Information Systems and MultimediaTutorial 1

Creating Multimedia Programs Using Macromedia Director – Part 1

Macromedia Director 8.5 is a multimedia program that lets you easily create animations, movies, interactive training, marketing presentations, technical simulations and multi-user games. Here we will introduce you to basic Director Skills. First, you’ll learn how to start Director and identify Director Window elements. Then, you’ll learn how to open and save a movie, how to move around the different Director windows and how to get help. Finally, you’ll learn how to play and close a movie and exit Director.

The arrows identified by the labels in Figure 1.0 below are the 5 important elements, A – E, in Director.

A Stage WindowTo position the media elements

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B – Cast WindowTo assemble the media elements

C – Score WindowTo sequence the media elements

D – Control PanelTo preview and test the movie

E – Property InspectorTo add additional feature to the media elements

Figure 1.0

A – Stage WindowTo position the media elements

B – Cast WindowTo assemble the media elements

C – Score WindowTo sequence the media elements

D – Control PanelTo preview and test the movie

E – Property InspectorTo add additional feature to the media elements

1) Click on Start button and move the mouse pointer to Programs2) Locate Director 8.53) Click on Director 8.5 in the submenu4) Click File -> New -> Movie5) Click on Property Inspector -> set the Stage size to 640 * 4806) Change the background colour to your preferred colour7) From the Tool Palette, click on the Text icon and go to the Stage window and start

drawing the outline for the Text (left mouse click and drag to the right)8) Start typing in the Text “WELCOME to Macromedia Director”9) To make changes to the Text, right click on the Text written and select the Font

property 10) In the Font property, the Font Type, Style, Size and Colour can be changed11)Another way to create a Text is by clicking on the Text Window and typing the

Text there12) If you want to type more than one Text, just click on the “+” icon & the Text will

be added to the Cast Window13)Once, you have added all the Text required into the Cast Window then you can go

to the Cast Window and start dragging & dropping the Text’s to the Stage Window

14)Click on the Window menu and on the sub-menu click on the Paint15)When the Paint window appears, draw a simple picture and click on the “+” icon

which is the New Cast Member16)Then, close the Paint Window and open the Cast Window17) In the Cast Window, the drawing which you drew will appear in the second Cast as

the first Cast is the Text which you wrote earlier18)Click on the second Cast which is the drawing and drag and drop it at the centre

of the Stage Window19)Resize the picture 20)Create a Text using the Text Window & type “This is my Drawing”21)To make the Background colour of the Text to be the same as the Stage Window’s

Background colour, you have to select the Text, press the Ctrl key, left mouse click & select the Background to be Transparent

22)Download a Flower Picture from the Internet & put it on the Desktop23)Click on the File -> Import & select the Picture file and click the Import Button24)Automatically, the Picture will appear in the Cast Window25)Click on the Picture, Drag & Drop it on the Stage Window26)Readjust the layout to look like Figure 1.1

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27)Click on the Score Window to open it28)Play the Movie29)Notice that the Play Head keeps on repeating/looping from left to right

continuously in the Score Window30)But, in the Stage Window there are no movement31)Left mouse Click on second (2) Sprite & drag it to the Right slightly to position it

at the number 10 frame32)Now, Play icon the Movie33)You are able to see the Texts & Pictures looping from left to right continuously34)Click on the Stop icon35)So, to stop the Playback Head from looping again & again, double-click on the

Frame where the Last Frame of the second (2) Sprite and the sixth (6) Line which is for writing of Script Crosses each other as per Figure 1.2

36)Type the code to look like the below:on exitFrame me go to the frameend

37)Again, Play the Movie & notice the Movie Stops after Playing once without repeating it

38)Go to File & Save as Tut1 and click on the save button39)Click on File -> Exit to exit Director

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Figure 1.1

Double-Click here to key in the Codes

Figure 1.2

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