CT1514. One of Adobe Products also called Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages.

Macromedia Flash mx-Introduction

CT1514

What is Macromedia Flash

One of Adobe Products also called Adobe Flash

 is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages

Flash Uses

Flash is frequently used for advertisements games  flash animations for broadcast

Macromedia Flash Features It manipulates vector and raster graphics It Provides animation for

Text Drawings Still images

It supports bidirectional streaming of audio and video.

it can capture user input via mouse, keyboard, microphone, and camera.

It contains an object-oriented language called Action Script 

Adobe Flash Player

The Adobe Flash Player is software for viewing multimedia, Rich Internet Applications and streaming video and audio, on a computer web browser or on supported mobile devices.

Flash Player runs SWF  (see Table 1) files that can be created by the Adobe Flash

FLA Vs. SWF File types

.swf .fla

•Animation created with Adobe Flash•plays in Web browsers that have the Flash plug-in installed

Editable movie or animation created with Adobe Flash; i.e. open file

•File Export Movie FileSave As

Table 1: .fla file extension vs. .swf file extension

Macromedia Flash MX Interface

Group ofPlates(also called panel)4.Timeline panel

3.Tool box

1.Stage

2.Propertiespanel

Zoom Box

The Stage in Adobe Flash is the rectangular area where you place All the graphic contents.

The gray area surrounding the stage is called “Work Area”

The work area my contain graphical items also BUT only the ones on the stage will appear in the final flash file

1.Stage

Use to setup some of the flash file properties such as : Size Background color Frame rate Flash player version File name

“It’s important to know that the functions of this panel changes with the change of the used tool from tool box (Later)”

2.Properities Panel

Consist of : Drawing Tools Typing Tool Selection Tools Free Transform Tool View Tools Colors Tool Options

3.Tool Box

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

1)Line Tool2)Oval Tool

3)Rectangle Tool4)Pencil Tool

5)Bruch Tool

7)Paint Bucket Tool and gradient Tool6)Fill Transform Tool

8)Ink Bottle Tool9)Eraser Tool

10)Eyedropper Tool

Any Shape drawn in Flash MX using any of the Drawing Tools will consist of tow parts: (Stroke): Outside border of the shape (Fill): Inside color of the shape

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Stroke

Fill

Note That: The Stroke ad fill are considered separated shapesAnd can be treated separately

1) Line Tool

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Properties Panel

2) Oval Tool

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Properties Panel

3) Rectangle Tool

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Properties Panel

Options Panel

3) Rectangle Tool (Example)

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Radius=5 Radius=15

4) Pencil Tool

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Properties Panel

Options Panel

4) Pencil Tool (Example)

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Pencil Mode: StraightenPencil Mode: Smooth Pencil Mode: Ink

5) Brush Tool

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Properties Panel

Options Panel

Brush Mode

Brush Size

Brush Shape

5) Brush Tool

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Options Panel

See Example1.a

See Example1.b

See Example1.c

See Example1.d

See Example1.e

First drawn

Second drawn

Example1.anormal

Example1.bfills

Example1.cbehind

1

2

Example1.dselection

Example1.einside

Note: You should start drawing the

yellow lineFrom inside the red

line

7) Paint Bucket Tool[2]

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Properties Panel

Options Panel

•The Paint Bucket fills enclosed areas with color.• It fills empty areas as well as changes the color of areas already filled•It has a Gap Size modifier that can overlook gaps so that you can fill areas that aren't completely closed (See Example 2)

Note That: Paint Bucket Tool can’t fill the color of an area’s boundaries(i.e. the can't fill the Stroke)

Example 2

7) Gradient Tool[3]

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

•(See Example 3)To fill a shape (or replace a solid fill) with a gradient as following:• In the Toolbar, select the

paint-bucket icon.• In the Color Mixer panel,

define a new gradient. or From the Color Swatches panel, or the fill-color box in the Toolbar or Property Inspector, choose an existing linear gradient

Draw a Circle shape (Stroke: Black, Fill: White)

Choose the Paint Bucket Tool then go to the color mixer and set it to the following: Fill style: Radial Fill Colors: Right (R:102,G:102,B:102)-

Left(R:201,G:1,B:141)

Apply Gradient

Example 3

Note That: Paint Bucket Tool can fill an area with an image also

6) Fill Transformed Tool[3]

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

•It is used to modify applied gradient .

8) Ink Bottle Tool

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

•It is used to fill the shapes borders (Stroke)

9) Eraser Tool

3.Tool Box: Drawing Tool

Options Panel

See Example4.a

See Example4.b

See Example4.c

See Example4.d

See Example4.e

Eraser Size

Faucet

Note: You should start drawing the yellow lineFrom inside the red line

1

2

Example4.a Example4.b Example4.c

Example4.d Example4.e

3.Tool Box: Selection Tool

Subselection Tool: Using the subselect tools allows us to make precise adjustments to the flash drawings

Arrow Tool

3.Tool Box: Selection Tool

3.Tool Box: Type Tool

Text is an important element in most movies. There is 3 type of text that can be used[4]:• Static text: can be used when a message doesn't change• Strings:

• It used in cases you can't predict exactly what information you need to show users.

• It is an ActionScript data type that stores text information.

• It can be visible on the stage, or they can work behind the scenes(in the computer's memory).

• Two types of text fields – dynamic and input -are the onscreen representations of string variables stored in memory.

Dynamic Text Vs. Input Text between input and dynamic text are

both used  to display changing text values

The main difference between them is that users can type and paste directly into input text fields.

3.Tool Box: Type Tool

3.Tool Box: Freetramsform Tool1- select the free transform toll form the tool box2-click on the object (Symbol or image) to be transformed- double click object(Shape) to be transformed 3-use the mouse to adjust.

Note That: Free Transform Tool can be used on an imported images which can be imported to stage as following:

Note That: You can make the imported image fit into the staged (i.e. have the same size) by changing either the image size to be as the stage size or vice versa as folloing:Right click on the image Panels Info

The Timeline organizes and controls a document’s content over time in layers and frames

Like films, Flash documents divide lengths of time into frames.

Layers are like multiple film strips stacked on top of one another, each containing a different image that appears on the Stage.

4.Timeline

A flash document consist of Layer(s) Each layer consist of Frames

4.Timeline

Left side: Layers Right side

Figure 1

4.Timeline Panel

4.Timeline Panel: Left side

Layer Visibility Layer Lock Layer Outline

DeleteInsert layer folderAdd motion GuideInsert layer

Figure 2

Type of layers Guide Motion Guide Normal

Timeline Panel: Left side

Figure 3

Timeline Panel: Guide Layer What is Guide Layer?

Helps in aligning objects when drawing; create guide layers and align objects on other layers to the objects you create on the guide layers.

Guide layers are not exported and do not appear in a published SWF file.

Any layer can be a guide layer. Guide layers are indicated by a guide

icon to the left of the layer name ( )

Timeline Panel: Guide Layer How to create a Guide Layer?

Select the layer and Right-click Guide from the context menu.

To change the layer back to a normal layer, Right-click select Guide again.

Timeline Panel: Motion Guide Layer What is Motion Guide Layer?

Controls the movement of objects in a Motion tween animation

How to create a Motion Guide Layer? Click on the

Note: the created motion Guide layer will guide a selected layer ( an usually appears above that layer).

How to make it guide another layer or several layers? (Hint: Drag-drop)

Timeline Panel: Normal Layer What is Normal Layer?

A layer contains objects, drawings, texts, bitmap images..etc

How to create & manage a Normal layer From the layer panel as seen in figure 2

Timeline Panel: Right side

Left side: Layers Right side

Frames:Types

Key Frame

Normal FrameEmpty Frame

Figure 4

Frames: Types[11]

Key Frame: Any time your wish that your animation to undergo a visual change or you want an action to occur, you must use a keyframe at that point on the timeline

Empty Frame: Ready to contain a change and/or action

A keyframe with content visible on the stage is identified by a solid black dot; a blank keyframe is identified by a hollow dot; and a keyframe with an attached action is identified with a small a (Later).

Normal (Regular) Frame: A keyframe on the timeline denotes a change; the regular frames that follow a keyframe determine the duration of that change. Thus, Regular frames always follow keyframes and contain the same content as the last keyframe on the same layer

Frames: Delete or modify a frame or keyframe Delete a frame, keyframe, right-click select

Remove Frames. Surrounding frames remain unchanged.

Move a keyframe or frame sequence and its contents, select it(use shift for multiple frames) and drag to the desired location.

Extend the duration of a keyframe, Alt‑drag it to the final frame of the new sequence.

To copy and paste a frame or frame sequence, select it (use shift for multiple frames)then right-click Copy Frames. Select a frame or sequence to replace then right-click Paste Frames

Frames:Delete or modify a frame or keyframe (Cont.) To copy a keyframe or frame sequence by dragging,

select it and Alt‑drag To convert a keyframe to a frame, select the keyframe

then: select Modify > Timeline > Clear Keyframe or , right-click it and select Clear Keyframe. Important: The cleared keyframe and all frames up to the

subsequent keyframe are replaced with the contents of the frame preceding the cleared keyframe..

To change the length of a tweened sequence, drag the beginning or ending keyframe left or right.

To reverse an animation sequence, select the appropriate frames in one or more layers then: select Modify  Timeline Reverse Frames or Right-click Reverse Frames Keyframes must be at the beginning and end of the sequence.

Timeline Basic componentsFigure 5

Timeline Basic components A- Playhead: indicate

the current frame displayed on the stage

B- Empty Keyframe: a keyframe that may contain changes in the future

E- Frame view pop-up menu Change the display of frames in the Timeline

Timeline Basic components F- Frame by Frame animation:

see (Frame_by_Frame.fla) file G- Tweened Animation: a

keyframe that may contain changes in the future

H- Scroll to Playhead: Center the timeline on the current frame

I- Onion Skinning Button:  see (Onion_Skinning.fla) file to view incremental changes between each keyframe . Useful with Frame by frame animation Motion tween

Timeline Basic components K- Frame Rate indicator: L- Elapsed time indicator:

Type of Animations

Frame by Frame Animation Twined Animation

Type of Animations

Frame by Frame Animation frame-by-frame animation changes the contents of the

Stage in every frame and is best suited to a complex animation in which an image changes in every frame instead of simply moving across the Stage. [8]

To create a frame-by-frame animation, you define each frame as a keyframe and create a different (typically modified) image for each frame.

Note: This type of animation increases the file size more rapidly than tweened animation because Flash stores the values for each keyframe.

Type of Animations

Tweened Animation: A tween is an animation that is: Created by specifying a value for an

object property in one frame and another value for that same property in another frame.

Flash calculates the values for that property in between those two frames. The term tween comes from the words “in between”. [7]

Type of Animations

Type of Tweened Animation:1. Motion tween[9]: you create the motion tween and then define

properties such as position, size, and rotation for an instance or text block at one point in time, and then you change those properties at another point in time. 

Flash automatically creates the gradual change between the first and second point in time.

You can also apply a motion tween that follows a motion path (Using Motion Guid Layer).

It works on symbols and texts blocks

Type of Animations

Type of Tweened Animation:2. Shape tween[10] : involves drawing a vector shape on one

specific keyframe in the Timeline and then creating another keyframe and drawing another shape on the second keyframe

Flash interpolates the intermediate shapes for the frames in between, creating an animation of the first shape morphing into the second shape.

Type of Animations

Shape tween vs. Motion tween:Beside the difference in the way which of them works Motion Tween Shape Tween

Works on Symbols and text blocks

Works on vector shapes

Groupsinstances,

bitmap images

Text block

Modify Break Apart

Modify Break Apart (Twice)

VectorShape or image F8

Example 1

Modify Break Apart

References

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macromedia_Flash [2]http://www.lanoie.com/classes/Flash/Toolbox/lectures/lectureD.html [3]http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=605038&seqNum=28 [4] http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=131047 [5]

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Flash/10.0_UsingFlash/WSd60f23110762d6b883b18f10cb1fe1af6-7f84a.html

[6] http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/creating-and-using-guide-layers-in-flash-cs3.html

[7]http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Flash/10.0_UsingFlash/WSd60f23110762d6b883b18f10cb1fe1af6-7d8aa.html

[8]http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/learning_guide/animation/part04.html

[9]http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/learning_guide/animation/part05.html

[10] http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/concept_shape_tween.html

[11] http://www.adobepress.com/articles/article.asp?p=30346&seqNum=4