Creating Interactive Books Part 1: Tools

Welcome to part one of my series on “Interactive Books” – the plan is to share some of my processes (both in thought and execution) in creating them.

First, let me start off by saying that I think that all books are “interactive”. In particular, picture books. You have the lovely interaction between words and pictures – and best of all the interaction between parent and child as the book is being read.

Most authors/illustrators fall into the “lack of programming knowledge” category when it comes to developing for tablet devices like the iPad. Thankfully, there are people who fall into the category of “plethora of programming knowledge” who have endeavored to make it easy for us to create for ourselves.

There are quite a few DIY type companies out there and I have had the opportunity to try quite a few. Of all the ones I’ve tried – I haven’t found one better than the, appropriately named, Interactive Touch Books. They have the most powerful and flexible set of tools that grant you the ability to create, almost, any interaction you can think of (and if, by chance, there’s something that isn’t covered in the current tools – their tech staff is top notch and will work on implementing your requests)

Their software is browser-based, which means there’s nothing for you to install! PLUS the application saves your progress as you go, so if, by chance, your computer crashes – your work is still saved!

Now, all this power and flexibility doesn’t come without it’s costs – in this case, it’s only a minor learning curve before you’re able it make it bow to your every whim!

The only other tool you’ll be needing – is Photoshop. And if you have CS5 – great! If you have a previous version and are considering upgrading – I definitely encourage you to do so. There are some new features (the “Puppet Warp” tool in particular) that will make some of the process WAY more efficient.

In the meantime, feel free to go explore Interactive Touch Books and get familiar with some of the actions. Just for fun, I created a quick “starter pack” with some art to play with (emphasis on “Just for fun”). Download the pieces here: justplaying

The folder contains all the pieces you need to make this scene:

- a cover thumbnail image
- background image
- cloud
- midground image
- bear
- tree

Once you have the files unzipped:
1.) Head over to InteractiveTouchBooks.com and click “Self-Publish”
2.) Sign up (or if you already have – login)
3.) Click “Create Book”
4.) Enter your books details – in this case, upload the cover thumbnail (required to continue)
5.) You’re in! Now you can start uploading the elements. If you’d like – click “Tutorial” to learn more about the features and actions.

My plan is create some video tutorials as part of this series – so if there are any effects or interactions that you would like to know how to do - please let me know! If you are interested in seeing some of my work, check out  “Even A Mouse”.

It includes elements that are animated, “cause/effect” type interactions, and “environmental” effects (like the snow collects on the windows the longer you stay on the page).