video Dialogue and bring our first video sequence into flash. We also import the first audio sequence, and Bert explains the best way to assure the quality of the final audio output by reviewing basic compression settings.

6 - Putting it all together in Flash (Running Time - 10:07)
Bert explains his suggested method of deploying and laying out the materials in Flash. Provided with a starting document with a pre-loader we learn how to create a Flash document that allows us to easily manage our video and audio resources. We learn how to build a 'stop frame' flash document where each frame of the main time line will contain each new sequence of our movie project, and the very basic time line actions that allow us to flow from scene to scene. Bert illustrated how this method allows us great flexibility if swapping out video and audio materials as we develop and refine our final product. He also shows us how, once we've imported our audio bits, we can further fine tune them to our flash document.

7 - Photoshop Compositing (Running Time - 9:10)
Bert teaches us a basic idea of video compositing by creating a simply green screen set up in his own studio. With a couple of bucks worth of green oak tag and the camera on top of his computer Bert illustrates this basic method of making a video cut out. Touching on the physical and the virtual aspects, we are shown how to use photoshop to select and cut out the green screen. We are given a basic method of speeding up this selection and deletion process using basic Photoshop actions. Then Bert shows us how to use this footage with video layers to create the green screen effect.

8 - Complex Matting in Photoshop (Running Time - 14:30)
With the basics of compositing revealed, Bert takes us deeper into the world of complex special effects. He hows us how to use compositing to put two images into one space realistically. Using two bits of video footage, a street scene and a robot animation, we learn the idea behind image matting. By mixing a background video with an animation rendered with an alpha channel, and the use of a composite matt layer, we see how complex video compositing works.

9 - Summary (Running Time - 14:04)
With our new bit of magic composite footage, Bert takes us on one last walk through of our working method. Stripping the ambient ambient from the photoshop composite with Quicktime Pro, then with an extended visit to Audacity, we build up the audio for the new video materials. In Audacity we learn some basic tricks for cleaning up messy audio, then a couple of basic mixing tricks involving panning and splitting audio signals. Finally we take the new audio and video to Flash where we place them in our Flash Document. In Flash, Bert reviews the basic ideas of how to make the flash document flow, and sets the student the challenge of showing they have learned by revealing extra materials in the Final Flash file for which the raw materials have been supplied in the student's resource folder.

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