or, click the plus icon at the bottom of the Library Window
Menu Bar || Insert >> Convert to Symbol ...
This process will leave the artwork on stage, but it will now be an Instance of a Symbol added to the Library
| To View Your Work | shortcut |
| Menu Bar || Control >> Test Movie Notice that this generates a .swf file in the folder where the .fla source file is saved |
CMD + Return |
| Return key This will play the current timeline that you are viewing, but it will not show nested Tweens |
|
| What you DON'T see right away: |
| You should almost NEVER draw directly on the
main Stage! Use Instances of Symbols wherever possible. |
| Reason #1: You can reuse items from the Library without increasing the size of your movie. |
| Reason #2: You can control the properties of Instances dynamically with ActionScript. |
| REMEMBER: NAME all instances in the Property Inspector! This is how you will access the instance with ActionScript. |
| LIBRARY | shortcut |
| Menu Bar || Window >> Library | CMD + L |
| SYMBOL | shortcut |
| Menu Bar || Insert >> New Symbol... | CMD + F8 |
| Library Window || Options
>> New Symbol... or, click the plus icon at the bottom of the Library Window |
|
| If you did draw directly on the stage and
now want to turn your artwork into a Symbol, select the artwork then choose: Menu Bar || Insert >> Convert to Symbol ... This process will leave the artwork on stage, but it will now be an Instance of a Symbol added to the Library |
F8 |
| You will be prompted to enter a library name for the Symbol (and to choose the Symbol "Behavior", which will usually be "Movie Clip", sometimes "Button", almost NEVER "Graphic" (which is just a one frame Movie Clip). | |
| INSTANCE |
| Drag a Symbol from the Library to the Stage |
| Copy & Paste or Alt + Drag a Symbol that's already on Stage. |
| FRAME | shortcut | context menu |
| Menu Bar || Insert >> Frame | F5 | Right-click on a frame in the timeline to access a context menu |
| with one or more frames selected: Menu Bar || Insert >> Remove Frames |
SHIFT + F5 | |
| KEYFRAME | shortcut | |
| Menu Bar || Insert >> Keyframe | F6 | |
| Menu Bar || Insert >> Blank Keyframe | F7 | |
| with one or more frames selected: Menu Bar || Insert >> Remove Keyframe |
SHIFT + F6 | |
| Keyframes are where changes occur in the Timeline. | ||
| TWEENING |
| A TWEEN interpolates the changes between Keyframes. To apply a TWEEN select a Keyframe, then SHIFT + click a contiguous Keyframe. You can Right-click the selected Frames to bring up the context menu and select "Create Motion Tween". |
| There are TWO KINDS of Tweening: Shape
Tweening and Motion Tweening. In general, Shape Tweens are applied to things drawn directly on stage; Motion Tweens are applied to Instances of Symbols. |
| Note that you can make more changes in your Keyframes after a TWEEN is applied. |
| You can have more than one Tweened object in a Symbol's Timeline, but they need to be on different layers. |
| MOTION TWEEN |
| Property Inspector || Tween>> Motion |
| SEE ALSO: Motion Guides |
| Motion Tweens can be applied only to Instances of Symbols to interpolate changes in shape, color, rotation ... |
| Note that changes made to an Instance do not affect the original Symbol in the Library. |
| SHAPE TWEEN |
| Property Inspector || Tween >> Shape |
| Shape Tweens can be applied to morph between any images drawn directly on the stage in a Timeline. |
| Tools for controlling changes that can apply to BOTH Shape & Motion Tweens |
| Simply change the location of an element in a Keyframe |
| change it's position or size through the Property Inspector |
| Menu Bar || Window >> Transform Menu Bar || Modify >> Transform Tool Bar || Free Transform |
| Context Menu: Right-click an element |
| SEE ALSO: Onion Skinning |
| Shape Tween ONLY Tools |
| Any of the drawing tools in the TOOLS panel (& their Options) |
| Menu Bar || Modify >> Smooth | Straighten | Optimize | Shape |
| Menu Bar || Window >> Color Mixer | Color Swatches |
| Shape Hints After Shape Tweening is applied you can add Shape Hints to control the morphing. Menu Bar || Modify >> Shape >> Add Shape Hint [CMD + SHIFT + H] Menu Bar || Modify >> Shape >> Remove Shape Hint [select and DELETE] Menu Bar || View >> Shape Hints [ CMD + ALT + H] also: Right-click on a Shape Hint for Context Menu |
| TEXT as Image |
| Menu Bar || Modify >> Break Apart [CMD + B] |
| "Break Apart" turns text into image,
separates it from the font equation, allowing you to apply Shape Tweening; also used to free an instance from it's library symbol. |
| To set the initial appearance of Text, use the Property Inspector |
| HELP REFERENCES | |
| Flash Program | Other |
| Menu Bar || Help >> Using Flash [F1] Menu Bar || Help >> Lessons Menu Bar || Help >> Tutorials Use the Search Tool in Flash Help |
Flash MX Bible Look for keywords in indices and tables of contents of other books. Do Google searches on keywords. Use the class list of links to Flash Tutorials by Category |