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diff --git a/source/fototoon.markdown b/source/fototoon.markdown deleted file mode 100644 index 7e5c5a4..0000000 --- a/source/fototoon.markdown +++ /dev/null @@ -1,383 +0,0 @@ -% FotoToon -% -% - -About -===== - -The FotoToon Activity will allow you to create everything from a simple -"comic" strip to a long elaborate illustrated document. You will be able -to import many kinds of images into the panes of your project and add -text bubbles to help tell the story. You can use photo images taken with -the XO or imported from a camera, drawings made with Activities such as -Paint, and images of all kinds downloaded from the web. This could -include photos, charts and graphs, maps, and the like. - -This introduction to FotoToon will show you how to get started with a -simple 4 panel project. - -FotoToon, like many other Sugar Activities, is often updated to fix -"bugs" that users report. There was one update, from version 11 to -version 12 during the time this instruction chapter was written. By the -time you use it, there may be others. The changes are usually minor and -should not interfere with the usefulness of this information. Always try -to be sure you are using the latest version. - -Using FotoToon -============== - -The Main FotoToon Toolbar -------------------------- - -The FotoToon Toolbar has 13 icons including 2 with pulldown menus. The -main FotoToon toolbar allows you to access many features of the -Activity. Here is a description of what each of the icons will allow you -to do: - -1. The FotoToon icon. When you hover your cursor over this icon you - will open a small pulldown that allows you to export your work as an - image. See below for more details. - -2. The **Add Image** icon. This icon allows you to add an image to your - project. It can be a photo you take with the XO or digital camera, - or import from the web. It can also be a picture, page, or project - you create in another Sugar Activity. - -The next four icons allow you to add text to your drawings and photos. -They include: - -3. A normal dialogue Globe -4. A cloud shape to tell what a character is silently Thinking -5. A dotted globe which indicates a character is talking in a Whisper -6. An exclamation bubble to add things like "Pow!" "Bang!" and "Wham!" -7. Is a box where you can put the Title of your project. Just above it - is a box icon that allows you to add more rectangular text boxes to - your project. -8. The Movement icon allows you to add little curves to indicate - motion, highlight an object with a sunburst, add some parallel lines - to show horizontal or vertical motion, or add a little light bulb to - show that someone had a bright idea. -9. The circular arrow allows you to click on an object, then on this - icon and rotate it clockwise 1/4 turn (90 degrees) with each click. -10. This icon allows you to delete something you have added. -11. This icon opens and closes the Text pulldown where you can select - the font and size of your text as well as select bold, italics, or - other colors for your words. Click it to open, and when finished, - click again to close. See below for more details. -12. The familiar stop-sign icon is one way to stop the FotoToon - Activity. You can also use the keyboard shortcut: ctrl-Q. - -The Export Pulldown -------------------- - -1a- This little panel allows you to name your project before you export -it as an image. If you do nothing, it will appear in the Journal as, -"FotoToon as image." If you give it a name, such as "My Project-1" -before exporting it will appear in the Journal as "My Project-1 as -image". This will make it easier to find later in the Journal. Just -erase the FotoToon label and replace it with the title you want to use. -If you forget to name it when saving, you can always go to the Journal -and select and rename it. - -1b- This greyed out icon for home view is currently inactive. - -1c- Click on this icon to export your project as an image. The export -will just show your project. The tool bars and other things on the -screen will not be included. If you wish a screen shot of the entire -screen, you can make one by using the usual alt-1 (press the alt key and -the 1 key at the same time). - -The Text Pulldown ------------------ - -The Text Pulldown menu allows you to control the appearance of the text -you add to your project. Generally, they apply to everything in the box -or bubble you are currently working on. You do not have to highlight the -text to change it. - -> 11a- Selecting this icon will change the text you are working on to -> Bold. Clicking it again reverts back to regular text, -> -> 11b- Selecting this icon will change the text your are working on to -> Italics. - -Note: clicking on both of these icons, in any order, will give you Bold -Italic text. Clicking both again, in any order, will get you back to -regular text. - -> 11c- Clicking on this icon will open the Text Color Pallete. See below -> for information on how to use it. -> -> 11d- This is a non-functioning icon that identifies this as the Text -> Pulldown toolbar. -> -> 11e- This little pull down allows you to choose the size of the text -> you are working on. -> -> 11f- This pull down offers a choice of 37 different fonts, listed in -> alphabetical order. Some, such as "Ding Bats" don't actually produce -> anything. Be sure to test the font on your text to see if it looks the -> way you would like it to. - -The Color Pallete Pulldown --------------------------- - -The Color Pallete Pulldown allows you to choose the color of your font. -It will apply to everything in the box or bubble but can vary from one -box or bubble to the next as you choose. There are 12 preset colors you -can use, or you can create a custom color by selecting one of the preset -colors and dragging the sliders to give more or less Red, Green, or Blue -in the selected color. The little circle at the top of the Color Pallete -shows the current color. When you are satisfied with the color you have -selected/modified, click on the little circle to accept the chosen color -and close the Color Pallete. It may take a few seconds for the new color -to appear in the text box. But, don't worry, it will! - -Learning with FotoToon -====================== - -Plan Ahead ----------- - -FotoToon can be used for a wide variety of learning activities, but the -general process is always similar. For the sample project in this -section, we will make a 4 panel page using 4 photos. This is a good way -to get started since the page can be printed on a single page. - -Here are the general steps you need to complete before you build your -first FotoToon project: - -- **Step One: Decide what your project will be about.** You can tell a - story about anything. For example, it could be about your pets, your - home, your family, your town, or, even some photos you took at a - party. Any topic is fine for our first project. The sample project - will be about "Healthy Snacks" and the photos will be pictures of - food. - -- **Step Two: Make a plan.** Before you begin you should make a plan - that will guide you through the construction of your project. Some - people like to draw a little sketch of each pane showing what will - be in the picture and a suggestion for what words will be added. If - you like the panes can each be on a separate small piece of paper so - you can re-arrange them easily This is called a **Story Board**. You - may have another way you would like to make your plan, just be sure - to include information about what pictures you will use, where you - will get them, and what text you plan to add. - -- **Step Three: Gather your images.** For starters, we will use images - that were taken either with a camera, or using the **Record - Activity** on the XO. Any image that can be imported to the Journal - on your XO and viewed in **Image Viewer** can be used. It is a good - idea to rename each of the photos you will be using in the Journal. - The name can include the number of the pane you plan to use it in so - it is easy to find when you begin putting things together. - -Place Your Images ------------------ - -- Open the Journal and check to be sure your images are there and can - be viewed in the Image Viewer (click on the file to open it and - check). Be sure the images have names that include the number of the - pane you plan to place them (1,2,3, or 4). - -- Open FotoToon and find the "Add Photo" icon (number 2 in the - FotoToon main toolbar shown above). A list of available images will - appear. Click on the one you want to put in the first pane. When it - has loaded, you can either leave it or remove it with the minus sign - icon (number 10 in the main toolbar shown above). Warning: You can - only remove the last image entered. That is why it is important to - number the images according to the panes you wish to place them in. - After the first image has been placed, continue adding images until - all four for your first project have been placed. If you decide - later that you want to change their order after they have been - placed, you will need to delete them and replace them in the new - order. It is best to get your final placement before adding any - text. - -If you would like to use the same images that will be used in this -sample project, you will find them at these links. Go to each link, -upload the photo to a usb drive, plug it into your XO, and open by -clicking on the image names. They will open in the Image Viewer and be -automatically saved so you can access them for your project. - -> Pane-1 -> [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/File:1-Apple-Fries.png](http://wiki.laptop.org/go/File:1-Apple-Fries.png) -> -> Pane-2 -> [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/File:2-Soda-Milk.png](http://wiki.laptop.org/go/File:2-Soda-Milk.png) -> -> Pane-3 -> [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/File:3-Cookies-Yogurt.png](http://wiki.laptop.org/go/File:3-Cookies-Yogurt.png) -> -> Pane-4 -> [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/File:4-HealthySnacks.png](http://wiki.laptop.org/go/File:4-HealthySnacks.png) - -Add Dialogue and Titles -======================= - -If you have planned well with your storyboard, you will have a pretty -good idea of what you want to put in your dialogue balloons and text -boxes. You may even have a title in mind for your project. You can -actually start this process anywhere in your project. All of the -balloons and boxes you will be using to do this will be identified in -the first image above, the The Main PhotoToonToolbar. - -- Making and placing your Title: If you know what you would like your - title to be, you can start with that. It can always be changed - later. When you start a project in FotoToon there will already be a - tiny box for the title in a narrow band across the top of the - project window. You can drag the upper left corner of the box to - enlarge it (look for the cursor arrow to change to a thinner double - headed arrow). You can also move it around in the band across the - top. Click on the box and type all or part of your title. Then you - can change the type style and size using the pull downs in the Text - Pulldown menu (see 11e and 11f in the picture above). Experiment - until you find a style and size you like. You can also change the - color of the type. Don't worry if it isn't perfect, you can always - come back later and change it. Notice that you can erase part of the - text by backspacing over it. - -In this image you can see that we selected bold, a red color from the -color palette, a type size of 48, and the Font "Georgia". - -- Adding Text Balloons: You can place the text balloons wherever you - like within a pane. Click on the pane, then on the balloon you want - to use (see 3,4,and 5 above for explanations). The balloon will - appear in the pane. You can drag it to the position where you want - it, and also can drag the little tail to point to the source of the - dialogue. Add the words to the balloon in the same way you added - them to the Title box. - -In this image you can see that we have added 4 dialogue balloons (\#3 in -the main toolbar). We could also have used the "cloud" balloon (\#4 in -the main toolbar), or the "whisper" balloon (\#5 in the main toolbar). -The first pane is OK, but the first balloon in the second pane needs to -be dragged to a better shape and size. The second ballon in the second -pane appears just as it does when it is first added. It still needs to -have text added and to be resized (by dragging a corner). You can see -that our type size is 12, text color is black, and we are still using -the Georgia font. - -As you work with the various text items, you may wish to eliminate one -entirely. Just click on it, then on the icon with the minus (-) sign -(\#10 in the main toolbar), and it will disappear. - -- Adding Exclamation Balloons: You may wish to include special - exclamations to your project. Choose the exclamation balloon (\# 6 - in the main toolbar). It is possible to eliminate the one longer - point on the balloon by dragging it so that it matched the others. - Again, type into the balloon just as you did in the title box and - dialogue balloons. - -- Adding extra Text Boxes: You can add a text box anywhere in any pane - by clicking on the pane and then on the box icon in the diagram (\#7 - in the main toolbar). - -In this example you can see we have added 4 exclamation balloons and one -extra text box. We used the same text size, font, and color as in the -rest of the project. You could choose to use different ones in your -project. - -Exporting Your Project -====================== - -Now, if you have followed the instructions above, you should have a -small, completed FotoToon Project. You may have decided to use the same -photos that are in the sample, or you may have chosen to use images you -have imported. These can be from your camera, your XO, downloads from -the web, projects you have made in other Activities, drawings you made -in Paint, or even photos you have modified in Paint (import, then add -things and/or crop as you like). When finished, your project will look -something like this: - -Notice the little red cursor mark at the end of the title in the image. -This export was done in FotoToon 11. The update, FotoToon 12 eliminates -all stray cursors when exporting. Always be sure you are using the -latest version of an Activity. - -Regardless of what you have made for your project, you will probably -want to share it with others. You can do this as an email attachment or -print it out as a paper copy. To do this, you need to export your -project as an image stored in your Journal. The instructions for -exporting your project are shown above. We will repeat them here as -well. - -The Export Pulldown -=================== - -1a- This little panel allows you to name your project before you export -it as an image. If you do nothing, it will appear in the Journal as, -"FotoToon as image." If you give it a name, such as "My Project-1" -before exporting it will appear in the Journal as "My Project-1 as -image". This will make it easier to find later in the Journal. Just -erase the FotoToon label and replace it with the title you want to use. -If you forget to name it when saving, you can always go to the Journal -and select and rename it. - -1b- This greyed out icon for home view is currently inactive. - -1c- Click on this icon to export your project as an image. The export -will just show your project. The tool bars and other things on the -screen will not be included. If you wish a screen shot of the entire -screen, you can make one by using the usual alt-1 (press the alt key and -the 1 key at the same time). - -Look in the Journal. Your project should appear there with the name you -gave it before exporting. If you forgot to give it a name, it will just -say "FotoToon." If this happened, rename it now, in the Journal before -you forget to do it. - -Extending FotoToon 12 -===================== - -FotoToon can be used for much more than the simple 4-pane example we -built in the instructions. It can be adapted for use in many different -subject areas where students and teachers can construct lessons on any -topic. Here are some possible ideas for projects: - -- Student written comic books for language arts practice. Students can - write their own little "graphic novels" and even print them and take - home to share with friends and family. - -- Student produced magazine articles for any topic they and their - teachers choose. A single page or two-page "spread" will make it - like the ones you see in actual magazines. One or more panes on the - page can be used just for text to extend the story. The text could - be written in another program and imported as an image or put in a - large text box that fills the pane. The advantage of doing it all in - FotoToon is that it would be easier to edit and/or change the text - there than if it is imported as an image. Some possible ideas for - these articles could be: - -- Cooking favorite foods (with recipes) - -- Family pets (pictures and stories) - - > Our neighborhood (pictures and stories of places to see or - > problems that need to be solved) - -- Science articles with photos of plants, animals, rocks, etc. - including descriptions and information - -- Historical articles with photos of people or places imported from - the web - -- "How To" articles on any topic the students or teacher choose - -Modifying FotoToon 12 -===================== - -FotoToon is free open source software and, as such is available to be -modified by the user as they wish as long as they give the original -source proper credit. So, if you are a programmer and want to change -something to suit your needs, you may do so. Just don't forget to give -credit where credit is due. - -If you are not a programmer, you can suggest changes or modifications to -the Activity to the original programmer at the same place where you -would report problems (see next section). If it is something that will -improve the Activity and not interfere with other parts of it, the -programmers will be happy to consider including it in a future update. - -Because there are always updates and improvements happening with this -program, be sure to always check to be sure you have the latest version. |