Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Video and Blog of the Week!

Hey, everyone! Check out our Video and Blog features this week.


It's already vacation time with our Video of the Week, as we feature "Hello Kitty Goes on Vacation" by charmander017. This is an awesome video, with Kitty checking out the sites on her trip. Watch her project in front of the camera and see just how much she enjoyed her time there.

If you can't view the video below, you can click on its title to view it.


For the blog of the week, we chose the one made by cherrychingk. Even if the blog's relatively new, there are a lot of images already uploaded of our favorite white cat. You can check the blog out by clicking on her name.

blog.jpg

That's all for this week. Check out next week for more features.:D

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Kitty Shop Enters Phase Two!

Hi everyone! For those who haven't noticed, the Kitty Shop has officially entered Phase Two!

See if you have the same taste as the other users by checking out if they voted on the same options as you. What color do most users love above all the rest? How does the color change work for the bag, shirt, and umbrella? What material will the shirt be? How will these look like?

p2.jpg

All these questions and more will be answered when you click here.

Friday, January 26, 2007

All About: Brownies' Story

brownies.gif


Year Created: 1986
These friends end up sharing just about anything, including their birthdays! They were all born on the same night of the spring moon festival.
Rex loves to take naps and to invent things, Jingle likes vegetable gardening, and Penny enjoys taking walks and fishing.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Dreamstudio Tutorial: Wrap-Up

Hi! Finally, we've come to the last tutorial for Dreamstudio. We'll be giving an overview of its features and their descriptions to end it.

dreamstudio1.jpg


When you go to Dreamstudio, you will see the Interface, which is divided into the Workspace area and the Slide Control Box. The former is where you do most of the work, as all the stuff you upload for your video will appear here. The latter, on the other hand, is for you to manage the slides you've created. This is where you can re-organize the order of their appearance, the timing, etc.

The Slide Control Box also has another feature that is most handy for those who would want to include other images outside of those in Dreamstudio. The Photo and Movie buttons in the light brown box on the left side of the area are what you have to click to be able to upload such. The Slide button, on the other hand, will create or delete a slide, whichever option you choose. If you don't want to delete a slide but instead want to transfer it into another section of your presentation, just click and drag it to the new location you want it to be in.

On the left side of the Workspace area, you will be able to see seven blue tabs (Photo, Movie, Text, Effect, Slide, Extra, Play Option). Upon clicking any one of these, you will be able to see the sub-categories these have. Some of these also have options under these, which will appear on the right side of the Workspace area. These are the possible things you can put and change in your slides. Think your picture's too big? Re-size it by clicking Photo and then changing its scale with the "+" or "-" sign on its side. Want to add a dancing Hello Kitty on your video? Click "Extra" and then "Special Effect" and you can choose Hello Kitty giving her all in a hula. Background music can also be added on the "Extra" option. If you don't feel like using the default sounds in Dreamstudio, you can add your own music by clicking "Upload" and then choosing which one you want from your mp3 files. You may also choose whether you want your video to play only once, or have it play continuously by choosing "Loop" on the Play tab. If you want to preview your work, click the "Play" button near the bottom of the Workspace area and you will be able to see how the video would look like.

That's about it. If you have any more questions about how to work Dreamstudio, send them here. Next week, we'll be starting on Blog tutorial. Many thanks!

Dreamstudio Tutorial: Wrap-Up

Hi! Finally, we've come to the last tutorial for Dreamstudio. We'll be giving an overview of its features and their descriptions to end it.

dreamstudio1.jpg


When you go to Dreamstudio, you will see the Interface, which is divided into the Workspace area and the Slide Control Box. The former is where you do most of the work, as all the stuff you upload for your video will appear here. The latter, on the other hand, is for you to manage the slides you've created. This is where you can re-organize the order of their appearance, the timing, etc.

The Slide Control Box also has another feature that is most handy for those who would want to include other images outside of those in Dreamstudio. The Photo and Movie buttons in the light brown box on the left side of the area are what you have to click to be able to upload such. The Slide button, on the other hand, will create or delete a slide, whichever option you choose. If you don't want to delete a slide but instead want to transfer it into another section of your presentation, just click and drag it to the new location you want it to be in.

On the left side of the Workspace area, you will be able to see seven blue tabs (Photo, Movie, Text, Effect, Slide, Extra, Play Option). Upon clicking any one of these, you will be able to see the sub-categories these have. Some of these also have options under these, which will appear on the right side of the Workspace area. These are the possible things you can put and change in your slides. Think your picture's too big? Re-size it by clicking Photo and then changing its scale with the "+" or "-" sign on its side. Want to add a dancing Hello Kitty on your video? Click "Extra" and then "Special Effect" and you can choose Hello Kitty giving her all in a hula. Background music can also be added on the "Extra" option. If you don't feel like using the default sounds in Dreamstudio, you can add your own music by clicking "Upload" and then choosing which one you want from your mp3 files. You may also choose whether you want your video to play only once, or have it play continuously by choosing "Loop" on the Play tab. If you want to preview your work, click the "Play" button near the bottom of the Workspace area and you will be able to see how the video would look like.

That's about it. If you have any more questions about how to work Dreamstudio, send them here. Next week, we'll be starting on Blog tutorial. Many thanks!

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Video and Blog of the Week

Hi! We have our regular Video and Blog of the week today!


For the video, we chose Seeing in Color by bugs95. The user used colors to match favorite Sanrio characters. Great video, bugs95!

If you can't see the video below, you can click on its title to be brought to the page.


For our blog, we have edon's. Who'd ever think of a Spider-teddy? You can view the blog by clicking on edon's name.


teddy-bears.jpg

Check out next week's features!


?

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Focus on: Hello Kitty Games

The Spotlight is on the games starring our favorite cat! Hello Kitty takes a starring role in these three games:


Kitty Matching: Find the matching pairs of the cards and win the game! Fastest time gets to have his/her name showcased in the game rankings!

kitty-matching.jpg

Bees in My Garden: Help Hello Kitty retrieve her mail before going back home. But watch out, she might get stung with bees!

bees-in-my-garden.jpg

Kitty Says: Play "Follow the Leader" with Hello Kitty and make beautiful music together.

kitty-says.jpg

Monday, January 22, 2007

Featured on Sanrio Town Blog This Week!

Hi! Check out this week's features:

Tuesday: Focus on Hello Kitty Games

Wednesday: Video and Blog of the Week!

Thursday: Wrap-Up for the Dreamstudio Tutorial. *Sniff, sniff.*

Friday: Sanrio Character feature! This week, we'll be having Brownies' Story.:D

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The second phase of Kitty Shop is out! Check out the sample designs here and vote on which one will be made for the people.:D You will also be able to see which options from the surveys on Phase 1 got the most user support!

Friday, January 19, 2007

All About: Boy & Girl

bg180.gif



Year Created: 1976

Though they may look alike with their blond hair and round faces, these two are just good friends. Everybody loves these two kids, from their personalities to their simple but cute matching sailor outfits. They spread happiness wherever they may go.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Dreamstudio Tutorial: Advanced: Special Effects

Hi there!


This week, we'll be featuring and showing users the special effects that they can add to their videos. After all, it wouldn't really be a Sanrio video without any Sanrio images to animate it, would it?;)


The Special Effects could be accessed by clicking on the "Extra" tab on the left side of the Workspace area, and then clicking on "Special Effects" if these did not display automatically on the right. Like the photos that you upload for your video, the sizes of these can also be manipulated by clicking on the image and then clicking and dragging the small squares on its sides to change its shape. It can also be rotated by clicking on the small "R" on the upper right corner of the image and then changing its position according to how you want it. Some of the images below have been resized and/or repositioned to show this feature too.


You will only be able to use one special effect on each slide. However, you can use these along with the other effects.


Listed below are the available special effects with their corresponding images. The ones on Italics means that these are animated to add more fun and creativity to your blog.:D


Hula Kitty: Aloha! Make Hello Kitty dance the hula and add a Hawaiian touch to your video.



hula-big.jpg



Dolphin: See Kitty and Mimmy ride a dolphin that jumps from one area to another.



dolphin.jpg


Tandem Bikes: Watch Kitty and Mimmy ride a tandem bike up and down hills.



bike.jpg


Fairy Kitty: Kitty in a cute pink costume will flit around on your video dropping flowers on her way.



flying.jpg


Kitty on a Plane: Aviator Kitty rides a plane!


plane.jpg


Kitty in a Car: From the air to the road! Kitty drives a car!



cars.jpg


Swinging Melody: Melody plays on the swings with some birds.



swings.jpg



Summery Melody: Melody in a cute dress is happy that it's summer!



summer-dress.gif



Musical Melody: Melody and Rhythm play their very own musical instruments.



flute.jpg


Sad Melody: Melody is sad, and Flat and Lisu join her.



trio.jpg


Kimono Melody: Melody and Hitsuji dress up in kimonos and make their way on a flowery walk.


birds.jpg


Clubhouse Melody: See Melody, Flat, and Lisu hang out in their clubhouse.


house.jpg


Waving Melody: Melody waves at you from her window.



window.jpg



Balancing Chacha: Watch Chacha balance a pencil on his nose as Kuririn giggles and Sakura watches.


kuririn.jpg


Feeding Hamsters: Kuririn, along with Chibi and Cherry, snack on some nuts and flowers.


kuririn2.jpg


Peeking Hamsters: Kuririn, Jan, and Ann peek out of some tubes.



kuririn3.jpg



Dancing Sun: A blue sun waves its rays around.



sun.jpg



Clock: Tell your viewers what the current time is by inserting this in your video.



stopwatch.jpg



Digital Clock: Same as the ticking clock, except that is, well, digital


timer.jpg


White Frame: Add a frame to your image.



white-screen.jpg



Falling Petals: Drifting petals add a dramatic touch to your video.



petals.jpg



Lights: Multicolored lights appear and flash on your video.



lights.jpg



Lightning: Add this to your video to create a scary feel to it.



lightning.jpg



Twinkling Stars: Add sparkle to your video with these! You may even get to wish on a falling star!



twinkling-stars.jpg



Fireworks: Fireworks go off on the slide, adding a celebratory feel.


fireworks1.jpg


Gray Frame: Adds a gray screen that you can use to frame your slide.


frame1.jpg


TV Screen: The TV screen comes with free antenna!


tv-screen.jpg

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Focus On: Action Games

Since we've had puzzles last week, it's only fair that we have action and adventure for this week's feature.:D Here are the Action Games Sanrio Town has to offer to users:

Note: You can go to the games by clicking on the game titles.

Pochacco's Balloons: Help Pochacco give out balloons to his friends. Be careful though, some could get really impatient!

pochaccoballoon.jpg

PC Bank: Pochacco is the teller and you are his assistant! Press corresponding buttons to hand out the appropriate money to the customers.

pc-bank.jpg

Keroppi's Adventure: Why did the frog cross the road? To get to the other side, of course! Help Keroppi go through the obstacles and reach the tulips on the other side.

keroppiadventure.jpg

Lucky Purin: Purin loves fruits, and he needs your help in catching them! Control his movements and feed him, avoiding the nuts as you move.

lucky-purin.jpg

XO Running: Pochi's after Badtz-Maru! Help XO escape from his pet by matching the card he's holding with the one on Pochi. Get bonus points if you match Hana Maru's.

xo-running.jpg


Friday, January 12, 2007

All About: Boo Gey Woo

bo180.gif



Year Created: 1984

This trio of sibling pigs hail from America, and make their living by running a roadside diner.

Boo is the most organized, which is quite understandable as he is the eldest. He is a cook, and wears a chef's hat and jacket to show his role in their restaurant.

Gey, the other brother and the youngest of the brood, is almost always hungry, and ends up eating more than what he should be serving. He loves potato croquettes most of all. He wears a wiskit and a dicky bowtie.

Because of Gey's hunger, Woo, the middle sibling and the only girl, ends up spending more time cleaning up after her brother than the restaurant. She's always wearing a pinafore.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Dreamstudio Tutorial: Advanced: Transition Effects

Hi everyone! Now we'll be showing what the Transition Effects look like, using the same default image in the past two tutorials.

Transition Effects are used in between two slides to provide a kind of buffer for these, that is, graphics will be shown to make the cross-overs between slides nicer-looking. Think of it as a pretty bridge between two areas.;)

Listed below are the transition effects of Dreamstudio, with their corresponding descriptions and sample images. Note that the Hello Kitty image has been used as a picture on the second slide so as to make the transitions appear clearer. Again, not all sub-categories of the groups have an accompanying image. Only some have been selected to have a screenshot of these as these played.

Cover: The next slide goes over the other one from any of these directions: down, up, right, left, right-down, or left-down. Below is an example of the Cover Right effect.

cover-right.jpg



Reveal: Kind of the opposite for Cover. The previous slide removes itself by sliding to any of these directions: down, up, right, left, right-down, or left-down. Below is a sample of the Reveal Up Effect.

reveal-up.jpg

Press: Seems like the new slide doesn't like the one it followed very much.:P It will compress the previous one, as if a great weight has been applied to it. This can come from above, below, left, or right. Below is a sample of Press Down.

press-down.gif

Zoom: The next slide goes zooming in place of the other one. The following are the options for Zoom:

In: The next slide comes zooming into view.

Out to Screen Center: The old slide zooms out and is replaced by the new one. (See sample below)

zoom-out-to-screen-center.jpg

In Transparency: As the new slide zooms in, the old one fades out. (See Sample below)

zoom-in-transparency.jpg

Out Transparency: As the old slide zooms out, the new slide gradually appears.

In Swivel: The new slide spins into focus in place of the old one. (See Sample below)zoom-in-swivel.jpg

Out Swivel: The old slide spins out as the new one zooms in.



Fade Through: The next slide fades in, via a choice of colors: Black, White, ed, Green, Blue, Light Blue, or Yellow. You may also choose Transparency or Dissolve.

fade-through-transparency.jpg

Special Effects: These have effects that look like cartoons. These are the following:

Eraser: A huge hand holding an eraser appears and rubs it across the old one to reveal the new slide.

eraser.jpg

Zipper: A huge closed zipper appears in the middle of the slide and opens to reveal the new one underneath.

zipper.jpg

Silkscreen: A huge paint roller moves from right to left, replacing the slide.

silkscreen.jpg

Chaos: As various colors appear, the old slide appears to separate into parts and fades out.

chaos.jpg

Others: The following are the other transition effects that may be used:

Box Out To/From Center: A black rectangular shape appears and closes in or out (depending on which option you choose)of the old image to reveal the one. Below is a sample of the Box Out to Center effect.

box-out-to-center.jpg

Circle Out/Circle In: The same as Box Out effect, but a circle takes the place of the rectangle. Sample below is the Circle In effect.

circle-in.jpg

Vertical/Horizontal Slide: Slides appear one at a time on the slide and fades out to reveal the new one. The sample below is that of the Vertical slide effect.

vertical-slides.jpg