Creating Websites with Adobe Flash

Compared to Dreamweaver, the process for creating a website in Flash is very simple.  Drag and drop to the next level.  The actionscript covered in class has been the simple stuff, e.i. goto a specific frame, link to URL.

Something that surprised me while working at home, Flash CS4 does not have a code snippets panel!

Flash allows for visual effects like fades and slides.  However, from what I understand, Javascript is more efficient.

I'm looking forward to getting into more complicated Actionscript coding!

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Designing websites with Dreamweaver

In this past course we learned about Dreamweaver, and how it's possible to create a decent looking webpage without knowing much about HTML or CSS.  However, for me, the benefit to using Dreamweaver is the tips it gives you while typing out the script.  Since I can't always remember the HTML tag names or the names of the CSS rules, it's very helpful to have the tip pop up and show the list of possibilities.
Also, the split view between design and code is nice.  Getting used to how HTML and CSS work can be tricky, so being able to see the results of what your doing quickly is handy.  Design view is good for positioning elements and playing with image sizes and colors.  The templates and site system work great for updating and managing files and links.
Using Dreamweaver speeds up the design process, I like using it!

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Database Design

I have been thinking about a new website project.  The site would be used to store and categorize information for a role-playing game.  There would be a forum, and players would also be able to conduct live gaming sessions online.  The database would be required to store data for the forum topics and posts, game system, characters, players and gaming session history.

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PROG1260 - Introduction to Programming with Visual Studio C#.NET

The design process for this course was very different from the last course (customer service). I found that with the customer service project, the goal was to create several different designs based on what the client might like, and let the client's input determine the final product.
While programming, the design changed during the process as well, but only because I learned that certain functionality was possible as the project was being created.
New features were added and the project grew as I worked on it. With programming, it's like if you continue to work on the same project it can only keep expanding and growing. This is especially true if you are learning a lot while working on the project.
This course has been very enjoyable!

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The Best Portfolio Websites

thibaud.be

This is an amazing site because of it's interactivity. It's fun to just click around and see the pages move around. It loads fast and looks really professional. Very unique, very interesting to look at.


fa-d.com

Very clean and crisp. I like the style of this site very much. I love the awesome backgrounds that change automatically, it looks really cool on my TV.


elliotjaystocks.com

This site is nice and simple. My attention was brought to his projects right away. The simplicity of the site kind of urges you to click around and see what else is in the site and check out his work.


cesarvillegas.com

This portfolio displays the designers work even more prominently. I was very impressed by the sample work he put up for display here. The actual site is very basic but his work is so good that it makes it a really cool site to scroll through.


mac-design.org

It's really cool looking without being cluttered. It's mostly black and white, you don't see that much on a designers portfolio site. He decided to list his website work without any thumbnails or descriptions. You have to visit the website to check it out. This was ok but some of the websites took a long time to load up.

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Adobe Software

So far we've covered Photoshop, After Effects and Premier Pro. Out of these products, I would say Photoshop has the most functionality for Web Design. As far as designing the web page background, panels, buttons, and layout Photoshop is very useful. With the slicing tool, Photoshop gives you a quick way to cut your image into smaller components, and the 'Save for Web and Devices' option allows you to compare the size and quality of your images in different formats (like gif or jpeg).
After Effects is very useful for creating animations and animated text, but that only goes so far online. Perhaps After Effects will work together with Flash well, we'll soon find out.

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3rd Course; Customer Service

As my designer for this customer service course, Bosa was able to take the ideas and strange requests I made and turn it into a very nice looking animated banner. I was impressed by her creativity and design skills today when she showed me what she had been working on. Thanks for the great effort Bosa!

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Web Design and Development Course List, Conestoga College

Course List

DSGN1210 - Graphic Design using Photoshop

DMED1330 - Video Animation with After Effects

DMED1320 - Video Design and Editing

BUS1180 - Customer Service

PROG1260 - Introduction to Programming with Visual Studio C#.NET

COMP1215 - Database Design

PROG1240 - Web Page Design

DMED1300 - Creating Web Sites with Dreamweaver

DMED1310 - Flash Animation

DMED1340 - Introduction to Animation with Flash ActionScript

DMED1350 - Advanced Animation with Flash ActionScript

PROG1250 - JavaScript

COMP1215 - Database Design

PROG1260 - Introduction to Programming with Visual Studio C#.NET

PROG1270 - Advanced Programming with Visual Studio C#.NET

PROG1520 - Java SDK

PROG1250 - JavaScript

DMED1350 - Advanced Animation with Flash ActionScript

BUS1180 - Customer Service

PROG1930 - Web Animation with Silverlight

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Second Course; Adobe After Effects

I'm enjoying this program is more and more every day! Now that we've finished the second course, I'm feeling great about where we're going. I'm looking forward to getting more into the programming and flash because I've been working on projects at home and I'm excited about creating some cool games.

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First Course; Adobe Photoshop

I've enjoyed the first course very much. It's been a lot of fun and I've enjoyed getting to know my classmates! I've been using Photoshop for a few months previous to this course, but I was still able to learn many new shortcuts and tricks.

I'm planning to get the most out of this program by putting in many hours at home. I'm planning on working on the Flash game as an ongoing project that I do for myself. I'm really excited about the Flash course.

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