How to Upload Backdrop to Scratch From Computer

In the previous part of this series, I gave an introduction to Scratch and the main components information technology uses. In this part we'll beginning creating a project by adding backdrops and some sprites to information technology.

In Scratch, the backdrop and sprites are assets. Assets also include costumes and sounds, which you can add to your sprites.

To create a background or a spite, you tin do one of 4 things:

• Import a background or sprite from the library provided by Scratch.
• Import a sprite file from your computer.
• Import a graphics file for use as a backdrop or costume, and so use the costume to create a sprite.
• Draw your backdrop or costume using the drawing tools provided by Scratch, and use costumes to create your sprite.

In this tutorial, we'll work through a new project and use each of these techniques in dissimilar ways.

What You'll Need

To consummate this tutorial, you'll need:

• a gratis business relationship with Scratch
• a web browser with access to Scratch (I recommend using a modern browser like Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Opera for the best feel)

Creating Your Project

Start by creating your projection. Log in to Scratch, and then in the home folio, click Create in the admin bar at the top of the screen.

This will take you to the new project screen:

Give your projection a proper noun by typing it into the field immediately above the stage. Scratch will and then automatically save your project with its new title.

Adding Backdrops

Allow's starting time by giving our project a properties. Below the stage you'll see that in that location are four options for creating backdrops, each of which has an icon:

• Choose backdrop from library
• Paint new backdrop
• Upload backdrop from file
• New backdrop from camera

The fourth of these is probably the favourite amidst my code club: the kids like taking selfies with their webcam and using those for backdrops!

Adding a Backdrop From the Library

Starting time past using the library. Click on the left hand icon to view the backdrops library:

Select an image (I'm using 'beach-malibu') and click the OK button.

The true cat sprite will now exist in front of your groundwork:

As your project had a plain white backdrop when yous started, it volition now have two backdrops. You lot tin can view all of your backdrops by clicking on the Stage (adjacent to your sprites) and then clicking on the Backdrops tab to the right of the stage. This reveals the backdrops pane:

Hither you can add or delete backdrops and edit existing ones. We're going to delete the unwanted one and then add ii new ones based on the i we've just added.

Deleting a Backdrop

Firstly, click on the white backdrop (backdrop1) and click on the Ten which will appear to its superlative correct. You'll now have just one backdrop.

Copying a Backdrop

Now we'll copy the existing backdrop to brand a second i, which we'll then edit.

Make sure your backdrop is selected in the backdrops pane, and right-click on it. In the shortcut card, click duplicate.

You'll now have 2 backdrops which are the same:

Editing a Backdrop

At present you need to edit the new backdrop. Select the properties called embankment-malibu2 and click the Select icon to the left of the backdrop editing pane (it'due south second from the lesser and looks like a hand over a dotted rectangle). Select a portion of your backdrop by dragging the mouse over it. I'm selecting a central portion which is about 75% of the backdrop:

Now drag the handles of that selected portion out to the edge of the backdrop so that information technology takes up the whole backdrop. Y'all'll end upward with a backdrop that looks similar a slightly zoomed in version of the first 1.

Note: if you lot go incorrect, just click on Edit and Undo in the admin bar, or delete your backdrop and start again!

Now echo this with the backdrop yous've but created: indistinguishable it, and select a central portion of it to fill the whole backdrop with. Exercise this a few times if you'd like. You lot'll observe that if y'all switch betwixt the backdrops, yous'll see an effect of zooming in on the properties. In a later tutorial we'll apply a script with the backdrops to automate this zooming in outcome.

I've created iv backdrops with dissimilar levels of zoom:

Note that you have other options for editing backdrops, which are:

• drawing on them, using the castor tool, lines or shapes
• adding text to them, with a multifariousness of fonts bachelor
• erasing parts of them (employ this to create a 'window' through to a properties behind the front 1)
• selecting areas (which you've just done)
• duplicating areas

Yous tin can as well catechumen your backdrops from bitmap to vector manner or vice versa. Backdrops imported from the library are bitmaps (like photographs), while if you draw a new backdrop it will exist a vector (similar a drawing). If you desire to add drawing elements and text and manipulate it, it'due south best to stick with vector manner.

Creating Sprites

Every new project starts with one sprite (the true cat) already loaded, just you tin can also add as many of your own every bit you want, or you lot can edit or delete the cat.

As with backdrops, at that place are four icons for creating a sprite:

• Choose sprite from library
• Paint new sprite
• Upload sprite from file
• New sprite from photographic camera

Notation that if you want to use a graphics file such as a png to create your sprite, y'all upload that equally a costume, not a sprite. Sprites are stored equally a specific file type which is only usable in Scratch. I'll cover this later in this tutorial.

Creating a Sprite From the Library

Let's start with the simplest way of creating a sprite: past importing ane from the library.

In the Sprites pane below the stage, click on the icon immediately to the right of the New sprite text, to view the library:

Choose a sprite from the ones on offer: I'thousand choosing a crab because my project has a seaside theme.

Click OK and the new sprite volition be added to your projection:

If y'all click on the Costumes tab, you'll see that this sprite has two costumes, with the pincers open and closed:

We tin can utilise these costumes later on with a script that changes the costume when the crab gets close to the cat and pinches it!

If you click on the cat sprite, yous'll encounter that it besides has 2 costumes, which we tin utilise to create a running effect with a script.

Cartoon a Sprite

Some other manner to create a sprite is past drawing i. Note that sprites don't have to exist animals or people: they can exist anything which you want to interact with in your project. Then if you desire some text to appear at a given time, you'd create a text sprite. That'southward what nosotros're going to do.

Click the 'Paint new sprite' icon (the paintbrush at the top right of the Sprites pane). This will open the drawing pane:

First brand sure yous're working in vector way. If it says Bitmap mode to the bottom correct of the cartoon pane, click the Catechumen to vector button.

Now click the text icon on the right, click anywhere in the cartoon pane, and showtime typing your text. I'm typing 'OUCH!!!'.

At present make some tweaks to your text:

• Change the font by double-clicking on your text to select it, and using the select carte below the drawing pane to cull your font. I'g using the Scratch font.
• Modify the colour past selecting the text and clicking a color in the colour picker.
• Change the size by selecting the text box (not the text itself) and dragging the handles to resize.

You tin also describe a shape around your text to highlight it. Click on the line tool and draw multiple lines to create a zigzag shape around the text (if your drawing skills aren't up to this, just create a circle or square—I know my students are improve at this than me!).

Y'all should now have three sprites in place, ane of which is the text you just created:

Note that when y'all drew your 3rd sprite, you were really creating a costume, not a sprite. Because that sprite just has the one costume, that finer creates the sprite. If you wanted to you could add extra costumes by clicking on 1 of the icons below New costume, in the same way as you lot've already created new backdrops. For example, you could duplicate the existing costume and create a second one with unlike text. You lot could and so use a script afterwards on to switch between the ii costumes and brandish different text.

Creating a Sprite From an Imported Image

The other style to create a spite is by importing an prototype. You do this by drawing your sprite and then uploading an image as a costume.

In the Sprites pane, click the 'Pigment new sprite' icon (the castor).

In the Costumes pane for the new sprite, click the 'Upload costume from file' icon (the folder).

Upload the starfish.png file provided in the bundle for this course.

If your drawing pane is in bitmap mode, click on the Convert to vector push button.

Resize and motion the starfish until it is at the bottom correct of the stage:

Yous now take four sprites, and your stage looks a scrap of a jumble! Don't worry about that: we'll move the sprites around using scripts in a subsequently part of this tutorial, and hide the text sprite until it'due south needed.

Summary

In this tutorial you've learned how to create backdrops and sprites for your project. You lot can then use scripts to make your backdrops and sprites change and move. Every bit yous've learned, in that location are variety of ways of creating backdrops and sprites: you lot tin can choose them from the Scratch library, you can depict them yourself, edit existing ones, or upload images.

In the adjacent part of this serial nosotros'll move on to blocks, and y'all'll learn about how they work and what the dissimilar types of blocks do.

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Source: https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/creating-backdrops-and-sprites-in-scratch--cms-24121