Scratch: Changing Stage Backdrops

Changing the Stage Backdrop

• The backdrop of the Stage can be changed to modify its appearance
• To add a backdrop:
  • Click on the Stage panel in the Sprite Pane, then click on the Backdrops tab
  • Hover the mouse over the Choose a Backdrop button to see options: Choose a Backdrop, Paint, Surprise, and Upload Backdrop

Backdrop Library

• Clicking "Choose a Backdrop" opens the Backdrop Library
• Here, readily available backgrounds can be found

Painting

• Selecting the "Paint" option lets users create their own backdrop in the Scratch Paint Editor

Surprise Option

• Scratch can select random backdrops from the Scratch Library when the "Surprise" option is chosen

Uploading

• "Upload Backdrop" enables you to upload images as backdrops from a computer

Duplicating Backdrops

• Useful when modifications need to be made to existing backdrops
• Right-click the backdrop's thumbnail under the Backdrops tab and select "duplicate"
• Duplicates are automatically named with a numerical suffix (e.g., "blue sky2", "blue sky3")

Renaming Backdrops

• Renaming backdrops facilitates easier identification when creating scripts
• Select a backdrop under the Backdrops tab
• Type the desired name in the text field

TIP: Backdrop names should be kept concise, using single words and avoiding spaces where possible. For example use "inbetween" instead of "in between".

Adding Sprites

• Sprites are project objects like humans, animals, and plants
• The default sprite in a new Scratch project is an orange cat
• Sprites can be rotated, duplicated, and deleted from the Stage
• New sprites are added by hovering over the Choose a Sprite button in the Sprite Pane and picking an option

Sprite Options

• Choose a Sprite: allows a sprite from the default sprites list from the Scratch Library
• Paint: allows a user to create your own sprite in the Paint Editor
• Surprise: adds a random sprite from the Scratch Library
• Upload Sprite: enables the use of a sprite image saved on computer

Deleting Sprites

• Sprites can be removed if accidentally placed or no longer needed
• Click the sprite's thumbnail in the Sprite Pane, then click the trash bin icon with the X button
• Alternatively, right-click on sprite's thumbnail in the Sprite Pane and choose "delete"

Renaming Sprites

• Renaming sprites helps when creating scripts
• Select the sprite's thumbnail from the Sprite Pane and type the desired name in the Sprite field under the Sprite Info

Rotating Sprites

• Change a sprite's direction and angle by going to the Sprite Info and clicking on the Direction field

Rotation Styles

• All Around: turns the sprite to a specified angle
• Left/Right: flips the sprite to the left or to the right
• Do not rotate: locks the sprite to its original position, prevents rotation

Duplicating Sprites

• It creates multiple sprites with the same characteristics, saving time and effort
• Right-click on the sprite's thumbnail in the Sprite Pane and select "duplicate"
• Change the duplicate's position by dragging and dropping it on the Stage

Resizing Sprites

• Change the size of a sprite by clicking on the Size field in the Sprite Info

Costumes

• A costume in Scratch is the appearance of a sprite; can be added, edited, and duplicated to give different appearances
• A new costume adds by clicking on a particular sprite's thumbnail in the Sprite Pane, then clicking on the Costumes tab

Costume Options

• Choose a Costume: chooses a costume from the Scratch Library
• Paint: draws a new costume using the Paint Editor
• Surprise: adds a random costume from the Scratch Library
• Upload Costume: chooses a file from computer
• Camera: allows the use of imported images from a camera

Editing Costumes

• Select a costume to edit
• Once in the Paint Editor, various tools can be used to modify the costume

Costume actions

• Right-click on the costume's thumbnail, then selecting "duplicate" to duplicate a costume which creates an exact copy
• Delete costumes by pressing the "x" button or by right-clicking on the costume's thumbnail, then selecting delete.
• Costumes can be renamed by clicking on the costume's thumbnail under the Costumes tab, then type the new name in the Costume field

Only file formats that Scratch recognizes are JPG, PNG, and GIF when uploading backdrops, sprites, and costumes.

Downloadables

• Download and extract the file, Cross the Lake.zip
• Open and extract the file by double-clicking on it, then clicking the Extract To button
• Select the the location where you want to place the extracted files, then click on OK. After extracting the files, a folder named "Cross the Lake" should be visible

Open Scratch

• Open Scratch

Add Backdrop

• Click on the Stage panel in the Sprite Pane
• Choose the Backdrops tab
• Click on the Upload Backdrop option
• Locate the "Cross the Lake" folder that you extracted earlier
• Select Lake, and click Open

Delete Sprite

• Delete the cat sprite from the Stage because it is not needed in this project
• Right-click on the cat sprite's thumbnail in the Sprite Pane, then select delete

Adding / Resizing Sprites

• Add a new sprite by selecting the Upload Sprite option from the Choose a Sprite button
• A dialog box should then appear, locate the "Cross the Lake" folder
• Select duck1, then click on Open
• Make the duck smaller by clicking on the duck sprite's thumbnail in the Sprite Pane, then click on the Size field under the Sprite Info
• Decrease the number until the desired size is achieved, and then move the duck sprite to the lake
• Locate the image of a breadcrumb (Crumb) inside "Cross the Lake" folder for the shore
• After finding, make the crumb sprite smaller, then move it to the shore

Duplication of Sprites

• Duplicate the duck sprite by right-clicking on the duck sprite's thumbnail in the Sprite Pane, then selecting duplicate
• Make the duplicated duck smaller than the original one and then move the small duck behind the big duck
• Duplicate the small duck 2 times to have three small ducks on the Stage
• The small ducks should be placed behind the big duck and the breadcrumb sprite as well to have a total of four breadcrumbs.
• Make the breadcrumbs look scattered on the shore

Adding Costumes

• Add a new costume to your ducks by clicking on the big duck sprite's thumbnail in the Sprite Pane
• Select the Costumes tab then select the Upload Costume option from the Choose a Costume button
• A dialog box will appear where a the "Cross the Lake" folder can be found.
• Within this folder select duck2, and then click on Open
• Add another costume, this time, choose duck3 (Now the big duck should have three costumes)
• Add the same costumes to the small ducks and make sure to select duck1 as the first costume

Renaming Sprites

• Rename the biggest duck by selecting the sprite from the Sprite Pane, then clicking on the Sprite field, rename it to "mamaduck"
• Rename the other sprites in the project:
  • duck2 to babyduck1
  • duck3 to babyduck2
  • duck4 to babyduck3
  • Crumb to breadc1
  • Crumb2 to breadc2
  • Crumb3 to breadc3
  • Crumb4 to breadc4

Scripts

• Movement of mamaduck toward the breadcrumbs:
  • Select mamaduck from the Sprite Pane and the Code tab.
  • Drag the when green flag clicked block from Events and the repeat until () block from Control, connect them.
  • Drag the touching ()? block (Sensing) into repeat until ()'s hole, select breadc1 in the dropdown list.
  • Drag point towards () and move () steps (Motion) inside repeat until (), selecting breadc1 and set steps to 3.
• Create repeat () block (Control) and wait () seconds (Control) under it. Create next costume block (Looks) under it. Then, create broadcast Hide block (Events) under it. Finally, add stop this script to the end (Control)

Add breadc1 script

• Add:
  • In the Sprite Pane, select the breadc1 thumbnail. Then, select the Code tab.
  • Connect when I receive Hide from Events
  • Then Drag from looks, Hide block

Scripts

• Easy access for the script on all of the ducks and bread crumbs by clicking on the topmost block of the script (when green flag clicked block
• Drag it to babyduck1 sprite's thumbnail in the Sprite Pane, then release it, and the copied script should then be copied to the babyduck1 sprite

Changes

• babyduck1 by changing breadc1 to breadc2 of its script blocks.
• Babyduck2, change all mention of breadc2 in code to bread3
• Babyduck3 scripts, change all bread3 mentions within to bread4
• Copy the breadc1 scripts to each of the breadc2, breadc3, and then to the breadc4

Final steps

• Click on the green flag above the Stage to run the project again
• Ducks should proceed across to their breadcrumbs and when the breadcrumbs disappear
• Set all sprites back so nothing is hidden by toggling in code view for each (select all from the list)
• Select Show by selecting each breadcrumbs thumbnails in their sprite pane
• Set Ducks back to there starting point