Introduction to Macromedia Flash 8 Flash Workspace Tools

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Introduction to Macromedia Flash 8

Introduction to Macromedia Flash 8

Flash Workspace Tools panel Timeline Panels Current scene Layers Workspace Stage Property inspector ©

Flash Workspace Tools panel Timeline Panels Current scene Layers Workspace Stage Property inspector © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 2

Stage § You compose movie content on the Stage. § Set Stage size to

Stage § You compose movie content on the Stage. § Set Stage size to match a specific browser size. © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. Screen Resolution Display Area in Microsoft Internet Explorer 640 x 480 620 x 318 800 x 600 780 x 438 1024 x 768 1004 x 606 1280 x 1024 1260 x 862 3

Tools Panel Tools create the content of a movie. § Tools: Draw, paint, create

Tools Panel Tools create the content of a movie. § Tools: Draw, paint, create text, select objects, modify objects, and erase objects § View tools: Zoom and pan § Colour tools: Set stroke and fill colours § Options: Modify the currently selected tool © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 4

Panels provide additional tools for creating and editing movies. Options menu § Click the

Panels provide additional tools for creating and editing movies. Options menu § Click the options menu to view additional options for the current panel. § You can hide or show panels by using the options on the Window menu. © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 5

Timeline You can organize and control the content of a movie over time. Playhead

Timeline You can organize and control the content of a movie over time. Playhead Frames Layers Frame rate © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 6

Frames and Keyframes § Frames: Like films, Flash movies divide lengths of time into

Frames and Keyframes § Frames: Like films, Flash movies divide lengths of time into frames, which are organized on the Timeline. § Keyframes: Frames that define a change in what is displayed in a movie or include frame actions to modify a movie. When you open a new blank movie document, it contains one layer with one blank keyframe. © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 7

Frames and Keyframes Keyframe with content Blank keyframe © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. Empty frames

Frames and Keyframes Keyframe with content Blank keyframe © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. Empty frames Empty slots for new frames 8

Layers § Layers are like multiple film strips stacked on top of each other,

Layers § Layers are like multiple film strips stacked on top of each other, each with a different element that appears on the Stage. § Graphics § Animations § Text § Sounds § Buttons § Frame actions © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 9

Symbols and Libraries § Symbols are elements you reuse within a movie to reduce

Symbols and Libraries § Symbols are elements you reuse within a movie to reduce file size. § Types of symbols include graphics, buttons, movie clips, sound files, and text. § A library is where you store and organize symbols. § When you drag a symbol from a library to the Stage, you create an instance of the symbol. © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 10

Advantages of Using Symbols § Easy editing: If you change the symbol in the

Advantages of Using Symbols § Easy editing: If you change the symbol in the library, all instances of the symbol are updated automatically. § Smaller file sizes: Symbols are downloaded only once, regardless of the number of instances you’ve included in the movie. This reduces the size of your published movies and decreases download times. © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 11

Animation with Tweening § Tweening: A series of frames that change incrementally to create

Animation with Tweening § Tweening: A series of frames that change incrementally to create smooth movement or change over time. § You can set the beginning and ending frames and have Flash automatically create the frames in between. § Flash has two types of tweening: shape tweening and motion tweening. © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 12

Shape and Motion Tweening § In Flash, a shape is a vector-based object. You

Shape and Motion Tweening § In Flash, a shape is a vector-based object. You create a shape by using the drawing tools or by importing a vector drawing from another program. § Use shape tweening to animate one shape into another. You cannot shape-tween grouped objects, bitmaps, text that has not been broken apart, or symbols. § Use motion tweening to animate symbols, groups, and text blocks. © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 13

Shape and Motion Tweening Brokenapart Text Shape Group Symbol Text Block Shape Tween yes

Shape and Motion Tweening Brokenapart Text Shape Group Symbol Text Block Shape Tween yes no no no yes Motion Tween no yes yes no © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 14

Sound § First, import a sound file into the library. § Add sound to

Sound § First, import a sound file into the library. § Add sound to a movie by dragging an instance of the sound into a frame. § To minimize file size, loop shorter sounds (to make them repeat). © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 15

Actions § Action. Script statements instruct a movie to do something while it is

Actions § Action. Script statements instruct a movie to do something while it is playing. § Frame action: An action attached to a frame is triggered when the movie plays that frame. § Object action: An action attached to an object is triggered when the viewer interacts with the object, such as moving the pointer over a hotspot or clicking a button. © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 16