HomeCoursesHTML5 Canvas: From Noob to Ninja - an interactive deep dive

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Updated 5 months ago

HTML5 Canvas: From Noob to Ninja - an interactive deep dive
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Discover HTML5 Canvas essentials, draw shapes, delve into transformations and animations, and explore interactive applications with advanced mouse and keyboard handling. Gain insights into creating dynamic web graphics.
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Kirupa is an MIT grad who works at Microsoft as Senior Program Manager. He has been tinkering with web technologies since 1998. He works on the Edge browser team where he gets to sink his teeth into the cutting-edge web technologies. HTML5 is taking over the browsers and one of the coolest things in HTML5 is the canvas - the immediate mode drawing surface you have in HTML for bringing pixels to life using JavaScript. It is used to create games, graphs, and animations. This is an extensive course with interactive playgrounds (so you don't have to install anything). The course can be divided into four parts. 1. Understand basics of Canvas and compare it with DOM. 2. Learn how to draw shapes. 3. Take a deep dive into canvas transformations and animations. 4. Explore advanced mouse and keyboard handling to create truly interactive applications using canvas. If none of what I just wrote makes sense, then the content here is just what you need 😀 . Let's get started.
Kirupa is an MIT grad who works at Microsoft as Senior Program Manager. He has been tinkering with web technologies since 1998. ...Show More

Content

113 Lessons

1.

DOM vs. Canvas

4 Lessons

Get familiar with using DOM and Canvas for flexible, memory-efficient web visuals.
DOM vs. Canvas
When to Use Which?
Summary
Further Reading

2.

Getting Started with the Canvas

4 Lessons

Unpack the core of utilizing and drawing on the HTML5 canvas with JavaScript.
Getting Started with the Canvas
Meet the Canvas Element
Drawing Things
Conclusion

3.

Drawing Basics / Lines

4 Lessons

Work your way through drawing basics, understanding canvas mechanics, and utilizing the canvas API.
Canvas Drawing Basics
How Drawing in the Real World Works
Drawing in the Canvas World
Conclusion

4.

Drawing Curves

4 Lessons

Grasp the fundamentals of drawing Beziér curves, including quadratic and cubic variations, on the HTML5 Canvas.
Drawing Beziér Curves on the Canvas
Drawing a Quadratic Beziér Curve
Drawing a Cubic Beziér Curve
Conclusion

5.

Drawing Multiple Things

5 Lessons

Solve problems in managing and rendering multiple shapes on the HTML5 canvas.
Drawing Multiple Things
This Seems Simple, No?
Creating an Individual Shape
Draw Order Matters
Conclusion

6.

Drawing Rectangles (and Squares)

3 Lessons

Tackle drawing rectangles and squares on HTML5 canvas, mastering essential methods.
Drawing Rectangles (and Squares) on the Canvas
Drawing Rectangles
Conclusion

7.

Drawing Triangles

3 Lessons

Piece together the parts of drawing triangles on the HTML5 canvas with JavaScript.
Drawing Triangles on the Canvas
Drawing Triangles
Conclusion

8.

Drawing Circles

4 Lessons

Step through drawing circles on HTML5 Canvas using the arc function for precision.
Drawing Circles on a Canvas
Meet the Arc Function
Displaying the Circle
Conclusion

9.

Modifying How Your Corners Look

3 Lessons

Get started with customizing corners in HTML5 Canvas using the lineJoin property.
Modifying How Corners Look
Meet the lineJoin Property
Conclusion

10.

Working with Colors

4 Lessons

Examine different methods for adding vibrant colors and gradients to enhance HTML5 Canvas.
Working with Colors
Colors, strokeStyle, and fillStyle!
Specifying Gradients
Conclusion

11.

Drawing Text

3 Lessons

Grasp the fundamentals of drawing and customizing text on the HTML5 Canvas.
Drawing Text on the Canvas
From Text to Pixels
Conclusion

12.

Drawing Images

6 Lessons

Take a closer look at drawing, displaying, scaling, and slicing images on the HTML5 canvas.
Drawing Images on the Canvas
Images and drawImage()
Displaying an Image
Scaling the Image
Slicing an Image
Conclusion

13.

Canvas Transformations

4 Lessons

Simplify complex canvas transformations with methods like translate, scale, and rotate.
Canvas Transformations
Meet the Transformation Methods
Undoing Transforms
Conclusion

14.

Structuring Your Drawing Code

4 Lessons

Master the steps to organize and optimize drawing code for maintainability and reusability.
Structuring your Drawing Code
Using Functions
Using Objects
Conclusion

15.

Animating with requestAnimationFrame

8 Lessons

Learn how to use requestAnimationFrame for optimized and smooth JavaScript animations.
Animating with requestAnimationFrame
Meet requestAnimationFrame
Using This Magical Function
Simple Example
Your Frame Rate
Stopping Your Animation Loop
The Timestamp Argument
Conclusion

16.

Creating Animations on the Canvas

5 Lessons

Get started with creating dynamic canvas animations using interpolation and JavaScript.
Creating Animations on the Canvas
Animation 101
Animating on the Canvas
Implementation Time
Conclusion

17.

Animating Many Things on the Canvas

3 Lessons

Work your way through animating multiple elements on HTML5 canvas for engaging visuals.
Animating Many Things on a Canvas
Deconstructing the Example
Conclusion

18.

Creating Motion Trails

4 Lessons

Grasp the fundamentals of creating motion trails to enhance animations' realism and liveliness.
Creating Motion Trails
The Basic Approach
Creating the Motion Trail
Conclusion

19.

Creating Sprite Animations

5 Lessons

Solve problems in creating smooth sprite animations using sprite sheets on the HTML5 canvas.
Creating Sprite Animations on the Canvas
The Sprite Sheet
How All of This Works
It's Coding Time!
Conclusion

20.

Working With the Mouse

4 Lessons

Explore managing mouse events and precise positioning for dynamic HTML5 Canvas interactions.
Working with the Mouse
The Mouse and the Canvas
Getting the Exact Mouse Position
Conclusion

21.

Follow the Mouse Cursor

3 Lessons

Practice using HTML5 Canvas to create dynamic mouse-tracking effects through interactive animation.
Follow the Mouse Cursor
The Basic Approach
Conclusion

22.

Mouse Follow with Ease

3 Lessons

Break down smooth square mouse-following, deceleration, and crucial canvas interaction details.
Mouse Follow with Ease
Here's the Code
Conclusion

23.

Working With the Keyboard

6 Lessons

Walk through handling keyboard interactions, event types, properties, and practical examples.
Working With the Keyboard
Meet the Keyboard Events
Using These Events
The Keyboard Event Properties
Some Examples
Conclusion

25.

Resizing the HTML Canvas Element

5 Lessons

Break down the steps to properly resize the HTML canvas for accurate content display.
Resizing the HTML Canvas Element
Why CSS Doesn't Work
Properly Resizing your Canvas
Why the Weird Behavior?
Conclusion

26.

Detect Whether a Font is Installed

4 Lessons

Verify font installation using Canvas API and JavaScript code examples.
Detect Whether a Font is Installed
Grab the Code
Overview of the Code
Conclusion
Certificate of Completion
Showcase your accomplishment by sharing your certificate of completion.

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