Embedded Files
For this activity, you can sign up for a free Piskel account below.
Use your PUSD Gmail and an EZ to remember password!!!
Then watch some of the tutorial links below to get you started...
Sign Up Here
* maybe you already have a Piskel account?.....try "forgot password" first using
your PUSD Gmail. The email they send will go to your spam folder*
Challenge #1
The Dancing Space Invader
Watch the short video at the link below and recreate a Space Invader that looks just like the sample, be sure to "resize" you pixels as they show in the video.
Use the "Turning Your GIF into Google Classroom" instruction below to turn this project in.
Watch These More Advanced Video Tutorials:
WATCH ALL of these "getting started" series of short videos, and try each of the skills with your Piskel especially "working with layers" this will make your Piskel time much more enjoyable:
8 Must See Piskel Video Tutorials
More Video Tutorials:
You must only watch Piskel tutorials, not wandering on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlpCU871Xyg
16 Short Videos on Pixel Skills
NO WANDERING AROUND YOUTUBE YOU MUST BE WATCHING THE TUTORIALS
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG0tvJ_jRDIVqRSjelh_uyuZpREN-T4ZF
Challenge #2:
Working With Layers: Bad Moon Rising Challenge
For this challenge, you need to have at least FOUR LAYERS, one of them being a background/sky, the hills, a sun and a moon.
Warning: Create a NEW LAYER for everything -it will make moving objects, copying objects, deleting objects... everything easier!!!!
Name Your Layers as you create them too!!
Here is a simple example of a couple layers. The Sun & Moon rising over the green hills:
Tips For Using Frames and Layers
1. Decide on what objects you want in your scene first, and make sure to draw everything on it's own layer in your FIRST FRAME
1b. Make a COPY of the FIRST FRAME and save it till the end, in case you need to copy and paste any of your characters.
2. Duplicate your slide with all your layers, then make changes. You can control the speed of the animation, the FPS in the upper right corner.
Turning In Your GIF To Google Classroom
There are a couple steps to turning in your completed GIF
1. Set the frame rate "FPS" to how fast or slow you want the GIF
2. Choose "EXPORT option, for Animate Gif
(right side of screen, looks like a mountain)
3. Resize your GIF using the SCALE tool to about 300 x 300
4. Download the GIF to your computer
5. Test your sizing by opening a new browser window and drag your GIF in the window to watch it PLAY!! (go back to step 3 as needed)
6. Turn in the completed file to Google Classroom.
Challenge #3: U Decide A Character
Search for some Pixel art characters in Google Images and chose one to recreate in a Piskel project. You can search for "Pixel Art Characters +" "
and include the name of a character you like.
** Must be school appropriate**
Download the image to your desktop and have it open while you use it as inspiration to recreate using your Pixel art skills.
Here I chose to recreate Marge Simpson with the cool blue hair!
Try to recreate the character in Piskel using your skills. Try and add some simple level of animation, like eyes blinking, smiling, waving etc.. nothing that will take too much time, but just make it a GIF.
Tip: Make sure to have you sample image open while you work.
Expert: It is possible to "import" your image on a layer and then add layers on top to basically "trace" over the image.
During "import" you may need to resize the image so it is not gigantic or blurry, so you might have to try this a few times.
After you trace over the picture, then you can delete that layer and Voila!!
Your Piskel Projects!!!!!!!
Now you will raise your Piskel game and create a brief cartoon, follow the instructions below. Assume approx 3-4 class periods to complete the process...
Your Theme Is St. Patrick's Day!!!
IRISH Music
Click on the link below, and scroll to the bottom of the page, you will see three Irish songs you can use for your GIF. You have to download them first in order to listen to them. Then drag the want you want into iMovie:
https://sites.google.com/a/pleasantonusd.net/history6th/computerwheel6th
Convert to Video
Use this link below to convert your GIF to video,
.Mov format, then we can try and add Music in iMovie.
Step One: Choose File
Step Two: Convert File
CLICK HERE TO GET TO CONVERT SITE
http://video.online-convert.com/convert-to-mp4
Your Theme Is Halloween
Here are some examples from a DIFFERENT THEME, but will give you a good example of the quality,length and style we are looking for:
Here are some examples of past projects to inspire
Links to cool Halloween music and sound effects...
Valentine's Day Music
You can pretty much find any type of backing track at good ole sound.dog, and it is free!! Use the "production music" filter on the left and then search away.
Convert to Video
Use this link below to convert your GIF to video,
.Mov format, then we can try and add Music in iMovie.
FIRST FOLLOW THE EXPORT PROCESS TO CONVERT YOU PISKEL TO AN ANIMATED GIF
Step One: Choose File
Step Two: Convert File
http://www.thewavsite.com/christmas.htm
Note: Some older WAV files may not work in new version of iMovie, so need to be "CONVERTED" to QuickTime first.......right click or control click on the WAV file after you have downloaded it and choose "OPEN WITH>>Quicktime.
When the file is OPEN, choose FILE, then Export, "Audio Only" which will create song file for you that iMovie can read: (see image below)
SoundDogs
search for "Christmas" or "holiday" for sound effects, production music etc...
Older Themes Archives
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Your Piskel Project (Dec 2016)
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