mondaydotsdownloads

bezier line path move

Download the keynote file to practice: download bezier line path.key

In this "how-to" I will show you how to use a bezier line as an object path. The magic move transition is great if you have an object or objects and you want them to move from one point to another in a straight line between slides, but there are going to be times when you need to hand animate an object for more complex movements.

zoom effect

Zooming can be a very effective tool when creating dot models. It gives the viewer the feeling that you are showing them a secret and it gives you the ability to dig deeper into a concept or issue. For this effect you need a frame of reference other than the dots. In the animation above I used a square.

There are two ways to zoom:

1. Zoom everything else and keep the dots the same size (first zoom)
2. Zoom the dots with everything else (second zoom)

Let me know if you find another way to zoom!

download zoom effect

dot roll

Getting a dot to roll can be difficult. If you simply use the magic move transition and on the following slide rotate and move your dot, it will just look like it moved and not rotated. Being able to identify the dot is rotating is key to making it roll. Your viewers need a frame of reference. The above animation has 4 different ways to make a dot roll:

1. Use the reflection option in keynote
2. Add a smaller dot to show where the larger dot is in its rotation
3. Use an advanced gradient to give a 3-D look (the problem here is that it looks like the light source is also rotating which could disorient the viewer)
4. Apply a very subtle gradient (this option is my favorite, but does not show well online)

download rollingdot.key

color move

Color is an important consideration when building dot models. Are your dots happy? peaceful? frustrated? angry? dangerous? confused?

Another consideration is whether the color creates or removes prejudice from the dots? What will the viewer assume about the dot if it is a certain color? The more abstract the color the less likely the viewer will be to form prejudices about the dots.

Here is a great write up on color theory.

Magic move will change your dots colors. Download the Keynote file and try it for yourself:

download color move.key

stretch jump

This is a short animation is of a dot mustering up the strength to jump into the air. It was done completely with the magic move transition in Keynote with the speed issues fixed in post with iMovie.

It demonstrates that the magic move transition will animate an object even when a shape stretches or changes in size.

download stretchjump.key

musical dots

This short animation demonstrates another way to use  the magic move transition in Keynote. It had an interesting effect of creating a pulsating circle. The dots move from their beginning point to their finishing point in a straight line but when the move at the same time it gives off the illusion of that the circle is retracting and expanding.

download musicaldots.key

square-triangle-blob

This animation really shows the power of the magic move transition in Keynote. It was done using only the magic move transition. If you download the files you can change the order of the morph simply by changing the order of the slides. Download the file and give it a try!

Download square-triangle-blob.key

dot merge

This is a simple animation of two dots merging together. Instead of having them just run into each other, I created a blob effect by making them longer as they came together. When you export out of Keynote this leaves some spots in the video where the dots are not moving during the merge. You can clean this up in iMovie in post by deleting the non moving part of the video. Download the keynote and give it a try!

Download Dotmerge.key

dot morph to square

This is a simple way to make a dot morph into a square. It uses a combination of:

1. A magic move transition to move the dot from left to right

2. Actions:

build out>wipe>left to right of the dot

with

build in>wipe>left to right of the square

3. A magic move transition of the square from left to right

Download Dot-morph-to-square.key