How Do I?

1

How Do I?Use Comic Life

ComicLife is in your Applications folder. When you first open ComicLife you will be prompted to open a template or you can build your own layout by dragging panels onto the blank page. Next you could drag the title lettering from the bottom (circled in picture) onto the page to type your title.

To add text, just drag a speech bubble or textbox from the bottom panel up onto a picture and type in it. You can drag the blue dot to the character’s mouth. Click the orange dot to add another connector (if several characters are saying the same thing). You can click Style or Details to change the text box as well.

2You can customize the look of words in ComicLife in a variety of ways. Along the top menu bar you will find buttons for changing the font size (Bigger, Smaller), Colors, and Fonts. There is also a Style button. If you click on this you can choose from a list of styles. On the right side of the window there is a button that says Details (circled in picture). Here you can customize it even further by making the letters skew or stager and changing the colors.

To add pictures to your comic drag them to your panel. ComicLife can access your iPhoto and PhotoBooth pictures using the iPhoto button. Use the Finder button to locate a folder of pictures on your computer. Another way to get a picture is click the Capture button. It will access your built-in iSight camera. Click Freeze to take the picture, then click Freeze again to unfreeze it. If you click a picture and click the Details or Style button you can add effects to the picture.

3

4

5 There are several ways to share your comic when you are finished. You can save it, print it, email it or export it to iWeb. Make your choice by clicking one of the buttons in the top left menu (see picture at right).

Drag blue dots to stretch the word, click to get green resizing squares.

Change the look of the text using these buttons at the top.

How Do I?

1

How Do I?Use PhotoBooth

PhotoBooth is in your Applications folder (and probably in your Dock as well). It is a great way to take interesting pictures. When it opens it will access your iSight camera. Click the 1 or 2 buttons to see the different effects. Click an image to see it larger.

2When you are ready to take a picture, click on the red camera button in the center. You will see and hear a 3-2-1 countdown then the screen will flash and take a picture. The pictures show up in the bottom panel. To advance through the pictures click the forward or backward arrows at both ends of the panel. If you want to delete a picture, click on it and hit the delete key. When you click on a picture, you will see some buttons appear. You can use these buttons to email the picture, send it to iPhoto, make it your account picture or buddy picture. You can also drag the picture into other applications (like Pages or Keynote).

There are also many websites that can access your iSight camera to create special photos. These scenes are from a site called Cameroid. You can add your face to a picture or frame, and there are filters and distortions that are different from the ones in PhotoBooth. http://www.cameroid.com

3

4

5

Another site you may want to check out is FotoFlexer. This site is a full-fledged photo editor with lots of effects and even animated stickers you can add to your photo. You can choose to upload a picture or click webcam to access your iSight camera. Once you or your students have decorated a photo they can add it to Comic Life by downloading it and dragging it onto a panel. http://www.fotoflexer.com

All your PhotoBooth pictures can be found in your Pictures folder. It may be a good idea to create other folders in your Pictures folder (go to File > New Folder) to save the new photos you create online. Have fun!