Table of Contents

Objects & Animation Editor

Objects & Animation Editor

O&A Editor

The Objects and Animation Editor is shown below.
The various elements of the window are identified.
There are two tabs for controlling actions in the Editor, “Properties” and “Animation”.
Waveforms are shown in the O&A to aid synchronisation of Slides and Music/Commentary
The “Close” Button Returns to the Main Window.

Drag and Drop Objects

It is possible to change the order of Objects in Objects and Animation by dragging and dropping
Click on an Object to highlight it

Drag to a new position between two other Objects

OR drag on top of another Object to create a Parent / Child relationship

Show / Hide Waveform

This feature is only available in the Deluxe Edition

The Tools Menu

Click on Tools and Waveform to display the Waveform options

The height of the Waveform can be selected between 100% and 400%
The Full View of the Waveform is shown when the appropriate box is ticked
The Compact View of the Waveform is shown when the box is un-ticked
Clicking on Show Waveform (Hotkey Ctrl+T) toggles the Waveform display on or off

The Grid

Click on the Grid Icon to apply the Grid (Ctrl + G)
Click on the down arrow to show the Grid Options
Select the colours of the Minor and Major Grid Lines
Select “In Pixels” or in number of divisions per image
There are 10 minor divisions between Major Grid Lines in the X and Y directions
Select “Snap to Grid” on or off
Select “offset” in X and Y directions

In Pixels Mode the size and AR of the grids are set by entering a fixed pixel dimension
The Grid is therefore made up of squares

With “In Pixels” turned off the size and Aspect Ratio of the grid is determined by the numbers set
In the first example above the Grid has been “Centred” by setting a 20×20 Grid
The second example shows a “Rule of Thirds” Grid

With “Snap To Grid” ticked the Image/Object will snap to a Major or Minor Grid Line in either direction if dragged close enough

Add an Object

Add a Video, Mask, Frame, Button, Text, Rectangle or Image Object
Add a Symbol/Vector Image:

Alternatively via the right click menu:

Please refer to Add Object articles in the How To Section of the Main Menu

Customise Buttons

In Objects & Animation, with the Button selected, click on “Theme” in the Button Properties

In the “Button Wizard”:
You can select different Themes for Normal, Hot (Hover Mouse) and Pressed (click with Mouse)
Select Solid Colour or Gradient Type:

You can choose the Colours, Border Radius, Border Size and Border Colour
You can choose from a list of Presets and create your own Preset

Tools Menu

Options in the O&A Tools Menu:

Undo all changes in the O&A Window for the Current (O&A) Session
Redo all Changes - reverses the action of the Undo All Changes command
Show Grid (Ctrl+G) - Toggles the Grid on or off - See “The Grid” above for settings
Ignore Objects not selected (Ctrl+I) - Allows mouse selection of Objects behind other objects which are not selected
Hide selection on Pan/Zoom/Rotate - the green frame around an Object is hidden during a dragging or resizing operation using the mouse
Show Safe TV Zone
Show Global Times of Key Frames
Key Frame Width - Adjust Key Frame width from 100% - 300%
Waveforms - Adjust the height of a waveform in the O&A Screen from 100% - 400%

Text Animations

Add a text object and click on Animation

Click on Customize

Move the Cursor or press the Play Button to see the default effect for the “In” and “Out” Animations
Click on “Dissolve” to see the available Preset Animations
“Duration” shows the percentage of available time for the effect
Click on “Customize”

Move the Cursor or press the Play Button to see the default effect for the “In” and “Out” Animations
“Duration” shows the percentage of available time for the effect
“Glyph Style” - select from Presets in dropdown menu
Select from “Glyphs Order”, “Lines Order” or “Words Order”
“Direction” - select preset from dropdown menu
“Time (%)” - Varies the Intensity of the effect

Click on “Out” tab
The options are similar to the “In” Tab

“User Defined Text” - Click on the text “User Defined Text” to see a dropdown menu with some options - “User Defines Text”, Sample Text 1, Sample Text 2 and Sample Text 3

Outlining Text

Creating a “Stroke” effect on text
A workaround:

Add a Symbol (Vector Icon)

Symbols can be scaled to any size without loss in quality
The Colour of a Symbol can be changed
The Shadow of a Symbol can be adjusted
The Shadow of a Symbol can be adjusted

In the Objects and Animation Editor Right click in a blank space and choose “Add > Symbol” (Ctrl 8) or click on the Icon next to the “T” for a dropdown Menu