Flash

Develop Rich Internet Content and Applications– Design motion graphics or build data-driven applications

Flash Document = “.fla” filename extension– File > Save / Save As

Publish Flash Document (.FLA) Flash Movie (.SWF)– Macromedia Flash file format (SWF) is the format for deploying Flash content

Use ActionScript 2.0

Object Drawing Mode

Text = Static Text

Symbols and Instances

Symbols = Reusable Elements in Document – Symbols = graphics, buttons, video clips, sound files, or fonts– Symbol stored in file's library– Use symbols for every element that appears more than once.

Create Instance– Place symbol on Stage, you create an instance of that symbol.– Modify properties of instance without affecting master symbol– Edit master symbol to change all instances.

Graphic Symbols for static images

Button Symbols to create interactive buttons

Movie Clip Symbols to create reusable pieces of animation

Keyframes and Tweened Animations

Keyframe = New Instance of Object Appears

Property Keyframe = Define Object’s Property Change

Use Keyframes to Create Change in Animation

• Flash can tween, or fill in, frames between keyframes

Tweened Animation– Create first and last keyframes of animation

or Specify object properties in different frames

– Flash creates frames in between

Motion or Classic or Shape Tween

Tweened Animation

Select Keyframe, Right Click and Select Tween option

Motion Tween (new in CS4)

– Change Position, Size, Rotation, Alpha of Object– Specify object property in one frame and another value for that

same property in another frame.

Classic Tween (= Motion Tween in CS3)

– Like motion tweens, but more complex to create

Shape Tween– Change Shape

If you want Flash to tween the movement of more than one object, each must be on a separate layer.

– Select elements

– Use Modify > Timeline > Distribute to Layers

Animations : Representations in Timeline

Motion Tween – Black dot at beginning keyframe; intermediate tweened frames have black

arrow with a light-blue background.

Classic Tween – Black dot at beginning keyframe; intermediate frames have a black arrow

with a blue background.

Shape Tween – Black dot at beginning keyframe; intermediate frames have a black arrow

with a light-green background.

Dashed line = – Tween is broken or incomplete

Cause?– Final keyframe missing– Classic Motion Tween: does NOT contain symbol, groups or type– Shape Tween: contains symbol, groups or type

Motion Tween

Used for tweening:

• Instances of Symbol

• Type = Text

Instances and type tween:– Position, Size, Rotation, and Skew

Instances tween:

– Color shifts and Fade in / out (= Alpha)

To Motion Tween a Bitmap • Bitmap needs to be converted into Symbol• Modify > Convert to Symbol

To tween the color of type convert into symbols

Create Motion Tween

Layer needs to contain Symbols or Type

and uses Property Keyframes

and can have only one object instance

1. Select keyframe

2. Insert > Motion Tween or Right click frame, select “Motion Tween”

3. Select frame and then select object

4. Move to new location (notice the motion trail) and/or

In Properties panel, change object property

Repeat steps 3 and 4

Classic Tween

Layer needs to contain Symbols or Groups or Typeand uses Keyframes

Create Classic Tween a) Create first keyframe

– Insert > Classic Tween or Right click frame, select “Classic Tween”

Automatically turns content into Graphic Symbol

– In last frame, create keyframe and move object to new location

b) Create starting and ending keyframes – Select two keyframes and frames in between– Insert > Classic Tween

or Right click frame, select “Classic Tween” Automatically turns start and end keyframes into symbols

Resource: Motion versus Classic Tween in CS4

Motion tween uses property keyframes, whereas Classic tween uses keyframes.

Both motion and classic tweens allow only specific types of objects to be tweened.

• Motion tween will convert all non-allowed object types to Movie Clip symbols.

• Classic tween will convert them to Graphic symbols.

• Motion tweens consider text a tweenable type. Classic tweens convert text objects to graphic symbols.

Only classic tweens allow frame scripts.

Only motion tweens can be used to animate 3D objects.

Only motion tweens can be saved as motion presets.

You can use classic tweens to animate between two different color effects, such as tint and alpha transparency. Motion tweens can apply one color effect per tween.

With motion tweens, you cannot swap symbols or set the frame number of a graphic symbol to display in a property keyframe. Animations that include these techniques require classic tweens.

Shape Tween

Similar to Morphing– One shape appears to change into another shape over time

Use Ungrouped Graphics to Tween Shapes

1. Create or select first keyframe

2. Create or place artwork in first keyframe

3. Create second keyframe and select it1. Select artwork in second keyframe 2. Modify shape, color, or position of artwork

(e.g. use “Free Transform” tool)

4. Select first keyframe in Timeline 1. Insert > Shape Tween

or Right click frame, select “Shape Tween”

2. Properties panel: select option from “Blend” menu: a) Distributive: intermediate shapes smoother and more irregular.b) Angular: preserves apparent corners and straight lines.

Imported Artwork and Video

Bitmap– Can apply compression and anti-aliasing– Place directly in Flash document– Use as a fill– Convert to vector artwork

Video– Import video in MOV, AVI, or MPEG format– Importing video clips as embedded files

– Video clip becomes part of the movie, like an imported bitmap or vector artwork file. You can publish a movie with embedded video as a Flash movie.

Fireworks PNG– Can import files as editable objects that you can modify in Flash, or as

flattened files that you can edit and update in Fireworks.– File > Import Fireworks PNG Import Settings dialog box– If you import a PNG file from Fireworks by cutting and pasting, the file is

converted to a bitmap.

Previewing Movies

Authoring environment– Control > Play– Window > Toolbars > Controller and click Play

Test Movie command – Control > Test Movie or Control > Test Scene

Web Browser– File > Publish Preview > HTML

Exporting

File > Export Movie or File > Export Image

Flash Movie– Export entire document as a Flash movie, to place the movie in another

application, such as Dreamweaver.

Windows AVI (Windows)– Exports a movie as Windows video, but discards any interactivity

Export a movie directly into a single format: GIF, JPEG, PNG, AVI

– Animated GIF, GIF Sequence, and GIF Image

Publishing

Flash Document (FLA file) Flash Movie (SWF file) – By default, creates Flash SWF file

and HTML document with inserted movie.

If you don’t want HTML, deselect it.

1. Choose Publishing File Formats: SWF or GIF, JPEG, PNG, and QuickTime

2. File > Publish

Test Before Publishing– Test Movie and Test Scene commands

Unicode Text Encoding

Exporting vs. Publishing FLA files – Exporting similar to publishing FLA files in alternative file formats,

except that settings for each file format are not stored with FLA file.

Flash Demonstration – Unit 1

Creating Tweened Animations– Shape Tween– Motion Tween– Classic Tween

Working with Text– Adding & Editing Text– Animating Text– Animating Individual Letters– Morphing Text

Animating Bitmaps– Import Bitmap

– Bitmap Symbol

– Animate and Distort Bitmap

– Modify Color and Transparency of Bitmap

Animating along Motion Path

Creating Mask Effect

Step 0 – Download files, Launch Flash, Create Document

Launch Flash

Create Flash Document and Set its Properties – File > New : General: Flash File (ActionScript 2.0) – Modify > Document or use Property Inspector

– Frame Rate = 12 Dimensions = 600 x 400 Background color = White

Using Grid, Rulers and Guides– Rulers

View > Rulers– Guides

– View > Guides > Show Guides– Drag horizontal (200) and vertical (300) guides from rulers onto Stage

Step 1 – Keyframes and Create Shapes

1. Select Layer 1 and name it “Shape Tween”

2. Select first keyframe in Timeline

3. Select Circle Tool and Draw Circle in the center of Stage– Select Arrow Tool to select Circle (both Line and Fill!)

– In Property Inspector, set Width = 50 and Height = 50

– In Property Inspector, set Stroke and Fill properties of circle

4. Create second keyframe at frame = 30– Select frame = 30 and use Insert > Timeline > Keyframe

– Select circle using the Arrow tool in second keyframe

– Modify position by moving circle

– Modify size by using Free Transform

– Select Arrow tool and deselect circle

– Modify shape by using “Arrow” tool to change contour (notice how cursor changes)

Step 2a – Shape & Motion Tween and Layer with Text

1. Select first keyframe in Timeline

2. Specify Shape Tween for first keyframe

– Insert > Shape Tween or Right Click and Select “Shape Tween”

– Properties Inspector: select option from “Blend” menu: Distributive

3. Play Movie so far– Control > Play or Display Controls: Window > Toolbars > Controls

1. Create New Layer and Name = Text– Insert > Timeline > Layer and select it

2. Create Text = “Hello”– Select first frame and Select Text tool and type “Hello”

3. Specify Motion Tween for first keyframe of Text Layer

4. Create property keyframe at frame = 30– Select text using the Arrow tool in frame

– Modify position by moving text

– Modify size, angle and distort by using Free Transform

Step 2b – Animating Individual Letters

1. Create and Select Text in “text” layer at keyframe = 1

2. Break Text into Individual Letters using Modify > Break Apart

3. Distribute Individual Letters to Separate Layers– Modify > Timeline > Distribute to Layers

4. Select all the keyframes that contain a letter at frame = 1 and apply Motion Tween

5. Select frame = 30

6. Select a letter and move it to desired location

7. Repeat step 6 for next letter

Step 2c – Morphing Text

1. Create and Select Text in “text” layer at keyframe = 1

2. Break Text into Individual Shapes by applying Modify > Break Apart twice!

3. Create Blank Keyframe at frame = 30

4. Create and Select Text in “text” layer at keyframe = 30

5. Break Text into Individual Shapes by applying Modify > Break Apart twice!

6. Select first keyframe and Shape Tween

Step 3a – Animating Bitmap

1. Select first Keyframe

2. File > Import to Stage “bilbaodog” (creates record in Library)

3. Convert “bilbaodog” to Movie Clip symbol– Modify > Convert to Symbol: Movie Clip = “dog”

4. Apply Motion Tween at first keyframe

5. Insert Frame at Frame = 30 (if needed)

6. Select instance of “dog” in Frame = 30 and change position

7. Select instance of “dog” in Frame = 1 and Distort it using Free Transform tool

8. Select instance of “dog” in Frame = 30 and Remove Transform using Modify > Transform > Remove Transform

9. Fade in “dog”– Select instance in Frame = 30

and Properties > Color Effect: Set Alpha = 100%

– Select instance in Frame = 1 and Properties: Set Alpha = 0%

Step 3b – Multi-part Motion Tween

10. Select Frame = 31 and Insert Blank Keyframe

11. Select dog in Frame = 30 and Edit > Copy

12. Select Frame = 31 and Edit > Paste in Place

13. Select Frame = 46 and Insert Keyframe using Insert > Timeline > Keyframe (instead of Right Click and then Insert Keyframe)

14. Create Property Keyframes at frame = 55 and 65

15. Edit motion path associated with motion tween

Step 4a – Create Classic Tween

1. Select first Keyframe

2. File > Import to Stage “bilbaodog” (creates record in Library)

3. Convert “bilbaodog” to Movie Clip symbol– Modify > Convert to Symbol: Movie Clip = “dog”

4. Insert Keyframe at Fame = 30

5. Select instance in Frame = 30 and change position

6. Apply Classic Tween at first keyframe (should see solid arrow)

Step 4b – Classic Tweening along Path

1. Select layer containing classic tween animation

2. Right-click layer and choose “Add Classic Motion Guide”

3. Use Pen, Pencil, Line, Circle, Rectangle, or Brush tool to draw desired path in motion guide

4. Snap center of instance to beginning of line in the first keyframe, and to end of the line in the last keyframe

Step 4c – Creating Mask Layer

1. Select or create layer with objects to appear inside mask

2. With layer selected, choose Insert > Timeline > Layer – Mask layer always masks layer(s) immediately below it

3. Place a filled shape or symbol instance on mask layer– Mask layer can contain tween(s)

4. Right-click (Windows) mask layer's name in Timeline, and choose Mask from the context menu.

5. Display mask effect in Flash, LOCK mask layer and masked layer(s)