2
3 The select tool
See Fig. 1
The select tool is used to select the objects on the stage that you wish to manipulate.
4 The timeline
See Fig. 1
The timeline divides your animation into frames. Left-click on the frame in the timeline on which you want to work.
5 Layers
See Fig. 1 Every moving object in your animation should be in a separate layer. Non-moving background
objects should also be in a dedicated layer.
a. To
name a layer
, do the following: •
On the left-hand side of the Timeline, double-click on the layer number you want to name. •
Type a label. •
Hit “Enter” “Return” on MAC. b. To
add a new layer
, do the following: •
Left-click on the left-hand “+” icon sheet with curled edge below the layer column, or Right- click on a layer to get a menu and click “insert layer.”
c. To
delete a layer
, do the following: •
Drag layer to be deleted into the trash can, or Right-click on the layer to be deleted and click “delete layer.”
d. To
move a layer
, in order to place a layer above or below another, do the following: •
Drag the layer to the desired position.
6 View Size
This window lets you increase or decrease the viewing size of your animation. This enables you to see the entire animation choose “Fit in window” or to blow up a small portion of the stage in order to align
objects up more clearly or make more detailed drawings.
B. Drawing or Importing Objects
1. Drawing Objects
If you are familiar with drawing or illustration programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw, the Flash drawing tools are used in a limited but similar fashion. I prefer to make my drawings
using Adobe Illustrator, a much more versatile program, and import those drawings into the Flash library see below. In this workshop we won’t have time to cover how to make original drawings
using the Flash drawing tools but rather will use images I have previously drawn.
2. Importing Objects Into the Library or Onto the Stage
To import a clip art drawing or an original drawing made in another illustration program, do the following:
3 •
Click “File”, “Import”, and “Import to Library.” This directly converts the drawing to a symbol within the library for that animation. Converting your objects to symbols greatly
reduces the amount of memory needed to store the animation. •
To view the objects in your library, use the keyboard command “Control+L” “Command+L” on MAC or click Window” and “Library.”
• To rename the object in the library, double click on the old name, type in a new name,
and hit “Enter” “Return” on MAC.
To import a drawing from your library to the stage, do the following:
• Click on the timeline frame of the layer in which you want to import the drawing.
• Drag the drawing from the library onto the stage.
C. Converting Objects to Symbols
In order to reduce the amount of memory required to store the animation, all drawings and text should be converted to symbols that are subsequently stored in the library for that animation. To convert a drawing
or a text object to a symbol, do the following:
1. Using the selection tool, select the drawing or text object you want to convert to a symbol. 2. Convert the object to a symbol by using the keyboard command “F8.” Rename the object and
click “OK” on the menu. The object is now converted to a symbol and stored in the library. 3. To view the objects in your library, use the keyboard command “Control+L” “Command+L” on
MAC or click Window” and “Library.”
If you import an object into the library as mentioned above in B2, it will automatically be converted to a symbol.
D. Converting a Frame into a Keyframe
Keyframes are frames in a layer of a timeline where an action either begins or ends. For example, you need one keyframe to begin the motion of an object and another keyframe to end that motion.
To make a frame of a layer in a timeline a keyframe, do one the following: 1. Use
the keyboard command “F6”, or
2. Right-click on the desired frame and select “Insert Keyframe”, or 3. Select “Insert”, “Timeline”, and “Keyframe.”
E. Clearing a Keyframe
To convert a keyframe, back to a regular frame, do one of the following: 1. Use
the keyboard command “Shift+F6”, or
2. Right-click on the desired frame and select “Clear Keyframe”, or 3. Select “Modify”, “Timeline”, and “Clear Keyframe.”
F. Adding Frames
To add frames to a timeline layer, do one of the following: 1. Use
the keyboard command “F5”, or
2. Right-click on the desired frame and select “Insert Frame”, or
