Macromedia Flash 8 For Dummies

by Finkelstein, Ellen; Leete, Gurdy

• ISBN13: 9780764596919
• ISBN10: 0764596918
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-11-14
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Make the Web interactive with your own animations Liven up your Web site with graphics that move, buttons that light up, and more Flash is fun - and this book makes it easy whether you're using a Mac(r) or Windows(r). Fill letters with images, create buttons that glow or change color when you pass your mouse over them, play video and sound files, morph objects into different ones, and do dozens of other things to make your site flashier. Discover how to * Create animated text * Find sample Flash files * Explore links to additional information * Add sound and video * Build great user interfaces * Publish your Flash files

Author Biography

Ellen Finkelstein has written numerous bestselling computer books on AutoCAD, PowerPoint, and Flash. She also writes articles on these programs for Web sites, e-zines, and magazines. The five editions of her AutoCad Bible have sold more than 80,000 copies in the United States and abroad. As an Adjunct Instructor of Management, she teaches eBusiness and Human Resource Management courses. Her latest book is Syndicating Web Sites with RSS Feeds For Dummies. She writes at home so that she can take the bread out of the oven on time.

Gurdy Leete has been working as a computer animator, computer animation software engineer, and teacher of computer animation since 1981. He has been teaching Flash and other computer animation programs for 14 years at Maharishi University of Management, where he is an Assistant Professor of Digital Media. You can see his art on the Web at www.infinityeverywhere.net.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(1)
About This Book	1	(1)
How to Use This Book	2	(1)
Foolish Assumptions	2	(1)
Conventions Used in This Book	2	(1)
How This Book Is Organized	3	(2)
Part I: A Blast of Flash	3	(1)
Part II: 1,000 Pictures and 1,000 Words	3	(1)
Part III: Getting Symbolic	4	(1)
Part IV: Total Flash-o-Rama	4	(1)
Part V: The Movie and the Web	4	(1)
Part VI: The Part of Tens	5	(1)
Part VII: Appendixes	5	(1)
Icons Used in This Book	5	(1)
Where to Go from Here	6	(1)
Part I: A Blast of Flash	7	(38)
Getting Acquainted with Flash 8	9	(22)
Discovering Flash	10	(1)
Understanding What You Can Create with Flash 8	11	(1)
Determining When Not to Use Flash 8	12	(1)
Getting the Right Start	12	(2)
Starting Flash on a PC	13	(1)
Starting Flash on a Mac	13	(1)
Creating a new movie	13	(1)
Opening an existing movie	13	(1)
Taking a Look Around	14	(6)
Tooling around the toolbars	15	(1)
Using panels	15	(1)
Discovering the Flash menus	16	(2)
Staging your movies	18	(1)
Following a timeline	19	(1)
Getting Help in a Flash	20	(1)
Multiple Help manuals	20	(1)
Finding more help on the Web	21	(1)
Try It; You'll Like It	21	(10)
Conceiving your first animation	21	(1)
Creating flashy drawings	22	(3)
Making graphics move	25	(2)
Publishing your first animation for posterity	27	(1)
Exiting Flash	28	(3)
Your Basic Flash	31	(14)
Looking at the Big Picture	31	(2)
Setting the Stage	33	(2)
Choosing the Stage color	33	(1)
Specifying the frame rate	34	(1)
Setting the Stage size and adding metadata	34	(1)
Grabbing a Graphic	35	(6)
Understanding vectors and bitmaps	36	(1)
Finding graphics	37	(1)
Going to the Library	37	(4)
Using a Template	41	(1)
Printing Your Movie	42	(3)
Part II: 1,000 Pictures and 1,000 Words	45	(98)
Getting Graphic	47	(32)
Sharpening Your Pencil	47	(5)
Setting the Pencil modifier	48	(1)
Setting the stroke type	49	(3)
Setting the color	52	(1)
Creating Shapely Shapes	52	(2)
Line up	52	(1)
Be square	53	(1)
Be an egg	54	(1)
Mixing and Matching Shapes	54	(3)
Cutting up shapes	55	(1)
Placing objects on top of each other	55	(1)
Keeping objects safe and secure	56	(1)
Creating Curves with the Pen	57	(2)
Drawing straight lines	57	(1)
Drawing curves	58	(1)
Getting Artistic with the Brush	59	(4)
Brush Mode modifier	60	(1)
Brush Size drop-down list	60	(1)
Brush Shape drop-down list	60	(2)
Pressure and Tilt modifiers	62	(1)
Brush smoothing	63	(1)
Pouring on the Paint	63	(1)
Strokes, Ink	64	(1)
A Rainbow of Colors	65	(6)
Solid citizens	65	(2)
Gradient colors	67	(2)
Bitmap fills	69	(2)
Locking a fill	71	(1)
Drawing Precisely	71	(4)
The ruler rules	71	(1)
Using guides	72	(1)
Working with the grid	73	(1)
Snapping turtle	73	(1)
Pixel, pixel on the wall	74	(1)
The Import Business --- Using Outside Graphics	75	(4)
Importing graphics	75	(1)
Using imported graphics	76	(3)
You Are the Object Editor	79	(36)
Selecting Objects	79	(3)
Selecting with the Selection tool	80	(1)
Lassoing your objects	81	(1)
Selecting everything in one fell swoop	82	(1)
Moving, Copying, and Deleting	82	(5)
Movin' on down the road	83	(3)
Aligning objects with the Align panel	86	(1)
Copying objects	86	(1)
Makin' objects go away	87	(1)
Making Shapes More Shapely	87	(9)
Reshaping shapes and outlines	88	(1)
Using the Subselect tool	88	(1)
Freely transforming and distorting shapes	89	(3)
Straightening lines and curving curves	92	(1)
Modifying line endings	92	(1)
Optimizing curves	93	(1)
Expanding and contracting filled shapes	93	(1)
Softening edges	94	(1)
Converting lines to fills	95	(1)
Transforming Fills	96	(3)
Transferring Properties	99	(1)
Finding and Replacing Objects	99	(1)
Transforming Objects	100	(5)
Scaling, scaling ...	101	(1)
'Round and 'round and 'round we rotate	102	(1)
Getting skewy	103	(1)
Flippety, floppety	104	(1)
Combining Objects	105	(1)
Getting Grouped	105	(1)
Changing the Transformation Point	106	(2)
Breaking Apart Objects	108	(1)
Establishing Order on the Stage	108	(2)
Undoing, Redoing, and Reusing	110	(5)
Undoing actions	110	(1)
Redoing actions	110	(1)
Using object-level undo and redo	110	(1)
Reusing actions with the History panel	111	(4)
What's Your Type?	115	(16)
Presenting Your Text	115	(13)
Creating text	116	(1)
Editing text	117	(4)
Setting character attributes	121	(3)
Hyperlinking text	124	(1)
Getting the best text appearance	124	(1)
Setting up paragraph formats	125	(2)
Creating input and dynamic text	127	(1)
Creating Cool Text Effects	128	(3)
Layering It On	131	(12)
Creating Layers	132	(2)
Using layers	132	(1)
Changing layer states	133	(1)
Getting Those Layers Right	134	(5)
Deleting layers	135	(1)
Copying layers	135	(1)
Renaming layers	136	(1)
Reordering layers	136	(1)
Organizing layers	137	(1)
Modifying layer properties	138	(1)
Creating Guide Layers	139	(1)
Opening Windows with Mask Layers	140	(3)
Creating a mask layer	141	(1)
Editing mask layers	141	(1)
Animating mask layers	142	(1)
Part III: Getting Symbolic	143	(36)
Heavy Symbolism	145	(18)
Understanding Symbol Types	145	(3)
Using graphic symbols	146	(1)
Using movie clip symbols	147	(1)
Using button symbols	147	(1)
Using font symbols	147	(1)
Creating Symbols	148	(3)
Creating symbols from existing objects	148	(1)
Creating empty symbols	149	(1)
Converting an animation to a movie clip symbol	149	(1)
Creating a symbol by duplicating a symbol	150	(1)
Modifying Symbols	151	(2)
Changing the properties of a symbol	151	(1)
Editing symbols	151	(2)
Using Symbols from Other Movies	153	(3)
Using the Flash Library	155	(1)
Using the Flash For Dummies Library	155	(1)
Working with Instances, for Instance	156	(7)
Inserting instances	156	(1)
Editing instances	157	(6)
Pushing Buttons	163	(16)
Creating Simple Buttons	163	(3)
Understanding button states	164	(1)
Making a basic button	165	(1)
Putting Buttons to the Test	166	(1)
Creating Complex Buttons	167	(12)
Adding a sound to a button	167	(2)
Adding a movie clip to a button	169	(2)
Adding an action to a button	171	(5)
Creating a button that acts on text input	176	(3)
Part IV: Total Flash-o-Rama	179	(74)
Getting Animated	181	(32)
Who Framed the Animation?	181	(1)
Preparing to Animate	182	(3)
Master of the Timeline	183	(2)
Turtle or hare?	185	(1)
Creating Animations Instantly with Timeline Effects	185	(2)
Animating with Keyframes	187	(3)
Frame after frame after frame	188	(2)
Stillness in the night	190	(1)
The Animation Tween	190	(13)
From here to there --- motion tweening	191	(7)
Tweening shapes	198	(5)
Editing Animation	203	(6)
Adding labels and comments	203	(1)
Selecting frames	204	(1)
Copying and pasting frames	204	(1)
Moving frames	205	(1)
Adding frames	205	(1)
Deleting frames	205	(1)
Turning keyframes back into regular frames	206	(1)
Reversing your animation	206	(1)
Changing speed	206	(1)
Changing the animation settings	207	(1)
Using onion skins	207	(2)
Moving everything around the Stage at once	209	(1)
Making the Scene	209	(4)
Breaking your movie into scenes	210	(1)
Manipulating that scene	210	(3)
Getting Interactive	213	(22)
Understanding Actions	213	(1)
Using Behaviors	214	(3)
Adding Actions to Frames	217	(2)
Adding a basic action to a frame	218	(1)
Stopping the movie before it starts	218	(1)
Adding Actions to Buttons	219	(3)
Adding an Action to a Movie Clip	222	(2)
Using Actions	224	(5)
Timeline Control actions	224	(3)
Browser/Network actions	227	(2)
Making Objects Work for You	229	(2)
Method acting	229	(1)
Creating animated masks with movie clips	230	(1)
Exploring Advanced ActionScript	231	(4)
Programming constructs	231	(1)
Start-and-stop drag	232	(1)
Making comments	233	(1)
ActionScript 2.0	233	(1)
External scripting	234	(1)
Discovering more about ActionScript	234	(1)
Extravagant Audio, High-Velocity Video	235	(18)
Acquiring Amazing Audio	235	(3)
Importing sounds	236	(1)
Placing sounds into a movie	236	(2)
Editing Sounds	238	(2)
Deleting parts of a sound	240	(1)
Changing the volume	240	(1)
Managing Sound	240	(2)
Video Magic	242	(11)
Four cool ways to use video in Flash	243	(1)
Preparing to embed video in Flash	244	(1)
Embedding and editing a video	245	(4)
Streaming a video	249	(4)
Part V: The Movie and the Web	253	(66)
Putting It All Together	255	(30)
Using Named Anchors	255	(2)
Adding the Power of Components	257	(12)
Using radio buttons in a Flash movie	258	(3)
Using check boxes in a Flash movie	261	(1)
Using combo boxes in a Flash movie	262	(3)
Using list boxes in a Flash movie	265	(1)
Using scroll panes in a Flash movie	266	(2)
Using windows in a Flash movie	268	(1)
Creating a Preloader	269	(1)
Adding Web Search Information to Your Flash Movie	270	(1)
Creating an Entire Web Site with Flash	270	(5)
Creating navigation with getURL	272	(1)
Using the Timeline to store Web content	272	(3)
Testing for the Flash Player	275	(2)
Letting the user decide	276	(1)
Detecting the Flash Player version	276	(1)
Creating alternative sites	277	(1)
Using the Movie Explorer	277	(2)
Making Your Site More Accessible	279	(2)
Sharing Libraries on the Run	281	(4)
Creating a shared library	281	(2)
Using a shared library	283	(2)
Publishing Your Flash Files	285	(34)
Optimizing Your Movies for Fast Download	286	(2)
Simplifying artwork	286	(1)
Optimizing text	287	(1)
Using shared libraries	287	(1)
Compressing sound	287	(1)
Animating efficiently	288	(1)
Testing Movies	288	(3)
Using the Test Movie command	288	(2)
Testing a movie in a Web browser	290	(1)
Saving Your Work in Flash MX 2004 Format	291	(1)
Publishing Flash Movies	292	(1)
Publishing to SWF	293	(3)
Publishing to HTML	296	(9)
Understanding the HTML code for a movie	297	(2)
Specifying Flash Player detection and other HTML settings	299	(6)
Publishing to Other Formats	305	(3)
Creating PNG graphic files	305	(2)
Creating self-playing movies	307	(1)
Using Publish Profiles	308	(3)
Creating a publish profile	308	(1)
Duplicating a publish profile	309	(1)
Modifying a publish profile	309	(1)
Deleting a publish profile	309	(1)
Exporting and importing publish profiles	310	(1)
Using Publish Preview	311	(1)
Posting Your Movie to Your Web Site	311	(1)
Exporting Movies and Images	312	(2)
Creating Printable Movies	314	(5)
Preparing your movie for printing	315	(1)
Specifying printable frames	315	(1)
Specifying the print area	316	(1)
Printing movies from the Flash Player	317	(2)
Part VI: The Part of Tens	319	(26)
Ten Frequently Asked Questions	321	(14)
How Do I Combine Two Flash Movies into One?	321	(1)
Why Is Motion Tweening not Working?	322	(1)
How Can I Sync Sound with Motion?	323	(1)
What Is the Best Way to Import Bitmaps?	323	(2)
How Do I Rescale My Movie's Size?	325	(1)
What Are the Best Movie-Creating Tips?	326	(1)
Can Flash Do 3-D?	327	(4)
How Do I Center a Flash Movie in a Web Page?	331	(1)
What Are the Size Limits for a Flash Movie?	332	(1)
How Do I Dynamically Load Music from the Web?	333	(2)
The Ten Best Flash Resources	335	(6)
Play Around with the Samples	335	(1)
Visit Our Site	335	(1)
Take a Course	336	(1)
Look on the Flash Web Page	336	(1)
Join a Flash Discussion Group	336	(1)
Check Out the Flash Resource Sites	337	(2)
Check Out Sites That Use Flash	339	(1)
Attend a Flash Conference	339	(1)
Collect Flash Movies	339	(1)
Reuse Your Best Stuff	340	(1)
Ten Flash Designers to Watch	341	(4)
Ola Berger	341	(1)
Hillman Curtis	341	(1)
Joshua Davis	342	(1)
Anthony Eden	342	(1)
Ben Hantoot	342	(1)
Shane Mielke	342	(1)
Keith Peters	343	(1)
Ellen Pronk	343	(1)
Micael Reynaud	343	(1)
Craig Swann	343	(2)
Part VII: Appendixes	345	(2)
Appendix A: Installing Flash and Setting Your Preferences	347	(12)
Installing Flash	347	(3)
Installing Flash onto a PC from a CD	348	(1)
Installing Flash by downloading it to your PC	348	(1)
Installing Flash onto a Mac from a CD	349	(1)
Installing Flash by downloading it to your Mac	350	(1)
Setting Your Preferences	350	(5)
General category	351	(2)
ActionScript category	353	(1)
Auto Format category	354	(1)
Clipboard category	354	(1)
Drawing category	355	(1)
Text category	355	(1)
Warnings category	355	(1)
Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts	355	(4)
Appendix B: The Property Inspector and the Panels	359	(12)
The Tools Panel	359	(1)
The Property Inspector Gadget	360	(2)
Property inspector with no selection	360	(1)
Property inspector with a shape selected	361	(1)
Property inspector with keyframe selected	361	(1)
Property inspector with a symbol instance selected	361	(1)
The Align Panel	362	(1)
The Color Mixer Panel	362	(1)
The Color Swatches Panel	363	(1)
The Info Panel	363	(1)
The Scene Panel	364	(1)
The Transform Panel	364	(1)
The Actions Panel	365	(1)
The Debugger Panel	366	(1)
The Movie Explorer Panel	366	(1)
The Output Tab of the Property Inspector	367	(1)
The Accessibility Panel	368	(1)
The Components Panel	368	(1)
The Component Inspector	369	(1)
The History Panel	369	(1)
The Strings Panel	370	(1)
The Behaviors Panel	370	(1)
Appendix C: What's on the Companion Web Site	371	(2)
Your Own Personal Library of Vector Graphics	371	(1)
Flash Movies Galore	372	(1)
Bonus Chapter	372	(1)
Index	373