Foundation FlashFoundation Flash

By : Mohd Faizol Sulaiman

IntroductionIntroduction

Welcome to Flash live. You have seen a lot of the great stuff Flash can do and it is now time for you to get into the game. I also suspect you are here because Flash can be one great big, scary application to those unfamiliar with it.

What we’ll cover in this What we’ll cover in this session:session:Exploring the Flash interfaceUsing the Flash stageWorking with panelsDifference between a frame and a

keyframeUsing frames to arrange content on the

stageUsing layers to manage content on the

stageAdding objects to the libraryTesting your movie

What we are going to do to begin with is take a walk through the authoring environment - called the Flash interface -pointing out the sights and giving you an opportunity to experiment with the features. By the end of the stroll, you should be fairly comfortable with this tool called Flash and have a fairly good idea of what tools you can use and how to use them as you start creating a Flash movie.

The Start page and The Start page and Creating a Flash Creating a Flash documentdocumentThe first thing you see when you launch Flash is the Start page. This interface, common to all of the Adobe CS3 applications, is divided into three areas. The area on the left side shows you a list of documents you have previously opened. Click one of them, and that document, provided it hasn’t been moved to another location on your computer, will open. The Open link at the bottom of the list lets you navigate to a document that isn’t on the list.

The Start Page

The middle area of the page is where you can choose to create a variety of new Flash documents. Your choices include a blank Flash document, a project aimed at a mobile phone or PDA (a mobile document), a series of code-based documents, and a Flash project.

The major change in this panel is the ability to select a new document based upon which version of ActionScript will be used in the document. Flash Professional CS3 marks the latest version of the Flash programming language named ActionScript. The previous version of this language, used in Flash MX 2004 and Flash 8, was ActionScript 2.0.

The right area of the screen is reserved for a variety of templates you can use.

The Extend area at the bottom of the Start Screen contains a link to the Flash Exchange. This is a hyperlink that takes you to a page on the Adobe site where you can download a variety of tools and projects that are available for free or a nominal cost.

What Can a Flash Animation What Can a Flash Animation Include?Include?

Vector-based graphics◦ Has the ability to "tween"

Automatically generates fill-in frames between a beginning and an ending image

Bitmap-based graphics ◦ Can be moved & rotated

Embedded fonts Can be moved, resized, skewed, rotated, recolored

Sound◦ Can synchronize sounds with animation frames

Flash EnvironmentsFlash EnvironmentsFlash authoring environment

◦ Design environment (graphics tools)◦ Scripting environment (create program

code)◦ You can download a free trial version at

http://www.adobe.com/Flash player

◦ Users must have this installed on their workstations

◦ If not present, automatically prompted to install when they start your animation

Flash Files ("Movies")Flash Files ("Movies")Authoring file

◦ .fla extension◦ This file creates the design version of your

animationPublished file

◦ .swf extension ("swiff" file)◦ Can't be edited◦ Can play on most operating systems◦ Fairly small files

Flash CS3 Authoring Flash CS3 Authoring EnvironmentEnvironment

Flash Stage

Tools Panels

Timeline

Menus

Layers

Properties

13

Flash 8 Workspace Flash 8 Workspace Tools panel Timeline

Panels

Property inspector

Stage

Currentscene

Layers

Workspace

Tools

Views

Colour

Options

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

text, select objects, modify objects, and erase objects

◦ View tools: Zoom and pan◦ Color tools: Set stroke and

fill colors◦ Options: Modify the currently

selected tool

TimelineTimeline

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

Layers

FramesPlayhead

Frame rate

PanelsPanels

Panels provide additional tools for creating and editing movies.◦ 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.

Document PropertiesDocument Properties

1. Enter the following values into the Document Properties dialog box:

Title: PondDescription: My first Flash exerciseWidth: 400Height: 300Background colour: #0000662. Click OK and the stage will shrink to

the new dimensions and change colour to a dark blue. These changes will also be shown in the Property inspector.

StageStage

Screen ResolutionDisplay 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

You compose movie content on the Stage.

Set Stage size to match a specific browser size

The Property InspectorThe Property Inspector

Document Size

Access thePublishing Settings

Background Colour

Frame Rate

Movie Name

Zooming the StageZooming the StageThere will be occasions when you will discover that the stage is a pretty crowded place. In these situations, you’ll want to be sure that each item on the stage is in its correct position and is properly sized. Depending on the size of the stage, this could be difficult because the stage may fill the screen area. Fortunately, Flash allows you to reduce or increase the magnification of the stage through a technique called zooming. Zooming the stage has no effect upon the actual stage size.

Select a zoom level using the Magnification dropdown.

Exploring the Panels in Exploring the Panels in the Flash Interfacethe Flash InterfacePanels can be moved around and opened or closed depending upon your workflow needs. We will now take a closer look at the more important panels that you will use every day. They include the following:Timeline LibraryProperty Inspector Actions panelTools panel Help panel

The TimelineThe TimelineThere is a fundamental truth to becoming proficient with Flash: master the timeline and you will master Flash.At its most basic, all animation is movement over time, and all animation has a start point and an end point. The length of your timeline will determine when animations start and end, and the number of frames between those two points will determine the length of the animation. As the author, you control those factors.

25

Frames and Keyframes 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.

26

Frames and Keyframes Frames and Keyframes

Keyframe with content

Blank keyframe

Empty frames

Empty slots for new frames

27

LayersLayers

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

28

Symbols and LibrariesSymbols and LibrariesSymbols 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.

SymbolsSymbols

Symbol: reusable object◦ Save an animation image as a symbols ◦ This saves file space because the symbol is only saved

onceTypes of symbols:

◦ Graphics (can't be shape tweened)◦ Movie clips (self-contained animation within a movie)◦ Buttons (Up, Down, Over, OverWhileDown states)

Saving SymbolsSaving SymbolsCreate a graphic in Flash then

convert it to a symbol◦Right-click the graphic – Convert to

symbolImport an existing graphic into a

Flash symbol library◦File – Import – Import to Library

To view your symbol library: Window - Library

31

Advantages of Using Advantages of Using SymbolsSymbolsEasy 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.

When you open Flash, your timeline will be empty, but you will see a series of rectangles - these are the frames. You may also notice that these frames are divided into groups. Most frames are white and every fifth frame is gray.

Flash movies can range in length from 1 to 16,000 frames, although a Flash movie that is 16,000 frames in length is highly unusual. The thing you need to keep in mind is that a frame shows you the content that is on the stage at any point in time.

The timeline is nothing more than a series of frames.

The content in a frame can range from one object to hundreds of objects, and a frame can include audio, video, code, images, text, and drawings either singly or in combination with each other. When you first open a new Flash document, you will notice that frame 1 contains a hollow circle. This visual clue tells you that frame 1 is waiting for you to add something to it.

Creating Flash AnimationCreating Flash Animation

Types of animation:◦ Shape: uses shapes you create in Flash

Can change shape position and/or properties Creates straight-line animation between a start position and

an end position Can only be used with vector images

◦ Motion: uses symbols you create or import into Flash (bitmaps) Can create straight-line animation between a start position

and an end position Can change the position or rotation of a symbol Can "kind of" make a symbol morph into a different symbol

Creating a Motion TweenCreating a Motion TweenSame as shape tweening, but

uses a symbol rather than a shape◦Allows you to use bitmaps◦Can be moved, resized, rotated,

morphed to a different symbol

Motion/Classic TweenMotion/Classic Tween

The way motion tweens used to be done

Allows more than one object to be tweened at a time

Allows frame scripts over the tween span

37

Animation with TweeningAnimation with TweeningTweening: 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 theree types of tweening: shape tweening and motion tweening, guide tweening,

Shape TweenShape Tween

Used for morphing shapes Cannot be applied to symbolsCan be used for broken-apart text

(You have to select the text and do Modify/Break apart twice, or apply Ctrl-B twice).

39

Shape and Motion Shape and Motion TweeningTweening 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.

Creating a Shape Creating a Shape AnimationAnimation

Create a new layer ◦Draw the shape at the start position

Create a keyframe at the start timeCreate a keyframe at the end time

◦With the end keyframe selected, modify the shape to its end size, position, & properties

Select any frame between the beginning and ending keyframes and then create a "tween"

Create thelayer

Create thekeyframes

Create thetween

Create theinitial shape

With the endingkeyframeselected, create the final shape

42

Shape and Motion TweeningShape and Motion Tweening

Shape Group SymbolText

Block

Broken- apart Text

Shape Tween

yes no no no yes

Motion Tween

no yes yes yes no

Adding SoundsAdding SoundsCreate a sound layerCreate a keyframe when you want the

sound to play◦ With target keyframe selected, drag the

sound onto the stage

44

SoundSound

1. First, import a sound file into the library.

2. Add sound to a movie by dragging an instance of the sound into a frame.

3. To minimize file size, loop shorter sounds (to make them repeat).

45

ActionsActionsActionScript 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.

Stopping an AnimationStopping an AnimationBy default, animations play

continuously when publishedTo configure an animation to play

once:◦Select the frame in which you want

the animation to stop, right-click, click Actions

◦In the ActionScript window, type stop();

Stopping Stopping an an AnimationAnimation

Layer

Frame number

Command

PublishingPublishingSave distribution files

◦ File – Publish Preview – Flash or HTML to preview

◦ File – Publish Settings to view file types .swf, .html, .gif, etc. Select desired settings

◦ File – Publish to actually save files

Use HTML to create a new HTML document

Use Flash (.swf) file to insert into an existing HTML document◦ In Dreamweaver, Insert – Media - Flash

Using Flash to Create Using Flash to Create Embedded MultimediaEmbedded MultimediaYou can embed audio and video

files in Flash documents and then publish them on Web pages◦Advantages:

Most people have a Flash player installed on their computer

Gives you more control over object's appearance

Creating Embedded Flash Creating Embedded Flash AudioAudioImport the audio file to a Flash

documentCreate a timeline to stop the

audioYou can also create buttons to

start and stop it, and add commands so it doesn't automatically play…

Creating Embedded Flash Creating Embedded Flash VideoVideoFile – Import – Import VideoYou can import either a file or a

URL to a streaming serverYou can also create buttons to

start and stop it, and add commands so it doesn't automatically play…