Anthony: Today we're going to make mantra collages on iPad using Keynote.
Artist Quentin Jones is here.
Together, we'll show you just how easy it is to turn your personal mantra into a GIF.
We'll even provide ways to take these skills further with Today at Apple.
Anthony: Hey, I'm Anthony. Quentin: And I'm Quentin.
Anthony: And you're watching Creative Projects.
We're here at Apple Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C.
It's a place where words truly matter, and the perfect setting to make mantras.
Anthony: You ready? Quentin: Let's get started.
Quentin: The first step is to gather your images and words.
Look through your photos, and look for anything,
from faces, places, textures, anything that sort of sparks joy.
Anthony: Let's start with a basic slide in Keynote.
We'll choose square,
and we'll delete the text.
Quentin: I always say that my like number one thing is usually facial features,
and the expressiveness on them,
and then sometimes to juxtapose that with textures,
paint peeling, things that feel very tactile.
Anthony: I love using Split View, because I can multitask between apps.
I can also drag and drop
all the photos that I want in this app right into Keynote.
Quentin: Now that we have our photos, we want to think of some words.
Just allow yourself to write down whatever the photos make you think of,
or maybe even just stuff that you've been trying to remind yourself recently.
Anthony: Yeah, we all have those inspirational words that live in our head and motivate us.
I think I'm going to use “stay present.”
Quentin: Nice.
Mine is to do more with creatively flowing and not allowing myself to get too constricted,
which is something that I'm trying to work on.
So now that we have our words and pictures, let's start cutting out some photos.
I like using the shapes tool.
You lay it on top of the part of the picture that you want to keep,
you then select objects
and mask with shape, and then you're left with your cutout.
Anthony: I'm going to use Instant Alpha to remove the negative space from the image.
It's a really powerful way to isolate just that part of the photo that you want to use.
Quentin: We now have our images, our words, and our cutouts.
Quentin: You ready to collage? Anthony: Let's do it.
Quentin: Step two is where the magic happens.
We're going to create one of our mantra slides.
We're going to bring together our elements in a way
that creates some sort of interesting connection
or kind of conversation between the parts.
Anthony: So let's duplicate our slide, choose the elements we want,
set the rest aside and we're ready to go!
Quentin: The first thing I do is bring up the toolbar and select my drawing tool.
I like drawing out the words because they become part of the artwork.
They become like another visual sort of fluid component,
which I love against photography.
Anthony: That's cool, I like that.
I'm going to use type for my text.
And I'm going to trace over it with the Apple Pencil to give it my own style.
Quentin: Now that we've got our words on the page,
we can start combining our cutouts and playing with our layouts.
I quite like it when layouts have a sense of imbalance to them in a way.
Like there are areas of sort of noise, and then there are quiet areas.
And in a way, that creates this beautiful composition.
Anthony: I use the paint strokes.
I like the way the texture contrasts with the photography.
And if I want to make a change,
I can swipe with three fingers to the left to undo,
and then just try it again.
Quentin: OK, great, now we have our layouts, but here comes the fun part --
we get to make it move.
Now that our mantra's been designed, it's time for the final step,
and that's making it into a GIF.
Anthony: To do that, duplicate your slide.
Then try something simple like swapping a photo…
…change the color of your background…
…or rearrange the order of the slides.
Even split up your mantra words.
That'll help you create a more dynamic GIF.
Quentin: I'd say with GIFs, it's cool to keep your central elements in place,
so you have control over the flow of the movement.
Anthony: Yeah, that's a great call.
It's easy to lock objects in place.
Let's select our objects, tap Format, and Lock.
Quentin: And now we can control the rhythm of the GIF.
What I've done is I've taken the words, and I've made them top, middle, and bottom --
so that as you go through the looping of the GIF,
you go up and down, up and down.
And I like that because it ties in with the mantra itself,
which is about breath, which for me feels sort of up and down.
Anthony: Yeah, that's cool. I like that a lot.
Quentin: And when you're done, you get to see it all play
by exporting it as an animated GIF.
Anthony: Yes. Just tap More, Export, then Animated GIF.
Pick the range of slides you want to use in your GIF.
Then go back and export to see your mantra move.
From there, save directly to photos, and share with friends.
And that's how you make mantras in Keynote.
Now we know just how easy these are to create
by finding images and words,
combining our elements, and then animating them as GIFs.
Quentin: Remember, there's no wrong way to do it --
mantras are meant to be personal, so really make it your own.
Anthony: Thank you all for taking the time to craft mantras on iPad with us today.
We'd love to check out your mantra GIFs.
So don't forget to include the #TodayatApple when you post.
To learn more about how to create with Keynote,
join our Apple Creatives for live sessions.
Check out the link below to find one near you.
Be sure to like and subscribe, so you don't miss the next project.
Until then, take care. And I'll see you next time.