Designing Web Animation

As animation becomes more prevalent on the Web, those sites featuring simple static text will quickly become lost in the shuffle. Designing Web Animation is a tutorial designed to walk you step by step through different techniques for creating Web animation - many of which require little or no programming. Each section covers an animation technique that can be used to enhance any Web site and is written by an expert in that area. Whether you want to spice up your Web page with simple animation or create a spectacular page that truly comes alive, Designing Web Animation will help you leave boring, mundane Web pages behind.

This is a thorough, fact-filled guide to creating Web animations. The beginning chapters serve as a primer for animation concepts such as cell and flip-book animation and techniques such as onion-skinning. But throughout the rest of the book, animators get advice on creating animated GIFs as well as Java, QuickTime, Shockwave, and server-push (CGI-based) animations. The authors discuss the pros and cons of each type of animation, and provide tips on using animation-creation software. You also get a solid discussion of Web-production issues such as file size and cross-platform compatibility, and of sound and special effects. This is a truly well-rounded approach, and beginning and experienced animators alike can learn much from the book. An included (hybrid) CD has trial versions of Macromedia Director 5 and Authorware, animation-creation utilities, and Shockwave plug-ins.