In this InDesign® tutorial, we will continue to work on the first page of text in our fixed layout ePub. Now we will add the last of the animations to the page, which will animate the fire and candle flames.

We have already added the background graphics, the poem text and the narration button that will play the narrative of the poem. We have also added the first animation for our project, which was the Appear animation, which made the mice appear in the stockings when the button was clicked. The same button also played a sound when the mice appeared.

View Sample Project Page 4

Now we will animate the flame for the candle on the fireplace mantle and the fire in the fireplace (see screenshot). We will need the flame graphics for this animation. The candle will require a small flame and the fire in the fireplace will use five larger flames. We will also need a graphic for the wood in the fireplace and the fireplace screen (see screenshot).

We will use the Pulse animation to animate the flames. Let's start with the candle flame.

1. Open your project and click File - Place to add the flame to the candle.


2. With the flame graphic still selected, open the Animation panel (see screenshot).


3. Set the Preset to Pulse.


4. Set Play to Loop.


5. Keep the Event set to On Page Load and the Duration to 1 second.


6. In the Animate to section, set the Origin Point to the bottom center.


7. Test your animation.

You should see the flame pulse continuously. Now we will do the same for the five flames in the fireplace.


8. Click File - Place and add the first flame. Place the flame graphic inside the fireplace box and to the left edge.


9. Select the flame graphic and set the Preset to Pulse.


10. Set Play to Loop, the Event set to On Page Load and the Duration to 1 second.


11. In the Animate to section, set the Origin Point to the bottom center.

Repeat the previous steps for the second, third, fourth and fifth flame. Place the flames close together inside the fireplace. To make the flames pulse separately, we will set the Duration for the flames to a different number of seconds.

Pulse Duration
Flame 2 - 1.25 seconds
Flame 3 - .75 second
Flame 4 - 1.25 seconds
Flame 5 - 1 second


12. Test the animation.

You should see the flames pulse independently of each other.

To finish the page, place the wood in front of the flames so that most of the flames show from behind the wood. Place the fireplace screen in front of the fireplace.

In the past tutorials, you have learned how to create all the animations on page 4, the first page of the poem. In the next tutorial, we will begin to work on page 5 of the fixed layout ePub.

Index - InDesign Fixed Layout ePub

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