Computer Tips From A Computer Guy

Posted: 19 Dec 2010 03:26 AM PST

Most everyone enjoys a good comic strip—which is why this section of the newspaper continues to retain its popularity as overall newspaper popularity declines. Comic strips are classic, graphical ways to communicate ideas and concepts; plus, they are good for a laugh.

No artistic talent is needed to create a comic strip with a site called ToonDoo. Within minutes, you can create a comic strip to promote a Web site, teach a concept or just make your friends laugh.

Click the red Sign Up for Free button on the top right corner of the page.

Two options appear on your screen. Choose the free option on the right by clicking the big blue Sign up for ToonDoo button.

Next, create a username and password, then enter your email address. Click Register to start your ToonDoo account.

Click the Create link on the top right to start your first toon.

You are first asked to select a layout for your toon. This simply means to choose how many blocks with pictures and text your toon will have.

Click the characters tab at the top of the screen to choose a character to use in your toon. Choose from animals, men, women, children, monsters and even famous people.

Drag a character into a cell to edit it.

Use the tools at the bottom of the page to shrink, enlarge, flip or rotate your character. You can also flip through a range of emotional expressions for each character.

Use the Backgrounds tab to select from the many available backgrounds. Like inserting characters, simply drag and drop the background you like into the cell where it should appear.

No toon or comic is complete without chat bubbles to narrate the action happening in the toon. Click the Texts tab to add chat bubbles. Again, simply drag and drop the bubble into the appropriate cell. Click the bubble to type in it.

By now, your first cell is nearly complete. You can enhance it by using the Props or Clip Art tabs to add more stuff to your cells.

Continue adding backgrounds, characters, props and chat bubbles to your other cells until your toon is finished. Once complete, click the ToonDoo tab and choose save to save your toon.

From the save menu, give your toon a title, description and keyword tags. You can also decide whether to share your toon with the world or keep it private.

Momentarily, a window will appear declaring your toon is ready. Click the Goto Page button to see your toon's Web page.

On your toon's page, you can grab the embed code, print, email or post the toon to Twitter or Facebook.

It took us about 10 minutes to make our first toon with ToonDoo, picture below:

ToonDoo is very easy to use, and could serve as a powerful visual communication tool, if used more seriously than our pizza comic. Even if it does not have a super-serious use, ToonDoo is a fun way to spend a few extra moments on the Web.

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Make a Comic Strip the Easy Way