Multimedia combines text, images, audio, video and animation. 2D animation makes flat drawings move. This chapter introduces how animations are made in a design tool (like Adobe Animate or an open-source equivalent).
1Multimedia, animation & the workspace
Multimedia means content that mixes several media: text, images, audio, video and animation. 2D animation creates the illusion of movement by showing many slightly-different pictures quickly, one after another.
The animation workspace
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| Stage | The canvas where your animation appears |
| Timeline | The strip of frames that controls when things happen |
| Tools Panel | The drawing & selection tools |
| Properties Panel | Settings for the selected object |
- Multimedia mixes text, images, audio, video and animation.
- 2D animation shows many slightly-different pictures quickly to create movement.
- Workspace: Stage (canvas), Timeline (frames/when), Tools panel (drawing), Properties panel (settings).
2Drawing tools, layers & keyframes
You build artwork with the drawing tools: Rectangle, Oval, Pencil, Brush, and the Selection tool to move and edit shapes.
Layers
Layers are like clear sheets stacked on top of each other — you can animate one object on its own layer without affecting the others (background on one layer, a moving character on another).
Keyframes
On the timeline, a keyframe marks a point where something changes (a new position, shape or colour). The tool fills in the frames between keyframes to make smooth movement.
- Drawing tools: Rectangle, Oval, Pencil, Brush and the Selection tool.
- Layers are stacked clear sheets — animate one object per layer without affecting others.
- A keyframe on the timeline marks a point where something changes.
3Frame-by-frame & tweening
Two ways to animate:
| Method | How |
|---|---|
| Frame-by-frame | You draw a slightly different picture in EVERY frame (lots of work; full control — like a flip-book) |
| Tweening | You set two keyframes (start & end) and the tool fills in the frames between ("in-between") |
Two kinds of tween
- Motion Tween — moves an object from one place to another (or changes its size/rotation).
- Shape Tween — morphs one shape into a different shape (a circle into a star).
You can also import images and audio tracks into your project to enrich the animation.
- Frame-by-frame: draw a different picture in every frame (full control, lots of work).
- Tweening: set start & end keyframes and the tool fills in the frames between.
- Motion Tween moves/transforms an object; Shape Tween morphs one shape into another.
★ Practical: a simple animation
In an animation tool (or describe the steps):
- Draw a ball using the Oval tool on its own layer.
- Add a keyframe at the start and one at the end of the timeline.
- Use a Motion Tween to move the ball across the Stage.
- Explain how a Shape Tween differs from a Motion Tween.
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