Macromedia Flash MX 2004 For Dummies

by Finkelstein, Ellen; Leete, Gurdy

• ISBN13: 9780764543586
• ISBN10: 076454358X
• Edition: CD
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-24
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Macromedia Flash MX 2004 For Dummies guides beginning animators through the basics of creating their first Flash animations. Authors Ellen Finkelstein and Gurdy Leete, both experienced Flash professionals and trainers, help users create basic figures, add text and layers, incorporate user actions, edit and add sound, and publish the final results. Macromedia Flash MX 2004 For Dummies comes with a CD that includes all the examples used in the book, sample animations from other Flash users, and a trial version of the product itself.

Author Biography

Ellen Finkelstein is an author who specializes in graphics topics including Flash™ and AutoCAD®.

Gurdy Leete is a digital media professor and computer animation professional.

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	4	(1)
Part VII: Appendixes	5	(1)
About the CD-ROM	5	(1)
Icons Used in This Book	5	(1)
Where to Go from Here	6	(1)
Part I: A Blast of Flash	7	(36)
Getting Acquainted with Flash MX 2004	9	(20)
Discovering Flash	10	(1)
Understanding What You Can Create with Flash MX 2004	11	(1)
Determining When Not to Use Flash MX 2004	12	(1)
Getting the Right Start	12	(2)
Starting Flash on a PC	12	(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	(5)
Tooling around the toolbars	15	(1)
Using panels	15	(1)
Discovering the Flash menus	16	(2)
Staging your movies	18	(1)
Following a timeline	18	(1)
Getting Help in a Flash	19	(2)
Multiple Help manuals	20	(1)
Finding more help on the Web	20	(1)
Try It, You'll Like It	21	(8)
Conceiving your first animation	21	(1)
Creating flashy drawings	21	(3)
Making graphics move	24	(2)
Publishing your first animation for posterity	26	(1)
Exiting Flash	27	(2)
Your Basic Flash	29	(14)
Looking at the Big Picture	29	(2)
Setting the Stage	31	(2)
Grabbing a Graphic	33	(5)
Understanding vectors and bitmaps	33	(1)
Finding graphics	34	(1)
Going to the Library	34	(4)
Using a Template	38	(2)
Printing Your Movie	40	(3)
Part II: 1,000 Pictures and 1,000 Words	43	(94)
Getting Graphic	45	(30)
Sharpen Your Pencil	46	(3)
Setting the Pencil modifier	46	(2)
Setting the stroke type	48	(1)
Setting the color	49	(1)
Creating Shapely Shapes	49	(2)
Line up	49	(1)
Be square	49	(1)
Be an egg	50	(1)
Mixing and Matching Shapes	51	(2)
Cutting up shapes	51	(1)
Placing objects on top of each other	51	(2)
Creating Curves with the Pen	53	(1)
Drawing straight lines	53	(1)
Drawing curves	54	(1)
Getting Artistic with the Brush	54	(5)
Brush Mode	55	(1)
Brush Size	56	(1)
Brush Shape	57	(1)
Pressure and tilt modifiers	57	(1)
Smoothing your brush strokes	58	(1)
Pouring on the Paint	59	(1)
Strokes, Ink	60	(1)
A Rainbow of Colors	60	(6)
Solid citizens	60	(3)
Gradient colors	63	(1)
Bitmap fills	64	(2)
Locking a fill	66	(1)
Drawing Precisely	66	(4)
The ruler rules	67	(1)
Using guides	68	(1)
Working with the grid	68	(1)
Snapping turtle	69	(1)
Pixel, pixel on the wall	69	(1)
The Import Business --- Using Outside Graphics	70	(5)
Importing graphics	70	(2)
Using imported graphics	72	(3)
You Are the Object Editor	75	(34)
Selecting Objects	75	(3)
Selecting with the Selection tool	75	(2)
Lassoing your objects	77	(1)
Selecting everything in one fell swoop	78	(1)
Moving, Copying, and Deleting	78	(5)
Movin' on down the road	78	(4)
Aligning objects with the Align panel	82	(1)
Copying objects	83	(1)
Makin' it go away	83	(1)
Making Shapes More Shapely	83	(9)
Reshaping shapes and outlines	84	(1)
Using the Subselect tool	84	(1)
Freely transforming and distorting shapes	85	(3)
Straightening lines and curving curves	88	(1)
Optimizing curves	88	(1)
Expanding and contracting filled shapes	89	(1)
Softening edges	90	(1)
Converting lines to fills	91	(1)
Transforming Fills	92	(2)
Transferring Properties	94	(1)
Finding and Replacing Objects	95	(1)
Transforming Objects	96	(4)
Scaling, scaling	96	(2)
'Round and 'round and 'round we rotate	98	(1)
Getting skewy	98	(2)
Flippety, floppety	100	(1)
Getting Grouped	100	(3)
Changing the transformation point	101	(2)
Breaking Apart Objects	103	(1)
Establishing Order on the Stage	103	(1)
Reusing Your History	104	(5)
Using the History panel	105	(4)
What's Your Type?	109	(14)
Presenting Your Text	109	(12)
Creating text	110	(1)
Editing text	111	(3)
Setting character attributes	114	(3)
Hyperlinking text	117	(1)
Getting the best text appearance	118	(1)
Setting up paragraph formats	119	(1)
Creating input and dynamic text	120	(1)
Creating Cool Text Effects	121	(2)
Layer It On	123	(14)
Creating Layers	124	(3)
Using layers	124	(1)
Changing layer states	125	(2)
Getting Those Layers Right	127	(5)
Deleting layers	127	(1)
Copying layers	127	(1)
Renaming layers	128	(1)
Reordering layers	128	(1)
Organizing layers	129	(1)
Modifying layer properties	130	(2)
Creating Guide Layers	132	(1)
Opening Windows with Mask Layers	133	(4)
Creating a mask layer	134	(1)
Editing mask layers	134	(1)
Animating mask layers	135	(2)
Part III: Getting Symbolic	137	(32)
Heavy Symbolism	139	(16)
Understanding Symbol Types	139	(2)
Using graphic symbols	140	(1)
Using movie clip symbols	140	(1)
Using button symbols	141	(1)
Using font symbols	141	(1)
Creating Symbols	141	(7)
Changing the properties of a symbol	144	(1)
Editing symbols	145	(1)
Using symbols from other movies	146	(2)
Using the Flash Library	148	(1)
Using the Flash For Dummies Library	148	(1)
Working with Instances	148	(7)
Inserting instances	149	(1)
Editing instances	150	(5)
Pushing Buttons	155	(14)
Creating Simple Buttons	155	(3)
Understanding button states	156	(1)
Making a basic button	157	(1)
Putting Buttons to the Test	158	(1)
Creating Complex Buttons	159	(10)
Adding a sound to a button	159	(2)
Adding a movie clip to a button	161	(2)
Adding an action to a button	163	(2)
Creating a button that acts on text input	165	(4)
Part IV: Total Flash-o-Rama	169	(72)
Getting Animated	171	(30)
Who Framed the Animation?	171	(1)
Preparing to Animate	172	(3)
Master of the Timeline	173	(1)
Turtle or hare?	174	(1)
Animating with Keyframes	175	(1)
Creating Animations Instantly with Timeline Effects	176	(3)
Frame after frame after frame	177	(2)
Stillness in the night	179	(1)
The Animation Tween	179	(12)
From here to there --- motion tweening	180	(7)
Tweening shapes	187	(4)
Editing Animation	191	(6)
Adding labels and comments	192	(1)
Selecting frames	192	(1)
Copying and pasting	193	(1)
Moving frames	193	(1)
Adding frames	194	(1)
Deleting frames	194	(1)
Turning keyframes back into regular frames	194	(1)
Reversing your animation	194	(1)
Faster or slower?	194	(1)
Changing the animation settings	195	(1)
Onion skinning	195	(2)
Moving everything around the Stage at once	197	(1)
Making the Scene	197	(4)
Breaking your movie into scenes	198	(1)
Manipulating that scene	198	(3)
Getting Interactive	201	(22)
Understanding Actions	201	(1)
Using Behaviors	202	(3)
Adding Actions to Frames	205	(3)
Adding Actions to Buttons	208	(2)
Adding an Action to a Movie Clip	210	(3)
Using Actions	213	(3)
Timeline Control actions	213	(1)
Browser/Network actions	214	(2)
Making Objects Work For You	216	(4)
Method acting	217	(1)
Creating animated masks with movie clips	217	(1)
Dynamically loading music from the Web	218	(2)
Exploring Advanced ActionScript	220	(3)
Programming constructs	220	(1)
Start-and-stop drag	220	(1)
Making comments	220	(1)
ActionScript 2.0	221	(1)
External scripting	221	(1)
Learning more	222	(1)
Extravagant Audio, High-Velocity Video	223	(18)
Play It Louder!	224	(3)
Importing sounds	224	(1)
Placing sounds into a movie	225	(2)
Editing Sounds	227	(2)
Deleting parts of a sound	228	(1)
Changing the volume	228	(1)
Managing Sound	229	(2)
Video Magic	231	(10)
Embedding video into Flash	231	(6)
Editing video in Flash	237	(2)
Linking to video in Flash	239	(2)
Part V: The Movie and the Web	241	(72)
Putting It All Together	243	(32)
Building Slide Presentations --- Fast!	243	(4)
Creating a Preloader	247	(2)
Sharing Libraries on the Run	249	(2)
Creating a shared library	249	(1)
Using a shared library	250	(1)
Using Named Anchors	251	(1)
Adding the Power of Components	252	(10)
Using radio buttons in a Flash movie	253	(2)
Using check boxes in a Flash movie	255	(2)
Using combo boxes in a Flash movie	257	(2)
Using list boxes in a Flash movie	259	(1)
Using scroll panes in a Flash movie	260	(1)
Using windows in a Flash movie	261	(1)
Creating an Entire Web Site with Flash	262	(5)
Creating navigation with getURL	264	(1)
Using the Timeline to store Web content	264	(3)
Testing for the Flash Player	267	(3)
Letting the user decide	267	(1)
Detecting the Flash Player version	268	(1)
Creating alternative sites	269	(1)
Using the Movie Explorer	270	(2)
Making Your Site More Accessible	272	(3)
Publishing Your Flash Files	275	(38)
Optimizing Your Movies for Speed	276	(2)
Simplifying artwork	276	(1)
Optimizing text	277	(1)
Using shared libraries	277	(1)
Compressing sound	277	(1)
Animating efficiently	278	(1)
Testing Movies	278	(3)
Using the Test Movie command	279	(1)
Testing a movie in a Web browser	280	(1)
Saving Your Work in Flash MX Format	281	(1)
Publishing Flash Movies	282	(1)
Publishing to SWF	283	(3)
Publishing to HTML	286	(7)
Understanding the HTML code for a movie	286	(2)
Specifying Flash Player detection and other HTML settings	288	(5)
Publishing to Other Formats	293	(9)
Creating GIF graphic files	293	(3)
Creating JPEG graphic files	296	(2)
Creating PNG graphic files	298	(1)
Creating QuickTime movies	299	(3)
Creating self-playing movies	302	(1)
Using Publish Profiles	302	(2)
Using Publish Preview	304	(1)
Posting Your Movie to Your Web Site	305	(1)
Exporting Movies and Images	305	(2)
Creating Printable Movies	307	(6)
Preparing your movie for printing	308	(1)
Specifying printable frames	309	(1)
Specifying the print area	309	(1)
Printing movies from the Flash Player	310	(3)
Part VI: The Part of Tens	313	(26)
Frequently Asked Questions	315	(12)
How do I make drag-and-drop objects?	315	(2)
Why is motion tweening not working?	317	(1)
How can I sync sound with motion?	318	(1)
What is the best way to import bitmaps?	319	(2)
How do I rescale my movie's size?	321	(1)
What are the best movie creating tips?	322	(1)
Can Flash do 3-D?	323	(4)
The Top Ten Web Design Tips	327	(4)
Set Your Goal	327	(1)
Make Thumbnail Sketches First	327	(1)
Connect the Parts to the Whole	328	(1)
Keep It Simple	328	(1)
Use Fewer Than Four Fonts	328	(1)
Be Consistent	328	(1)
Make It Lean and Fast	329	(1)
Know Who's Watching and How	329	(1)
Ensure Your Viewer Has the Flash Player	330	(1)
Test and Then Test Again	330	(1)
The Ten Best Flash Resources	331	(6)
Do the Tutorials	331	(1)
Take a Course	331	(1)
Look on the Flash Web Page	332	(1)
Join a Flash Discussion Group	332	(1)
Check Out the Flash Resource Sites	333	(2)
Check Out Sites That Use Flash	335	(1)
Attend a Flash Conference	335	(1)
Look at Our Sites	336	(1)
Collect Flash Movies	336	(1)
Reuse Your Best Stuff	336	(1)
Ten Great Web Sites That Use Flash	337	(2)
Part VII: Appendixes	339	(2)
Appendix A: Installing Flash and Setting Your Preferences	341	(10)
Installing Flash	341	(3)
Installing Flash onto a PC from a CD	341	(1)
Installing Flash by downloading it to your PC	342	(1)
Installing Flash onto a Mac from a CD	343	(1)
Installing Flash by downloading it to your Mac	343	(1)
Setting Your Preferences	344	(4)
General tab	345	(1)
Editing tab	346	(1)
Clipboard tab	346	(1)
Warnings tab	347	(1)
ActionScript Editor	347	(1)
Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts	348	(3)
Appendix B: The Property Inspector and the Panels	351	(14)
The Tools Panel	351	(1)
The Property Inspector	352	(2)
Property inspector with no selection	353	(1)
Property inspector with a shape selected	353	(1)
Property inspector with keyframe selected	353	(1)
Property inspector with a symbol instance selected	354	(1)
The Align Panel	354	(1)
The Color Mixer Panel	355	(1)
The Color Swatches Panel	356	(1)
The Info Panel	356	(1)
The Scene Panel	356	(1)
The Transform Panel	357	(1)
The Actions Panel	358	(1)
The Debugger Panel	358	(1)
The Movie Explorer Panel	358	(2)
The Output Panel	360	(1)
The Accessibility Panel	360	(1)
The Components Panel	360	(2)
The Component Inspector	362	(1)
The History Panel	362	(1)
The Strings Panel	362	(3)
Appendix C: What Those Obscure Terms Really Mean	365	(6)
Appendix D: What's on the CD-ROM	371	(8)
System Requirements	374	(1)
Using the CD	374	(1)
Software on the CD-ROM	375	(1)
Dreamweaver	375	(1)
Fireworks	375	(1)
Photoshop	376	(1)
Flash Player	376	(1)
Swift 3D	376	(1)
Adobe Acrobat Reader	376	(1)
Your Own Personal Library of Graphics, Sound, and Music	376	(1)
Flash Movies Galore	377	(1)
E-book Version of Macromedia Flash MX 2004 For Dummies	378	(1)
Troubleshooting Your CD Problems	378	(1)
Index	379	(10)
End-User License Agreement	389