All About: Benjamin Bear

Birthday: December 23Year Created: 1993

Benjamin Bear loves to travel, owing to his curious nature. Born in Charlotte Forest, he is great with his hands, being an expert in cooking and sewing. Though he is independent and is perfectly content being relatively alone, he is rarely seen without his teddy bear, and loves to come to the aid of his friends when they're in need.

Dreamstudio Tutorial: Advanced

Photo Effects

Hi everyone! For the next few tutorials, I'll be showing you some screenshots of what the effects look like to make you see yourself what these look like when applied. Please note that these shots were made while these were playing, so, if applied, these don't really freeze in that single position.

Since I can't post all the pictures of all the effects (otherwise, this entry would be reeeaaallly looong), I'll be posting one shot from each category, unless under special circumstances.

Right now, I'll be posting the effects of Photos. After you upload the image, the options for the effects will automatically appear on the right side of the Editor. If not, you can click on the image and the bar will appear.

Are you ready? Here we go!

Color: The following are the options: Sepia, Red, Green, Blue, Light Blue, Yellow, and Purple. A colored film will display over your image. For those who don't know what Sepia is, this is an effect that makes the picture appear as if it was taken a long time ago, yellowed with age. This can be seen below, along with the Red Color effect.





Noise: Remember how non-plasma TVs are when they're in a funk, with the static and everything? We made these less annoying and changed these into an effect instead! Available options are Light, Medium, and Strong. Below is an example of the Medium Noise effect.



Flash: Lights will appear consecutively on your image. Options are Fast, Strong, and Blue. Below is a sample of the Blue Flash Effect.



Other Effects

Overexposure: Makes the picture appear overexposed to light.



Roundedge: Creates a moving frame around the image.



Reveal: Image will slide from any of the four directions: Top, Bottom, Left, or Right. The sample below is a screenshot of Reveal from Top.



Zoom: Image can zoom in or out of the template fast. The following are the options: In Slightly, Out Slightly, In Turning Left, Out Turning Left, In Turning Right, and Out Turning Right. The sample provided is Zoom in Slightly.



Distort: Image waves like a flag.

All About: Badtz Maru

Name: Badtz Maru

Birthday: April 1 (How appropriate)

Year Created: 1993

Badtz-Maru is a very mischievous penguin hailing from Gorgeoustown, where he lives with his mother and pinball-playing father. He was born in Oahu, Hawaii. A bit vain, he spends a lot of time styling his hair. He loves traveling. He's also a bit selfish. He loves making fun of things he finds silly. His hobby is collectingposters of bad guys in movies. He is a first grader in Gorgeous Academy.

His biggest dream is to be the boss of everything.

Trivia About Badtz: Ever wondered why he's often called XO? In Japanese,"badtz" (batsu) is term for X or wrong answer. "Maru," on the other hand, means O or right answer. Badtz Maru, then, not only means "Bad Penguin," but also "Wrong-Correct," and is usually shortened to XO.

Friends of Badtz

Pandaba

Pandaba's birthday is on August 8. One of Badtz Maru's closest friends, this girl panda is originally from China. Now, she lives with her family above their restaurant in Gorgeoustown. She is a big fan of rap music, and is often being said to move to the beat of a different drummer.

Hana-maru
This little seal pup's birthday is on August 7. He's the complete opposite of Badtz, but understands him more than anyone. He can make friends with anyone, anywhere.His favorite food is fish, and his hobbies are playing soccer and gardening.

Pochi
Whenever Badtz Maru walks Pochi, they attract a lot of attention in Gorgeoustown.

Born on August 2, Pochi is Badtz Maru's watchgator. He was born in the swamps of Gorgeous Mountain. His strong teeth can chew just about anything and everything, although he would always choose to sink his teeth into broiled fish. Don't be deceived: his fearsome canines belie his nice attitude.

Dreamstudio Tutorial: Advanced

Now we're ready to apply some effects. We will be doing that via the tabs found on the Workspace Area (see Blog Tutorial, 07 December 2006 entry).

Photo
As I've mentioned earlier, the Slide Control Box will be needed tp upload photos or videos. So what is this for? Simply put, this is where you will be able to manipulate the photo that you've uploaded. Here, you can resize, rotate, and flip the picture that you make. Example: you can make a mirror image of the image you're using by flipping it either horizontally or vertically.

Alternatively, you can manually resize or rotate a picture on the Workspace area itself. Click on the image. Do you see the little white squares on the edges? By moving your mouse here and then dragging it, you can resize the image. You can also rotate it by clicking and dragging the little R button appearing at the top right image when you click on it.


Movie
It works essentially the same way as Photo, except with this, you can control the start and end time of it.


Text
Here, you can add and edit the text written on your image. By clicking Create, a new text box will appear on your slide. You can then input whatever text you want the slide to contain. You can choose any of the following fonts: Arial, Arial Black, MS Gothic, MS Mincho, or Verdana. You can also set this in Bold or Italics, and also define which alignment you want to use.

The Link button can be used to link two slides together, or link that slide to a URL.


Effect
The Special Effects are divided into two categories:

Special: Confetti, Moving Slides, Film, Color Blaster, Ripple, Color Variation, Fog
Other: Roaming Transparent..., Raining, Waterdrop, Twinkle, Snow, Money

Slide Transition: Cover, Reveal, Press, Zoom, Fade through, Special, Others (with derivations)


Slide
Screen Size: Adjusts the height and width of each slide
Duration: Here, you can manipulate how long each slide will appear (in seconds). Alternatively, you can do this in the Slide Control Box, below the mini-versions of your slides
Background Color: If you don't want the background of the slides to be in plain white, you can change the color here. Just click on the color you want, then apply, and the new color's there. You can even format it to be the same background color for all your slides by clicking “Apply to All.”
Background Image: You can upload an picture here and let it serve as the background, similar to background color. Again, you can also make this as the same background for all slides by clicking “Apply to All.”
Link: Works the same way as the Link function under Text.


Extra
Special Effect: Special Sanrio-specific effects, like Hello Kitty dancing the hula, My Melody on a swing, etc. There are also non-Sanrio options, such as the lightning and TV screen effects.
Background Music: You can either use the ones pre-loaded or upload your own MP3 file to use as the background music for your entire slide show. Uptown, Sunset Lullaby, and Let's Shop are the ones in the default playlist.


Play Option
You can choose to make your video play only once or in a loop, that is, continuously playing.

Video and Blog of the Week!

Hi everyone! Welcome to another Video and Blog of the Week! What we'll be featuring now are a couple of Hello Kitty fanatics, if we judge them by their works.:p

First, we have fajafaja, who created this week's Dreamstudio Video of the Week of Hello Kitty singing and dancing. Why did we choose this? Because it's just so cute! What do you guys think? I know I do.:p You can view the video below. If not, click here to be brought to the site.

For the Blog, I chose vicki-fly's. If her latest post is any indication, she's really a Hello Kitty fan! She loves the white kitty so much that she even has her to welcome you to her blog!

You can view her blog by clicking on her name.

That's all for now. Check again next week for new features.:D

Spotlight on: Forums

We've taken Hello Kitty's motto to a whole new level with Sanriotown Forums!

Here, you will be able to meet with people from all over the world! Need lessons in Japanese? Visit the Japan Friends thread and get a crash course in the language! How about meeting American friends? Give a call-out! How about some Latin Americans for surfing tips? Look for your fellow beach fans by posting a thread on surfing!

That's right: not only can you talk to people from virtually everywhere, you can also discuss topics near and dear to your heart. Create or participate in threads that you're interested in, and get to hear the different opinions from other Sanrio fans. Culture, age, and gender don't serve as barriers here: on the contrary, the differences make every post count, because users get to learn from each other.



Topics are divided into separate groups for easy searching. The forums are as follows:

Dream Bag, Dream Shirt, and Dream Umbrella are under Kitty Shop. As a sidenote, this is where users can put in their suggestions of what their dream item will look like after filling up the survey in Kitty Shop.

In Hello Kitty's Corner, Staff Lounge, Friendship, Dreamstudio, and Blogs can be found. The first one is where suggestions, reports, and even complaints of users for the moderators can be posted. This is more in the line of maintenance: if there are any errors or problems found in Sanriotown, users can post these here for moderators, or even other members, to answer. Friendship is where people can give a shout out and look for others who share their same interests, or just looking for new people to meet. Dreamstudio and Blogs forums are focused on two of the new features of Sanriotown. Here, users can ask questions on how to use these. They can also tell others of their work by posting links to their own video or blog.

Sanrio, Chit Chat Cafe, and Gallery are under Hello Kitty's Park. Users can talk about their favorite Sanrio characters and just about anything Sanrio-related in the first forum, while in the second one, they can make topics about other stuff that don't fall under any other category in the Sanriotown Forums. Gallery is where the artists hang, because this is where they can post their works, whether it be in words or in images (scanned if drawn on paper first, of course).

Hello Kitty's Home houses Beauty and Love forums. If you have any questions in either of the two, other Sanriotown members are more than happy to answer these for you.



Finally, in Hello Kitty's Entertainment, Music, Anime, Game, and Movie are featured. If you have any favorites in any of these four, post about it and you might just be surprised just how many people have the same interests as you!

Start posting and live what Hello Kitty loves saying: You can never have too many friends.

7-11 Kitties!

Hey everyone! How was your weekend? :)

For the Hello Kitty fans, especially for those who are from Hong Kong, I have some good news for you! Did you guys now that 7-11 recently released the following Hello Kitty figures?

I don't know if they made one for each day of the year, but it's really cute, right?:D A cool way to meet each day of 2007.:P

All About: B-boku Nezumi Kozou Dai

Name: Chu-Kichi

Birthday: March 3

Year Made: 1984

Chu-Kichi, the mild-mannered, gentle boy is in fact active Nezumi Kozuo. He is dedicated to his best friend Kiku-Chan, and is an expert in dango-making, that is, making dumplings.

Trivia: B-boku Nezumi Kozou Dai means "Hey, I-I'm Nezumi Kozuo" in English.

Dreamstudio Tutorial: Effects

Hi everyone!

For today's tutorial, we'll be having the following videos as guide.

An example of the Jumping and Rolling text effect may be found directly below. For those who can't see it, you can click here to be brought to that page.



For the application of other effects, see below. For those who can't see it, you can also click here to be brought to that page.


Have fun experimenting!

Video and Blog of the Week!

Here we are again for the Video and Blog of the Week!

This week, we're featuring "Life Paints a Picture" by icyrascal. It's a poem of the same title (author's Robin Baugus) turned into a video, using great images and music to go along with it. Check it out below. If you can't view it, you can check it out by clicking here.

For the blog, I chose Hitori's. She's got this really interesting anime entries and links that fans would absolutely love to visit. You can check out the site by clicking on her name.

That's all for now! Keep posting your videos and blog entries and you just might get featured next week!

 

 

Spotlight on: Games

Put away your gamepad and set aside your joystick! All you need in Sanriotown games are your basic computer hardware (CPU, monitor, keyboard, and mouse) and an Internet connection and you're all set to compete!

The games are centered on your favorite Sanrio characters like Pochacco, Badtz-Maru, Little Twin Stars, and of course, your favorite cat, Hello Kitty! There are three categories to choose from, something for the different players:

For those who love heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping games, Action games are for you! For the thinkers among us, Puzzle games like Sudoku ill keep you solving. For those who are hard-core fans of Hello Kitty, you can express this by playing games about and of the red-beribboned feline!

To make things more interesting, you can compete with your friends and try to get the highest score. You can aim even higher and beat the all-time high score for each game, as the top five ones are displayed. Claim your spot by getting higher points and have your name displayed for all the users to see.

All done? Ready, get set, play!

Did You Know...

that the Sanrio World of Animation (1991) , featuring popular fairy tales with your favorite Sanrio characters, was only translated in 1994, and originally for YTV Canada?

The show was originally in Cantonese before it was translated.

The tagline of the show: we create happiness for the world.

All about: Atchan Ga Ichiban

Name: Atchan

Birthday: January 15

Year Created: 1995

Atchan is one adventurous little girl, especially since she's fun and mischievous! She has the unique talent of being able to talk to animals and plants. No wonder she loves bananas!

Trivia: Did you know that "Atchan Ga Itchiban" means "Atchan is #1" ?

Dreamstudio: Basics

 

To make a new video, click “My Account” and then “Create Video.” You will be brought to the Interface: divided into the Slide Control Box area (upper rectangular area, light brown in color) and the Workspace (grey in color, with blue tabs on the left side).

The actual Slide Control Box would be the peach-colored box on the left side, with the Photo, Movie, and Slide captions. This is where you can add or delete the three to or from your presentation. The small rectangles beside it are actually mini-versions of the slides you have created, so you can go back to these just by clicking on the slide you want if you need to edit anything.

The Workspace area, on the other hand, will be the one handling the brunt of the work. All of the actual creation and editing will be done here, via the tabs.

Let's have have a definition of terms:

Slide: For those who have already made presentations (ex. Microsoft PowerPoint, OpenOffice Presentation, etc.) in the past, this should be familiar to you, as the slides in Dreamstudio work in the same way as in those programs. For those who'll be using slides for the first time, don't worry!

Slides are essentially the area where you will put in and order all the stuff you'll be using in your video. Think of it as your artist's canvas, or if you were a cartoonist, the frames in comic strips. And, continuing the second metaphor, other frames could be added in your presentation too, simply by clicking “Add Slide” on your Slide Control Box. Multiple slides can be used for more complex presentations instead of just using one. A maximum of 99 slides can be created.

Photo: This isn't limited to the pictures you took yourself on your camera.:p Instead, this pertains to all images, including ones you scanned or downloaded over the Internet. DreamStudio supports the following formats: jpg, mjpeg, gif, png, and bmp.

Movie: Like in Photo, Movie does not refer to the ones that appear on the silver screen. These are the video clips that can be included in your presentation. In Dreamstudio, you can use videos with the following formats: avi, mpg, mpeg, mov, and asf. A maximum size of 20 mb may be used for the video.

Notes: Photo and video clips put in slides that are of a different format from the ones mentioned above will not played in the Presentation.

Also, the Slide, Photo, and Video definitions given above pertain to the ones on the Slide Control Box, and not on the tabs of the Workspace.

The Workspace shows the slide you're currently working on. Here, you can add the videos, pictures, and the effects that you want to use. Music can also be added by clicking the “Extra” tab and then “Background music.” You can choose from the set files or you can upload your own MP3. Please remember that the photos and video clips can only be added from the Slide Control Box. By combining these, you can make a music video, a short story, or a jazzed-up album: it's all up to you!

You can try mixing and matching these media and see which combination is according to your taste.

Check the blog again for more tips!

Blog and Video of the Week!

Here I am again for the Blog and Video of the Week!

This week, I'll be featuring the following user ilu_gaki's blog. She's one active blogger! Her posts are just about anything and everything, from little stuff about her life, to funny pictures. You can check it out here.

The video I chose this week is called "Pieces of Heaven" by girlinblue. It shows a lot of pretty good pictures. The best part is that she made max use of the animation and effects of Dreamstudio. If you can't view the video below, click here.

Spotlight on Blogs

So you’ve finally gotten your Sanriotown account. What can you do with that now?
We’ve got good news for you: Sanriotown is your one-stop shop for your WWW needs! We will provide you our email, video-making, and blog services all rolled into one account!
A closer look at blogs:

Like other online journals, users can post their entries here sharing just about anything on their minds, whether it’s their political convictions, vacation out of town, a spat with their significant others (not that we wish for that to happen), their dog Spot, anything. Photos can even be uploaded to add color to your entries.

What makes Sanriotown Blogs different?

With Sanriotown blogs, Sanrio fans can have their accounts with their favorite Sanrio characters Hello Kitty, Kuririn, and My Melody. They have up to 10 MB space for storing their stories and sharing it to the world. They can also get in touch with the other members of the Sanriotown community. It’s also their unique way of shouting proudly to the world, “I’m a Sanrio fan!”
A more in-depth view would be given on blogs, including tutorials, so be sure to continue reading our blog for news.

Also, for more information, visit a Moderator’s site by clicking here.

Spotlight on Blogs

So you’ve finally gotten your Sanriotown account. What can you do with that now?
We’ve got good news for you: Sanriotown is your one-stop shop for your WWW needs! We will provide you our email, video-making, and blog services all rolled into one account!
A closer look at blogs:

Like other online journals, users can post their entries here sharing just about anything on their minds, whether it’s their political convictions, vacation out of town, a spat with their significant others (not that we wish for that to happen), their dog Spot, anything. Photos can even be uploaded to add color to your entries.

What makes Sanriotown Blogs different?

With Sanriotown blogs, Sanrio fans can have their accounts with their favorite Sanrio characters Hello Kitty, Kuririn, and My Melody. They have up to 10 MB space for storing their stories and sharing it to the world. They can also get in touch with the other members of the Sanriotown community. It’s also their unique way of shouting proudly to the world, “I’m a Sanrio fan!”
A more in-depth view would be given on blogs, including tutorials, so be sure to continue reading our blog for news.

Also, for more information, visit a Moderator’s site by clicking here.

Spotlight on Blogs

So you’ve finally gotten your Sanriotown account. What can you do with that now?
We’ve got good news for you: Sanriotown is your one-stop shop for your WWW needs! We will provide you our email, video-making, and blog services all rolled into one account!
A closer look at blogs:

Like other online journals, users can post their entries here sharing just about anything on their minds, whether it’s their political convictions, vacation out of town, a spat with their significant others (not that we wish for that to happen), their dog Spot, anything. Photos can even be uploaded to add color to your entries.

What makes Sanriotown Blogs different?

With Sanriotown blogs, Sanrio fans can have their accounts with their favorite Sanrio characters Hello Kitty, Kuririn, and My Melody. They have up to 10 MB space for storing their stories and sharing it to the world. They can also get in touch with the other members of the Sanriotown community. It’s also their unique way of shouting proudly to the world, “I’m a Sanrio fan!”
A more in-depth view would be given on blogs, including tutorials, so be sure to continue reading our blog for news.

Also, for more information, visit a Moderator’s site by clicking here.

All About: Ahiru No Pekkle

AHIRU NO PEKKLE

Name: Pekkle
Birthday: July 27
Year Created: 1989
Pekkle is a white duck hailing from Australia. He wants to be a lifeguard, even if he has trouble swimming. He's pretty laid-back, often being mistaken for laziness. For all his appearance, he loves singing and dancing, and even body surfing! If you want to find him, the best place to look for would be the beach, as he usually hangs out there with Pich the Fish and his girlfriend Ruby. Currently, he's enrolled in a tapdancing class.

Friends of Pekkle

Ruby: The kind and gentle girlfriend of Pekkle.

Pich: The fishy best friend and swimming instructor of Pekkle. He has a lot of brothers, and only the little white duck can tell him apart from them. He's mischievous, always playing tricks on people.

Carl: Carl is a handsome duck, always popular with the girls. He likes Ruby, making him somewhat of a rival for Pekkle.

Booto: Booto likes lifting weights. Although he is tough, he also has a sweet side, crushing on Frill, Ruby's cousin.

Charra: Charra is a bird who likes to have fun but also tries to play it tough, hanging around with Booto!

Posty: Posty is the resident mailman who takes pride in always being punctual in his deliveries.

Chap and Ran: The twin brothers of Pich. They're a two-fish band!