Macromedia Flash 5 Bible
Flash 5 Bible
™
Robert Reinhardt and Jon Warren Lentz
Hungry Minds, Inc.
New York, NY ✦ Cleveland, OH ✦ Indianapolis, IN
Chicago, IL ✦ Foster City, CA ✦ San Francisco, CA
Flash™ 5 Bible
Published by
Hungry Minds, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Reinhardt, Robert, 1973–
Flash 5 Bible / Robert Reinhardt and Jon Warren
Lentz.
p. cm.
Includes Index.
ISBN 0-7645-3515-3 (alk. paper)
1. Computer simulation. 2. Flash (computer file)
3. Interactive multimedia. I. Lentz, Jon Warren.
II. Title.
TR897.7 .R46 2001
006.6'96--dc21
00-143896
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About the Authors
Robert Reinhardt — Robert’s curiosity and autodidactic energy have carried him
from psychology (University of Toronto) to photography (Ryerson University) to
new media authoring, teaching, and writing. After discovering the Internet while
studying in the Image Arts department at Ryerson in Toronto, Robert began the
journey of discovery that eventually enabled him to fuse his interest in technology
and communication with his background in the visual arts.
Robert has developed and taught workshops addressing all aspects of content creation and has become increasingly involved with the development of systems for
interactive interfaces and data management. Although his head often leads him into
the land of scripting and programming, he remains dedicated to the world of images.
The main reward of digital literacy has been the ability to move freely between mediums and tools to share ideas through art and design. Before leaving Toronto, Robert
worked as a collage and video artist to create set and screen art for the Warner Bros.
feature film, Gossip.
During their first year in Los Angeles, Robert and his partner, Snow Dowd, formed a
multimedia consulting and design company called the Makers (www.theMakers.com).
They created a broadband Web site for Gossip with Warner Bros. Online, as well as
graphics for a tie-in video with the band Tonic. Recently, the Makers has also created
screen graphics for The Pledge, a film directed by Sean Penn, and worked with Outlaw
Productions on previsualization graphics for the forthcoming Warner Bros. film
Training Day (to star Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke). In addition to work for
entertainment companies, the Makers has done work for independent artists and
nonprofit organizations.
While establishing the Makers, Robert also worked as senior art director and program
developer with Rampt.com to create a unique Flash interface and search engine,
launched in November 1999. After being recognized as a Macromedia Site of the Day
and nominated in the FlashForward film festival in New York, Rampt received the
Bandies 2000 award for Best Interface Application, as well as an award of excellence
from the New Media Invision Awards 2000.
In addition to design and content creation through the Makers, Robert continues
an involvement with teaching, consulting, and writing. He currently develops and
teaches Flash workshops with Lynda.com and the Moviola Digital Education Center
in California, as well as doing onsite training and seminars for clients in the United
States and Canada. Robert was a speaker at the San Francisco and New York
FlashForward 2000 conferences, as well as the October 2000 DV Web Expo in
Long Beach, California.
Jon Warren Lentz — In addition to the Flash 5 Bible, Jon Warren Lentz is involved
in a number of Flash-related projects, most notably, Flash-Guru.com. Jon founded
Flash-Guru.com because he observed the need for sustained, learner-centered
training on a variety of intermediate to advanced Flash topics. The courses at FlashGuru.com are designed to help you to implement advanced Flash techniques in
your workflow and include in-depth information and new developments as they
happen.
Jon’s favorite movie, Fellini’s Satyricon, was released the year that he graduated
from high school. A decade later, Jon graduated from the Classical Studies program
at UCSC, where he first received notice as a poet and translator. He then metamorphosed into a sculptor and began working with sand-carved glass — a process that
he helped to define as a fine art medium. Following a disabling accident, he reinvented himself as an artist working with cameras and computers. Jon’s images have
been featured in the Graphis Poster Annual, Mac Art & Design Magazine (Sweden),
IdN — The International Designer’s Network Magazine (Hong Kong), and Shutterbug
Magazine. His stock photography is represented by two agencies, AGE and
SuperBild. Jon’s abstract fine art and a selection of his glass sculpture may be
viewed online at www.uncom.com.
Jon is an occasional professor at Palomar College. Although he has taught and
lectured on digital art, design, and technology at many venues, he prefers to stay
home, work on his own projects, and go to the beach. He resides with his family
near San Diego, California.
Technical Editors
High school did not represent Jeffrey Bardzell’s glory years, and it concluded inauspiciously with the release of Dances With Wolves, “memorable,” he writes, “because
it was so popular and I absolutely hated it.” A decade later and a Ph.D. Candidate in
Comparative Literature (Indiana University), Jeffrey sought a way to pull together
his then-conflicting desires to teach, to express himself creatively with vectors, and
to sustain himself with electronic publishing. An interesting job listing prompted him
to check Flash out. The job didn’t materialize, but Jeffrey became taken with Flash’s
potential for online learning. For him, tools such as Flash and the Internet pose as
fundamental a revolution in human communication and teaching as another period
he knows something about: the advent of literacy in twelfth century Europe. He has
created online learning environments for Indiana University and Ignatius University,
while working as a Flash and Fireworks author for Flash-Guru.com and eHandsOn.
He is also coauthoring Fireworks 4 Expert Edge with Lisa Lopuck. In addition to his
computer-related publications, he has published on education finance reform, early
reading intervention, and epic poetry. Not only did Jeffrey work as a technical editor
for the Flash 5 Bible, but he also drafted the Quick Start section and formatted the
initial Generator chapters.
From his first introduction to the ever-changing world of computing in his sophomore
year of high school, Shane Elliott has found a familiarity in expressing his designs
and code ideas using a computer. While his years at North Carolina State University
revealed a certain duality between his fascination with computer programming and
his growing interest in acting and writing, he found a way to express himself both creatively and logically through animation and design on computers. He was introduced
to Flash around the time Flash 4 was released, and learning the program wasn’t ever a
problem. As Shane puts it, “I had the author of the Flash Bible (Robert Reinhardt) sitting next to me at work every day. How can you not learn Flash in that situation?”
Coming from an extensive background in the internet realm, including starting his
own company, Webshock, he quickly found a great value in Flash as a creative tool
and internet utility. “Robert suggested I begin teaching, and at first I was scared to
death, but the idea of sharing my knowledge with others was so fascinating, I couldn’t
pass it up.” And so he began teaching Flash part-time while continually pursuing his
acting and writing endeavors, which are still very much a part of his life. “I found that
creating designs in animation and movies on the internet isn’t such a far cry, on a creative level, from acting or any other type of creative expression. Currently Shane is
finishing up his first screenplay as well as working to continue his experimentation
with Flash technology involving other applications and languages such as Java, XML,
and the list goes on.
Credits
Acquisitions Editor
Michael Roney
Project Editor
Julie M. Smith
Technical Editors
Jeffrey Bardzell
Shane Elliot
Ellen Finkelstein
Copy Editors
Richard H. Adin
Laura Stone
Proof Editors
Cindy Lai
Patsy Owens
Project Coordinators
Louigene A. Santos
Danette Nurse
Permissions Editor
Carmen Krickorian
Media Development Specialist
Angela Denny
Media Development Coordinator
Marisa Pearman
Graphics and Production Specialists
Robert Bihlmayer
Rolly Delrosario
Jude Levinson
Michael Lewis
Victor Pérez-Varela
Ramses Ramirez
Quality Control Technician
Dina F Quan
Book Designer
Drew R. Moore
Illustrators
Gabriele McCann
Ronald Terry
John Greenough
Karl Brandt
Brian Drumm
Proofreading and Indexing
York Production Services
Cover Image
Lawrance Huck
To Snow, Stella, and Al. I won’t forget the year 2000.
RJR
I dedicate my efforts on this book to the memory of my mother-in-law, Phyllis Rogers.
I would also like to thank my family — near and far — for their unconditional love,
support, and encouragement, especially my wife, Roanne; my son, Rob; and my
mother and father. In addition, I am also thankful for my newfound friends, Jeffrey
Bardzell and Nik Schramm, for their wisdom, expertise, and encouragement.
JWL
Foreword
T
he Web has certainly changed the way that people work, live, and communicate. One cannot help but draw parallels between the digital revolution and
other innovations that changed and shaped generations of people — the telephone,
radio, and television. Though each of these technologies were rather crude when
they started, they eventually became much more dynamic, powerful and attractive
to use. The telephone changed from a two-piece handset box to a tiny wireless communication device that acts as mobile office. Television has evolved into high-definition systems that are akin to a movie theater experience in a living room. The
Web started out and for many people is still a slow-loading, static, uncompelling
experience. Macromedia Flash has revolutionized the way in which designers, animators, and developers alike can express their creativity, enabling over two hundred million viewers worldwide to catch a glimpse into what the Web can be.
With each evolution of Macromedia Flash, we have seen a larger audience of users
take advantage of the many innovative features it has to offer. First there were illustrators and animators creating amazing vector work, and then there were Web
designers creating interactive navigation systems, motion graphics, and full Web
pages. Developers started creating cutting-edge Web applications and database
front-ends. Others create rich-media advertisements, viral marketing content,
screensavers, and product simulations. Still others are using Macromedia Flash to
create original cartoon series for television and short films. It is no wonder the
Macromedia Flash community has grown to include over half a million users, with
dozens of dedicated resource Web sites and thousands of attendees at regional conferences, all sharing a common thread — the Macromedia Flash authoring tool. Our
users have never ceased to amaze and encourage me with the innovative works they
are developing with each release of Flash, continuing to push the envelope of what
can be done. The incredible user base and the content they create is the inspiration
that drives our team at Macromedia to improve and iterate the Flash platform.
It has been my privilege to know and work with the coauthors of this book — Jon
Warren Lentz and Robert Reinhardt — two of the most respected experts in the
Flash community. To bring greater breadth and depth to this book, they assembled
a team of over forty guest tutorialists; a group that includes some of the finest
artists, developers, and authors working with Flash. The Flash 5 Bible is an essential all-purpose reference guide for Macromedia Flash, providing insights and tips
for mastering the creation of all types of Flash content. It is one book any serious
Web designer, developer, or animator should own.
Jeremy Clark
Flash Product Manager
Macromedia
Preface
I
n 1997, Macromedia acquired a small Web graphics program, FutureSplash, from
a company named FutureWave. FutureSplash was a quirky little program with
the astounding ability to generate compact, vector-based graphics and animations
for delivery over the Web. With Macromedia’s embrace, Flash blossomed. Now
Flash has obtained ubiquity. The Flash Player plug-in ships with most major
browsers and operating systems. Now Flash graphics appear all over the Web,
and the number of Flash users continues to increase at an astounding pace.
Flash 5 has greatly expanded the interactive and programmatic features of Flash
movies. Flash movies can now communicate directly with server-side scripts and
programs, using standard URL-encoded variables or XML-formatted structures.
Sounds can be imported and exported as MP3 audio, for high-quality music on the
Web at the smallest file sizes. The Flash interface now looks and feels like other
Macromedia products, with tool options contained in user-configurable panels.
Third-party developers are creating applications that output to the Flash movie
format, .SWF files. Flash is poised to be the central application for generating hot,
low-bandwidth, interactive content for delivery over the Web.
Is there any other Flash book for you?
The Flash 5 Bible is the most comprehensive and exhaustive reference on Flash. It
helps you get started on your first day with the program and will still be a valuable
resource when you’ve attained mastery of the program. When you are looking for
clues on how to integrate Flash with other programs so that you can deliver unique
and compelling content in the Flash format, you’ll know where to turn.
✦ Exhaustive coverage of Flash. We spent a great deal of time covering every
aspect of Flash functionality. The first part of the book is entirely dedicated
to the Flash interface, and Parts II and III explain how to integrate animations
and sound into your Flash movies.
✦ Flash is not just one tool. You can think of Flash as a multitasking application:
It’s an illustration program, an image and sound editor, an animation machine,
and a scripting engine, all rolled into one. In this book, we dissect Flash into
each of these components and explain how each works with the other parts.
✦ This is a real-world book. We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure that our
lessons, examples, and explanations are based in reality (not that the Web
isn’t real!). We have continued the use of expert tutorials to bring you tips
and techniques from some of the top names in the Flash industry, so that
you can benefit their years of expertise.
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Preface
✦ The CD-ROM. The CD-ROM that accompanies this book includes many of the
source .FLA files and original artwork for the examples and lessons in the
book. It also includes trial versions of Flash 5 and other Macromedia products,
as well as many of the applications discussed in this edition.
✦ The book’s Web site. In order to create a forum for the delivery of updates,
notes, and sample files, we have also established a Web site:
www.flash5bible.com
Jon Warren Lentz has his own Flash Bible Web site: www.theflash5bible.com
At the Web site, you’ll find a detailed evaluation form for the Flash 5 Bible. We
invite you to contribute your comments and suggestions for this edition, so
that we can continue to improve our material.
How to get the most out of this book
Here are two things to know so you can get the most out of this book.
First, regarding menu and keyboard commands, here’s the convention for indicating
that you’re going to need to select a command from a menu: The menu and command
are separated by an arrow symbol. For example, if we tell you to open the Info Panel
from the Flash Menu Bar, the instructions will say to choose Window ➪ Panels ➪ Info.
Second, jump in anywhere. Although this book was written to take a beginner by
the hand, starting from page one, you can also use it as a reference. Use the index
and the table of contents to find what you’re looking for, and just go there. If you
already know Flash and want to get some details on sound, for example, just go
to the sound sections.
Icons: What do they mean?
Although the icons are pretty standard and self-explanatory (they have their names
written on them!), here’s a brief explanation of what they are and what they mean.
Tip
Tips offer you extra information that further explains a given topic or technique,
often suggesting alternatives or workarounds to a listed procedure.
Note
Notes provide supplementary information to the text, shedding light on background
processes or miscellaneous options that aren’t crucial to the basic understanding of
the material.
Caution
When you see the Caution icon, make sure you’re following along closely to the
tips and techniques being discussed. Some external applications may not work
exactly the same with Flash on different operating systems.
CrossReference
If you want to find related information to a given topic in another chapter, look
for the cross-reference icons.
Preface
New
Feature
The New Feature icons point out any differences between Flash 5 and previous
versions of Flash.
On the
CD-ROM
This icon indicates that the CD-ROM contains a related file in the given folder.
How this book is organized
Based on feedback from our readers, we have greatly expanded the content in this
edition of the Flash Bible, so much in fact that the book has doubled in page count.
This book has been written in a format that gives you access to need-to-know information very easily in every section (or Part) of the book. If you are completely new
to Flash, then you’ll want to read Parts I through V. After you have developed a
familiarity with the Flash interface, then you can proceed to Parts VI, VII, and VIII.
However, if you’ve already used Flash 4, then you may want to review the changes
to the Flash 5 interface in Part I, and then jump right into Parts V through VIII to
learn more about ActionScript, working with Generator, creating artwork and content in other applications, and integrating Flash with HTML. Part VII is especially
useful if you have a favorite application such as Dreamweaver or Director in which
you want to use Flash movies.
Part I — Mastering the Flash Environment
The first part of this book explores the Flash file format and the interface of Flash 5,
explaining the context in which Flash movies interact on the Web (Chapter 1), and
working with the new panels and tools (Chapters 2-7). Specifically, you can read
about the new Pen Tool in Chapter 4, and you learn how to use the new Mixer
Panel in Chapter 6.
Part II — Creating Flash Graphics
After you’ve learned how to work your way through the Flash interface, you can
read about the timeline structures (Chapter 8) and the Flash Library (Chapter 9),
where you learn about the symbol types in Flash 5. You can learn how to draw
with Flash (Chapter 10), animate with Motion and Shape Tweens (Chapter 11), and
incorporate external media files such as JPEGs and GIFs into your Flash artwork
(Chapter 12). You see how to structure content on the Main Timeline and create
a simple scrolling text interface (Chapter 13).
Part III — Sound Planning
Because Parts I and II focus mainly on the visual presentation of a Flash movie, you
need to start thinking about the effect of sound within a Flash movie. In Chapter 14,
you learn the basics of digital sound and see which file formats can be imported
into Flash. Chapter 15 shows you how to control the playback of sounds within a
Flash movie, and you learn how to create interactive buttons with rollover sounds.
Chapter 16 explains how to adjust and optimize audio compression in an exported
Flash movie.
xv
xvi
Preface
Part IV — Adding Basic Interactivity to Flash Movies
Not everyone wants to use Flash to create animating buttons for HTML documents
on the Web. In Part IV, you learn how to start using Flash actions to create interactive and responsive presentations. You learn the difference between Normal and
Expert Modes of the Actions Panel (Chapter 17). Flash 5 has greatly increased the
capacity of a Flash movie to communicate with its own internal elements, such as
nested Movie Clips (Chapter 18). Properties and methods of the Movie Clip Object
are introduced (Chapter 19), and you master the art of preloading and sharing Flash
.SWF files (Chapter 20).
Part V — Programming Flash Movies with ActionScript
Flash 5 brings with it a whole new interactive language and syntax called ActionScript.
While Flash 4 implemented new interactive functions and controls, Flash 5 enables
interactive designers to write code much more easily and fluidly. You learn about
solving interactive problems (Chapter 21), making functions and arrays (Chapter 22),
detecting Movie Clip collisions and using Smart Clips (Chapter 23), creating Flash
forms and loading XML (Chapter 24), and using HTML text fields and properties
(Chapter 25). Part V ends with an entire chapter dedicated to advanced Flash movie
examples (Chapter 26).
Part VI — Using Flash with Generator and Other Server Technologies
As the Web and Flash mature together, developers increasingly need more dynamic
content and data-driven systems for faster updates and maintenance of Web sites,
especially for large sites with hundreds (if not thousands) of pages and assets.
Macromedia Generator can create and load dynamic graphics and data into Flash
movie templates. Chapters 27–29 show you how to get up and running with
Generator 2 and other server-side technologies.
Part VII — Using Flash with Other Programs
Every multimedia designer uses Flash with some other graphics, sound, and
authoring application to create a unique workflow that solves the problems of daily
interactive project development. Part V shows you how to create content in popular applications such as Macromedia Fireworks, Freehand, and Director, as well as
Adobe Photoshop and Discreet 3D Studio Max — just to name a few. We’re sure that
you’ll find our coverage of RealPlayer, QuickTime 4, and QuickTime Flash movies
particularly interesting.
Part VIII — Distributing Flash Movies
Finally, you need to learn how to export (or publish) your Flash presentations to
the .SWF file format for use on a Web page, or within another presentation such
as a floppy disk or CD-ROM project. Chapter 25 details every option in the Publish
Settings of Flash 5, as well providing tips for optimizing your Flash movies in order to
achieve smaller file sizes for faster download performance. If you prefer to hand-code
Preface
your HTML, then read Chapter 26, which describes how to use the and
tags, how to load Flash movies into framesets, and how to create plug-in
detection systems for your Flash movies. If you want to find out how to create a Flash
standalone projector, or use the Flash standalone player, then check out Chapter 27.
Appendixes
You’ll find directions for using the Flash 5 Bible CD-ROM and a listing of our contributors’ contact information in the appendixes.
Getting in touch with us
Unlike many authors, we aren’t going to make any promises about answering every
e-mail that comes to us. We already have more mail than we can possibly begin
to answer. However, if you have a really, really good tip or idea that you want to
share with us, we’d like to hear from you. You can also send us comments about
the book to:
robert@theMakers.com
jon@theFlashBible.com
Also check Appendix B for more information on contacting this book’s various
contributors and technical editors.
You can help make Flash better!
The latest version of Flash is more powerful, has more robust capabilities, and is
easier to use than any previous version of Flash. It’s also the best program that’s
capable of creating highly-compact, vector-based content for transmission over the
Web (although FreeHand can also export to the .SWF file format). We’re convinced
that Flash 5 is a great program. (That’s why we wrote this book!) But we also know
that Macromedia is probably already planning the next version. So, if you have an
idea or feature request for the next version, let the folks at Macromedia know. Send
an e-mail to:
wish-flash@macromedia.com
The simple fact is this: If more users request a specific feature or improvement, it’s
more likely that Macromedia will implement it.
xvii
Acknowledgments
R
obert Reinhardt: This book would not have been possible without the help
and talent of many people. I am grateful for the added breadth and depth the
tutorials bring to this second edition. First and foremost, I would like to thank the
Flash development community. In my six years of multimedia research and production, I haven’t seen another community that has been so open, friendly, and willing
to share advanced tips and techniques. It was a wonderful experience to meet many
of you at the FlashForward 2000 conferences in San Francisco and New York.
Along the lines of communal experiences, I would like to thank my award-winning
Flash team from Rampt.com. All of them have contributed to this book in one way
or another. With Scott Brown, Daniel Cluff, Sandro Corsaro, and Shane Elliott,
I learned more about real Flash production in one short year than any books,
tech notes, or tutorials could ever describe.
I would like to thank everyone at Hungry Minds (formerly IDG Books Worldwide)
who saw this book through a tough production schedule. As anyone in a creative
team can attest, a great manager can make or break a project — or, in this case,
a book. Julie Smith, our development editor, was always there (on ICQ and at the
phone, weekdays and weekends) to answer questions and steer us in the right
direction. A great deal of gratitude must also go to Mike Roney, our acquisitions
editor. Even when I was pushing deadlines, Mike trusted that I would do whatever
it took to see this book, doubled in size from its previous edition, to print.
I find it hard to believe that some authors can go without a literary agent. If it
weren’t for David Fugate, our agent at Waterside Productions, this book wouldn’t
have been written — at least, not before the next release of Flash. David, I couldn’t
have gotten through this without your invaluable guidance and encouragement.
Of course, a book about Flash would not be very useful if it wasn’t technically accurate. Many thanks to the developers, engineers, and support staff at Macromedia,
especially Gary Grossman and Jeremy Clark, who answered my questions during
the development of Flash 5. Also, I am indebted to Jeffrey Bardzell and Shane Elliott
for their watchful eyes and keen observations of the material.
Finally, even though this book was considered a “revision” of the first edition, the
extensive new features of Flash 5 made the writing process no less grueling. There
were many weeks that I missed dog walks to the top of Runyon Canyon and weekend
outings to see a movie or swim in the ocean. I couldn’t have finished this project
without the love, support, and understanding of my partner, Snow Dowd.
xx
Acknowledgments
Jon Warren Lentz: Over a year ago, when Robert and I were in the early phases
of development for the original Flash 4 Bible, I came up with the idea of solicitung
Expert Tutorials from eminent Flash artists in order to augment and deepen our
coverage of the program. At that time, I had no idea how popular and effective that
concept would be – but, judging by the emails from readers and comments to me in
person, the idea was clearly a huge success. Accordingly, this book is graced with
nearly 50 tutorials which are the contributions of nearly 40 guest tutorialists. In
soliciting these contributions, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with and editing the wisdom of some of the finest minds in the Flash world. (The contact information for these contributors is listed in Appendix C.) These contributions have
added immeasurable breadth and depth to our book. On behalf of my readers, my
co-author, and myself, I want to thank all of you tutorialists for your generosity and
genius: you gals and guys ROCK!
I also owe an incredible debt to all of my friends and associates; both on the
Flash beta, and also the denizens of the many Flash lists and communities — your
unthreatened willingness to share your knowledge and ideas, confident that you
have an endless supply better ideas, is what makes our Flash community so
vibrant and personally rewarding.
I would like to thank my co-author, Robert Reinhardt for his unflagging support
and solidarity throughout all phases of this intensely demanding project. I would
also like to thank our agent, David Fugate of the Waterside Agency, for his insight
and counsel. I am also grateful to my students and readers: Your questions and
ideas have helped me to revise and improve this book on each and every page.
For all the people at Macromedia — especially Jeremy Clark, Flash product
manager — I heap high praise and infinite thank yous.
Finally, I would like to thank all of the people at IDG/Hungry Minds, Inc., for the
extraordinary efforts which they brought to this project. Thanks to Walt Bruce,
our publisher, for allocating so much special attention to this book. Thanks to Andy
Cummings for his careful management. Thanks to Michael Roney, our Acquisitions
Editor, for keeping us on track and for resolving so many natty details that threatened to impinge on our progress. Thanks to Julie Smith, our Developmental Editor,
for your clear and consistent handling of our submissions. Thanks to all of the
other amazing people at IDG/Hungry Minds, Inc., for carrying this project from
manuscript to the book that you now hold in your hands.
Bravo.
Contents at a Glance
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Quick Start: Flash in a Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Part I: Mastering the Flash Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Chapter 1: Understanding the Flash Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Chapter 2: Exploring the Interface: Panels, Settings, and More . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Chapter 3: Using Tools for Navigation and Viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Chapter 4: Working with Selections and the Pen Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 5: Working with the Drawing and Painting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Chapter 6: Applying Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Chapter 7: Working with Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Part II: Creating Flash Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Chapter 8: Exploring the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 9: Checking Out the Library: Symbols and Instances
Chapter 10: Drawing in Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 11: Animating in Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 12: Using Bitmaps and Other Media with Flash . . .
Chapter 13: Designing Interfaces and Interface Elements . .
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203
229
263
299
325
355
Part III: Sound Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Chapter 14: Understanding Sound for Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Chapter 15: Importing and Editing Sounds in Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Chapter 16: Optimizing Flash Sound for Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Part IV: Adding Basic Interactivity to Flash Movies . . . . . . . . . . 433
Chapter 17: Understanding Actions and Event Handlers
Chapter 18: Navigating Flash Timelines . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 19: Controlling Movie Clips . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 20: Sharing and Loading Assets . . . . . . . . .
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435
455
493
557
xxii
Contents at a Glance
Part V: Programming Flash Movies with ActionScript . . . . . . . . . 587
Chapter 21: Planning Code Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 22: Creating Subroutines and Manipulating Data . . . . . .
Chapter 23: Understanding Movie Clips as Complex Objects . . . .
Chapter 24: Sending Data In and Out of Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 25: Understanding HTML and Text Field Functions in Flash
Chapter 26: Advanced Movie Clip Architecture and Beyond . . . .
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589
623
659
691
719
729
Part VI: Using Flash with Generator and Other Server Technologies 751
Chapter 27: What Is Generator? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753
Chapter 28: Revving Up Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 769
Chapter 29: Working with Third-party, Server-side Applications . . . . . . . . . 801
Part VII: Using Flash with Other Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 817
Chapter 30: Working with Raster Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819
Chapter 31: Working with Vector Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
Chapter 32: Working with Audio Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897
Chapter 33: Working with 3D Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 929
Chapter 34: Working with QuickTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 965
Chapter 35: Working with RealPlayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 997
Chapter 36: Creating Full-Motion Video with Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1013
Chapter 37: Creating Cartoon Animation with Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1035
Chapter 38: Planning Flash Production with Flowcharting Software . . . . . . 1069
Chapter 39: Working with Authoring Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1103
Part VIII: Distributing Flash Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1147
Chapter 40: Publishing Flash Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1149
Chapter 41: Integrating Flash Content with HTML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1181
Chapter 42: Using Players, Projectors, and Screensaver Utilities . . . . . . . . 1211
Appendix A: Using the CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1239
Appendix B: Contact Information for Contributors and Expert Tutorialists . . 1241
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1245
End-User License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1300
CD-ROM Installation Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1303
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Quick Start: Flash in a Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Starting Flash projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The width of a circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Your first animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Movie Clip Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Frame labels and comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Working with text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The Button symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The sound and the fury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figuring items over time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
An ActionScript primer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Adding actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Testing movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Tips for Effective Flash Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
A process approach to Flash authoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Know Flash 5’s capabilities and limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Part I: Mastering the Flash Environment
37
Chapter 1: Understanding the Flash Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Introducing the Flash 5 Framework . . . . . . . . . .
Bitmap handler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vector program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vector animator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Authoring program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation sequencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Programming interface and database front end
Viewing Flash movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Finding Applications for Flash 5 Movies . . . . . . . .
Planning interactive Flash projects . . . . . . .
Looking at Flash movie file types . . . . . . . .
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39
40
40
41
41
41
42
43
43
45
45
xxiv
Contents
Chapter 2: Exploring the Interface: Panels, Settings, and More . . . 49
Learning Flash Tool Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using tooltips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Color and Flash tools . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Getting to Know the Fundamental Flash Interface
Cross-platform consistency . . . . . . . . .
Contextual menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Insert Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Modify Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Text Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Control Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Window Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Offline learning resources . . . . . . . . . .
Online learning resources . . . . . . . . . .
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49
50
52
52
52
53
56
57
58
61
62
63
72
75
77
80
82
83
90
91
91
Chapter 3: Using Tools for Navigation and Viewing . . . . . . . . . . . 93
The Magnifier Tool . . . . . . . . . .
Zoom In/Zoom Out . . . . . .
The Hand Tool . . . . . . . . . . . .
Zoom Control and View Commands
The Zoom Control . . . . . . .
The Magnification commands
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93
94
95
95
96
96
Chapter 4: Working with Selections and the Pen Tool . . . . . . . . 101
The Lasso Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Polygon option with the Lasso Tool . . .
Using the Magic Wand option with the Lasso Tool .
Using Magic Wand properties . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Arrow Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Arrow Tool to select items . . . . . . . .
Using the Magnet option of the Arrow Tool . . . . .
Understanding shape recognition . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Smooth option with the Arrow Tool . . .
Using the Straighten option with the Arrow Tool .
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101
102
103
103
104
105
106
107
108
108
Contents
Using the Rotate option with the Arrow Tool . . . . . . .
Using the Scale option with the Arrow Tool . . . . . . .
Using the Scale and Rotate dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using arrow states to reshape and reposition drawings
Introducing the Pen Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Pen Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Subselect (Arrow) Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stroke and color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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109
110
110
111
113
114
118
119
Chapter 5: Working with the Drawing and Painting Tools . . . . . . 123
Choosing Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Stroke and Fill Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stroke Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stroke Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stroke Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Applying and changing fills with the Fill Panel .
Adjusting Stroke and Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Pencil Mode pop-up options . . . . .
Understanding line processing . . . . . . . . . .
The Line Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Oval Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Rectangle Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the (Paint) Brush Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Brush Mode option . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Brush Size option . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Brush Shape option . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Brush Lock Fill option . . . . . . . . .
Using the Brush Pressure option . . . . . . . . .
The difference between the Brush Tool and the
Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Dropper Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Ink Bottle Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Paint Bucket Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Paint Bucket Gap Size option . . . . .
Using the Paint Bucket Lock Fill option . . . . .
Using the Paint Bucket Transform Fill option
(a.k.a. the Reshape Arrow cursor) . . . . . .
The Eraser Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Eraser Shape option . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Eraser’s Faucet option . . . . . . . . .
Using the Erase Mode option . . . . . . . . . . .
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123
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147
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xxv
xxvi
Contents
Chapter 6: Applying Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Introducing Color Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Discussing Web-Safe Color issues . . . . . . .
Using hexadecimal values . . . . . . . . . . . .
Applying ColorSafe and other solutions . . . .
Using color effectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Flash Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Toolbox Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Applying color from the Stroke and Fill Panels
Working with the Swatches Panel . . . . . . .
Working with the Mixer Panel . . . . . . . . .
Creating gradient colors . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Chapter 7: Working with Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Understanding Font Display Problems . . . . . . . . . . . .
Problems with fonts on the Mac . . . . . . . . . . . .
Problems with fonts on the PC . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cross-platform issues and codevelopment problems
The Text Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Flash text boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Character Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Paragraph Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Text Options Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reshaping and Manipulating Text Characters . . . . . . . .
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P
™
Robert Reinhardt and Jon Warren Lentz
Hungry Minds, Inc.
New York, NY ✦ Cleveland, OH ✦ Indianapolis, IN
Chicago, IL ✦ Foster City, CA ✦ San Francisco, CA
Flash™ 5 Bible
Published by
Hungry Minds, Inc.
909 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
www.hungryminds.com
Copyright © 2001 Hungry Minds, Inc. All rights
reserved. No part of this book, including interior
design, cover design, and icons, may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the
prior written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 0-7645-3515-5
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1B/QX/QS/QR/FC
Distributed in the United States by Hungry Minds, Inc.
Distributed by CDG Books Canada Inc. for Canada; by
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For general information on Hungry Minds’ products
and services please contact our Customer Care
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the U.S. at 317-572-3993 or fax 317-572-4002.
For sales inquiries and reseller information, including
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For press review copies, author interviews, or other
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For authorization to photocopy items for corporate,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Reinhardt, Robert, 1973–
Flash 5 Bible / Robert Reinhardt and Jon Warren
Lentz.
p. cm.
Includes Index.
ISBN 0-7645-3515-3 (alk. paper)
1. Computer simulation. 2. Flash (computer file)
3. Interactive multimedia. I. Lentz, Jon Warren.
II. Title.
TR897.7 .R46 2001
006.6'96--dc21
00-143896
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR HAVE USED THEIR
BEST EFFORTS IN PREPARING THIS BOOK. THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS
OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS
BOOK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES WHICH EXTEND BEYOND THE
DESCRIPTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS PARAGRAPH. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY
SALES REPRESENTATIVES OR WRITTEN SALES MATERIALS. THE ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS OF
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN AND THE OPINIONS STATED HEREIN ARE NOT GUARANTEED
OR WARRANTED TO PRODUCE ANY PARTICULAR RESULTS, AND THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES
CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR
AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR OTHER DAMAGES.
Trademarks: Hungry Minds and It’s all possible! are trademarks or registered trademarks of Hungry Minds,
Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Hungry Minds, Inc., is not associated
with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
is a trademark of
Hungry Minds, Inc.
About the Authors
Robert Reinhardt — Robert’s curiosity and autodidactic energy have carried him
from psychology (University of Toronto) to photography (Ryerson University) to
new media authoring, teaching, and writing. After discovering the Internet while
studying in the Image Arts department at Ryerson in Toronto, Robert began the
journey of discovery that eventually enabled him to fuse his interest in technology
and communication with his background in the visual arts.
Robert has developed and taught workshops addressing all aspects of content creation and has become increasingly involved with the development of systems for
interactive interfaces and data management. Although his head often leads him into
the land of scripting and programming, he remains dedicated to the world of images.
The main reward of digital literacy has been the ability to move freely between mediums and tools to share ideas through art and design. Before leaving Toronto, Robert
worked as a collage and video artist to create set and screen art for the Warner Bros.
feature film, Gossip.
During their first year in Los Angeles, Robert and his partner, Snow Dowd, formed a
multimedia consulting and design company called the Makers (www.theMakers.com).
They created a broadband Web site for Gossip with Warner Bros. Online, as well as
graphics for a tie-in video with the band Tonic. Recently, the Makers has also created
screen graphics for The Pledge, a film directed by Sean Penn, and worked with Outlaw
Productions on previsualization graphics for the forthcoming Warner Bros. film
Training Day (to star Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke). In addition to work for
entertainment companies, the Makers has done work for independent artists and
nonprofit organizations.
While establishing the Makers, Robert also worked as senior art director and program
developer with Rampt.com to create a unique Flash interface and search engine,
launched in November 1999. After being recognized as a Macromedia Site of the Day
and nominated in the FlashForward film festival in New York, Rampt received the
Bandies 2000 award for Best Interface Application, as well as an award of excellence
from the New Media Invision Awards 2000.
In addition to design and content creation through the Makers, Robert continues
an involvement with teaching, consulting, and writing. He currently develops and
teaches Flash workshops with Lynda.com and the Moviola Digital Education Center
in California, as well as doing onsite training and seminars for clients in the United
States and Canada. Robert was a speaker at the San Francisco and New York
FlashForward 2000 conferences, as well as the October 2000 DV Web Expo in
Long Beach, California.
Jon Warren Lentz — In addition to the Flash 5 Bible, Jon Warren Lentz is involved
in a number of Flash-related projects, most notably, Flash-Guru.com. Jon founded
Flash-Guru.com because he observed the need for sustained, learner-centered
training on a variety of intermediate to advanced Flash topics. The courses at FlashGuru.com are designed to help you to implement advanced Flash techniques in
your workflow and include in-depth information and new developments as they
happen.
Jon’s favorite movie, Fellini’s Satyricon, was released the year that he graduated
from high school. A decade later, Jon graduated from the Classical Studies program
at UCSC, where he first received notice as a poet and translator. He then metamorphosed into a sculptor and began working with sand-carved glass — a process that
he helped to define as a fine art medium. Following a disabling accident, he reinvented himself as an artist working with cameras and computers. Jon’s images have
been featured in the Graphis Poster Annual, Mac Art & Design Magazine (Sweden),
IdN — The International Designer’s Network Magazine (Hong Kong), and Shutterbug
Magazine. His stock photography is represented by two agencies, AGE and
SuperBild. Jon’s abstract fine art and a selection of his glass sculpture may be
viewed online at www.uncom.com.
Jon is an occasional professor at Palomar College. Although he has taught and
lectured on digital art, design, and technology at many venues, he prefers to stay
home, work on his own projects, and go to the beach. He resides with his family
near San Diego, California.
Technical Editors
High school did not represent Jeffrey Bardzell’s glory years, and it concluded inauspiciously with the release of Dances With Wolves, “memorable,” he writes, “because
it was so popular and I absolutely hated it.” A decade later and a Ph.D. Candidate in
Comparative Literature (Indiana University), Jeffrey sought a way to pull together
his then-conflicting desires to teach, to express himself creatively with vectors, and
to sustain himself with electronic publishing. An interesting job listing prompted him
to check Flash out. The job didn’t materialize, but Jeffrey became taken with Flash’s
potential for online learning. For him, tools such as Flash and the Internet pose as
fundamental a revolution in human communication and teaching as another period
he knows something about: the advent of literacy in twelfth century Europe. He has
created online learning environments for Indiana University and Ignatius University,
while working as a Flash and Fireworks author for Flash-Guru.com and eHandsOn.
He is also coauthoring Fireworks 4 Expert Edge with Lisa Lopuck. In addition to his
computer-related publications, he has published on education finance reform, early
reading intervention, and epic poetry. Not only did Jeffrey work as a technical editor
for the Flash 5 Bible, but he also drafted the Quick Start section and formatted the
initial Generator chapters.
From his first introduction to the ever-changing world of computing in his sophomore
year of high school, Shane Elliott has found a familiarity in expressing his designs
and code ideas using a computer. While his years at North Carolina State University
revealed a certain duality between his fascination with computer programming and
his growing interest in acting and writing, he found a way to express himself both creatively and logically through animation and design on computers. He was introduced
to Flash around the time Flash 4 was released, and learning the program wasn’t ever a
problem. As Shane puts it, “I had the author of the Flash Bible (Robert Reinhardt) sitting next to me at work every day. How can you not learn Flash in that situation?”
Coming from an extensive background in the internet realm, including starting his
own company, Webshock, he quickly found a great value in Flash as a creative tool
and internet utility. “Robert suggested I begin teaching, and at first I was scared to
death, but the idea of sharing my knowledge with others was so fascinating, I couldn’t
pass it up.” And so he began teaching Flash part-time while continually pursuing his
acting and writing endeavors, which are still very much a part of his life. “I found that
creating designs in animation and movies on the internet isn’t such a far cry, on a creative level, from acting or any other type of creative expression. Currently Shane is
finishing up his first screenplay as well as working to continue his experimentation
with Flash technology involving other applications and languages such as Java, XML,
and the list goes on.
Credits
Acquisitions Editor
Michael Roney
Project Editor
Julie M. Smith
Technical Editors
Jeffrey Bardzell
Shane Elliot
Ellen Finkelstein
Copy Editors
Richard H. Adin
Laura Stone
Proof Editors
Cindy Lai
Patsy Owens
Project Coordinators
Louigene A. Santos
Danette Nurse
Permissions Editor
Carmen Krickorian
Media Development Specialist
Angela Denny
Media Development Coordinator
Marisa Pearman
Graphics and Production Specialists
Robert Bihlmayer
Rolly Delrosario
Jude Levinson
Michael Lewis
Victor Pérez-Varela
Ramses Ramirez
Quality Control Technician
Dina F Quan
Book Designer
Drew R. Moore
Illustrators
Gabriele McCann
Ronald Terry
John Greenough
Karl Brandt
Brian Drumm
Proofreading and Indexing
York Production Services
Cover Image
Lawrance Huck
To Snow, Stella, and Al. I won’t forget the year 2000.
RJR
I dedicate my efforts on this book to the memory of my mother-in-law, Phyllis Rogers.
I would also like to thank my family — near and far — for their unconditional love,
support, and encouragement, especially my wife, Roanne; my son, Rob; and my
mother and father. In addition, I am also thankful for my newfound friends, Jeffrey
Bardzell and Nik Schramm, for their wisdom, expertise, and encouragement.
JWL
Foreword
T
he Web has certainly changed the way that people work, live, and communicate. One cannot help but draw parallels between the digital revolution and
other innovations that changed and shaped generations of people — the telephone,
radio, and television. Though each of these technologies were rather crude when
they started, they eventually became much more dynamic, powerful and attractive
to use. The telephone changed from a two-piece handset box to a tiny wireless communication device that acts as mobile office. Television has evolved into high-definition systems that are akin to a movie theater experience in a living room. The
Web started out and for many people is still a slow-loading, static, uncompelling
experience. Macromedia Flash has revolutionized the way in which designers, animators, and developers alike can express their creativity, enabling over two hundred million viewers worldwide to catch a glimpse into what the Web can be.
With each evolution of Macromedia Flash, we have seen a larger audience of users
take advantage of the many innovative features it has to offer. First there were illustrators and animators creating amazing vector work, and then there were Web
designers creating interactive navigation systems, motion graphics, and full Web
pages. Developers started creating cutting-edge Web applications and database
front-ends. Others create rich-media advertisements, viral marketing content,
screensavers, and product simulations. Still others are using Macromedia Flash to
create original cartoon series for television and short films. It is no wonder the
Macromedia Flash community has grown to include over half a million users, with
dozens of dedicated resource Web sites and thousands of attendees at regional conferences, all sharing a common thread — the Macromedia Flash authoring tool. Our
users have never ceased to amaze and encourage me with the innovative works they
are developing with each release of Flash, continuing to push the envelope of what
can be done. The incredible user base and the content they create is the inspiration
that drives our team at Macromedia to improve and iterate the Flash platform.
It has been my privilege to know and work with the coauthors of this book — Jon
Warren Lentz and Robert Reinhardt — two of the most respected experts in the
Flash community. To bring greater breadth and depth to this book, they assembled
a team of over forty guest tutorialists; a group that includes some of the finest
artists, developers, and authors working with Flash. The Flash 5 Bible is an essential all-purpose reference guide for Macromedia Flash, providing insights and tips
for mastering the creation of all types of Flash content. It is one book any serious
Web designer, developer, or animator should own.
Jeremy Clark
Flash Product Manager
Macromedia
Preface
I
n 1997, Macromedia acquired a small Web graphics program, FutureSplash, from
a company named FutureWave. FutureSplash was a quirky little program with
the astounding ability to generate compact, vector-based graphics and animations
for delivery over the Web. With Macromedia’s embrace, Flash blossomed. Now
Flash has obtained ubiquity. The Flash Player plug-in ships with most major
browsers and operating systems. Now Flash graphics appear all over the Web,
and the number of Flash users continues to increase at an astounding pace.
Flash 5 has greatly expanded the interactive and programmatic features of Flash
movies. Flash movies can now communicate directly with server-side scripts and
programs, using standard URL-encoded variables or XML-formatted structures.
Sounds can be imported and exported as MP3 audio, for high-quality music on the
Web at the smallest file sizes. The Flash interface now looks and feels like other
Macromedia products, with tool options contained in user-configurable panels.
Third-party developers are creating applications that output to the Flash movie
format, .SWF files. Flash is poised to be the central application for generating hot,
low-bandwidth, interactive content for delivery over the Web.
Is there any other Flash book for you?
The Flash 5 Bible is the most comprehensive and exhaustive reference on Flash. It
helps you get started on your first day with the program and will still be a valuable
resource when you’ve attained mastery of the program. When you are looking for
clues on how to integrate Flash with other programs so that you can deliver unique
and compelling content in the Flash format, you’ll know where to turn.
✦ Exhaustive coverage of Flash. We spent a great deal of time covering every
aspect of Flash functionality. The first part of the book is entirely dedicated
to the Flash interface, and Parts II and III explain how to integrate animations
and sound into your Flash movies.
✦ Flash is not just one tool. You can think of Flash as a multitasking application:
It’s an illustration program, an image and sound editor, an animation machine,
and a scripting engine, all rolled into one. In this book, we dissect Flash into
each of these components and explain how each works with the other parts.
✦ This is a real-world book. We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure that our
lessons, examples, and explanations are based in reality (not that the Web
isn’t real!). We have continued the use of expert tutorials to bring you tips
and techniques from some of the top names in the Flash industry, so that
you can benefit their years of expertise.
xiv
Preface
✦ The CD-ROM. The CD-ROM that accompanies this book includes many of the
source .FLA files and original artwork for the examples and lessons in the
book. It also includes trial versions of Flash 5 and other Macromedia products,
as well as many of the applications discussed in this edition.
✦ The book’s Web site. In order to create a forum for the delivery of updates,
notes, and sample files, we have also established a Web site:
www.flash5bible.com
Jon Warren Lentz has his own Flash Bible Web site: www.theflash5bible.com
At the Web site, you’ll find a detailed evaluation form for the Flash 5 Bible. We
invite you to contribute your comments and suggestions for this edition, so
that we can continue to improve our material.
How to get the most out of this book
Here are two things to know so you can get the most out of this book.
First, regarding menu and keyboard commands, here’s the convention for indicating
that you’re going to need to select a command from a menu: The menu and command
are separated by an arrow symbol. For example, if we tell you to open the Info Panel
from the Flash Menu Bar, the instructions will say to choose Window ➪ Panels ➪ Info.
Second, jump in anywhere. Although this book was written to take a beginner by
the hand, starting from page one, you can also use it as a reference. Use the index
and the table of contents to find what you’re looking for, and just go there. If you
already know Flash and want to get some details on sound, for example, just go
to the sound sections.
Icons: What do they mean?
Although the icons are pretty standard and self-explanatory (they have their names
written on them!), here’s a brief explanation of what they are and what they mean.
Tip
Tips offer you extra information that further explains a given topic or technique,
often suggesting alternatives or workarounds to a listed procedure.
Note
Notes provide supplementary information to the text, shedding light on background
processes or miscellaneous options that aren’t crucial to the basic understanding of
the material.
Caution
When you see the Caution icon, make sure you’re following along closely to the
tips and techniques being discussed. Some external applications may not work
exactly the same with Flash on different operating systems.
CrossReference
If you want to find related information to a given topic in another chapter, look
for the cross-reference icons.
Preface
New
Feature
The New Feature icons point out any differences between Flash 5 and previous
versions of Flash.
On the
CD-ROM
This icon indicates that the CD-ROM contains a related file in the given folder.
How this book is organized
Based on feedback from our readers, we have greatly expanded the content in this
edition of the Flash Bible, so much in fact that the book has doubled in page count.
This book has been written in a format that gives you access to need-to-know information very easily in every section (or Part) of the book. If you are completely new
to Flash, then you’ll want to read Parts I through V. After you have developed a
familiarity with the Flash interface, then you can proceed to Parts VI, VII, and VIII.
However, if you’ve already used Flash 4, then you may want to review the changes
to the Flash 5 interface in Part I, and then jump right into Parts V through VIII to
learn more about ActionScript, working with Generator, creating artwork and content in other applications, and integrating Flash with HTML. Part VII is especially
useful if you have a favorite application such as Dreamweaver or Director in which
you want to use Flash movies.
Part I — Mastering the Flash Environment
The first part of this book explores the Flash file format and the interface of Flash 5,
explaining the context in which Flash movies interact on the Web (Chapter 1), and
working with the new panels and tools (Chapters 2-7). Specifically, you can read
about the new Pen Tool in Chapter 4, and you learn how to use the new Mixer
Panel in Chapter 6.
Part II — Creating Flash Graphics
After you’ve learned how to work your way through the Flash interface, you can
read about the timeline structures (Chapter 8) and the Flash Library (Chapter 9),
where you learn about the symbol types in Flash 5. You can learn how to draw
with Flash (Chapter 10), animate with Motion and Shape Tweens (Chapter 11), and
incorporate external media files such as JPEGs and GIFs into your Flash artwork
(Chapter 12). You see how to structure content on the Main Timeline and create
a simple scrolling text interface (Chapter 13).
Part III — Sound Planning
Because Parts I and II focus mainly on the visual presentation of a Flash movie, you
need to start thinking about the effect of sound within a Flash movie. In Chapter 14,
you learn the basics of digital sound and see which file formats can be imported
into Flash. Chapter 15 shows you how to control the playback of sounds within a
Flash movie, and you learn how to create interactive buttons with rollover sounds.
Chapter 16 explains how to adjust and optimize audio compression in an exported
Flash movie.
xv
xvi
Preface
Part IV — Adding Basic Interactivity to Flash Movies
Not everyone wants to use Flash to create animating buttons for HTML documents
on the Web. In Part IV, you learn how to start using Flash actions to create interactive and responsive presentations. You learn the difference between Normal and
Expert Modes of the Actions Panel (Chapter 17). Flash 5 has greatly increased the
capacity of a Flash movie to communicate with its own internal elements, such as
nested Movie Clips (Chapter 18). Properties and methods of the Movie Clip Object
are introduced (Chapter 19), and you master the art of preloading and sharing Flash
.SWF files (Chapter 20).
Part V — Programming Flash Movies with ActionScript
Flash 5 brings with it a whole new interactive language and syntax called ActionScript.
While Flash 4 implemented new interactive functions and controls, Flash 5 enables
interactive designers to write code much more easily and fluidly. You learn about
solving interactive problems (Chapter 21), making functions and arrays (Chapter 22),
detecting Movie Clip collisions and using Smart Clips (Chapter 23), creating Flash
forms and loading XML (Chapter 24), and using HTML text fields and properties
(Chapter 25). Part V ends with an entire chapter dedicated to advanced Flash movie
examples (Chapter 26).
Part VI — Using Flash with Generator and Other Server Technologies
As the Web and Flash mature together, developers increasingly need more dynamic
content and data-driven systems for faster updates and maintenance of Web sites,
especially for large sites with hundreds (if not thousands) of pages and assets.
Macromedia Generator can create and load dynamic graphics and data into Flash
movie templates. Chapters 27–29 show you how to get up and running with
Generator 2 and other server-side technologies.
Part VII — Using Flash with Other Programs
Every multimedia designer uses Flash with some other graphics, sound, and
authoring application to create a unique workflow that solves the problems of daily
interactive project development. Part V shows you how to create content in popular applications such as Macromedia Fireworks, Freehand, and Director, as well as
Adobe Photoshop and Discreet 3D Studio Max — just to name a few. We’re sure that
you’ll find our coverage of RealPlayer, QuickTime 4, and QuickTime Flash movies
particularly interesting.
Part VIII — Distributing Flash Movies
Finally, you need to learn how to export (or publish) your Flash presentations to
the .SWF file format for use on a Web page, or within another presentation such
as a floppy disk or CD-ROM project. Chapter 25 details every option in the Publish
Settings of Flash 5, as well providing tips for optimizing your Flash movies in order to
achieve smaller file sizes for faster download performance. If you prefer to hand-code
Preface
your HTML, then read Chapter 26, which describes how to use the and
tags, how to load Flash movies into framesets, and how to create plug-in
detection systems for your Flash movies. If you want to find out how to create a Flash
standalone projector, or use the Flash standalone player, then check out Chapter 27.
Appendixes
You’ll find directions for using the Flash 5 Bible CD-ROM and a listing of our contributors’ contact information in the appendixes.
Getting in touch with us
Unlike many authors, we aren’t going to make any promises about answering every
e-mail that comes to us. We already have more mail than we can possibly begin
to answer. However, if you have a really, really good tip or idea that you want to
share with us, we’d like to hear from you. You can also send us comments about
the book to:
robert@theMakers.com
jon@theFlashBible.com
Also check Appendix B for more information on contacting this book’s various
contributors and technical editors.
You can help make Flash better!
The latest version of Flash is more powerful, has more robust capabilities, and is
easier to use than any previous version of Flash. It’s also the best program that’s
capable of creating highly-compact, vector-based content for transmission over the
Web (although FreeHand can also export to the .SWF file format). We’re convinced
that Flash 5 is a great program. (That’s why we wrote this book!) But we also know
that Macromedia is probably already planning the next version. So, if you have an
idea or feature request for the next version, let the folks at Macromedia know. Send
an e-mail to:
wish-flash@macromedia.com
The simple fact is this: If more users request a specific feature or improvement, it’s
more likely that Macromedia will implement it.
xvii
Acknowledgments
R
obert Reinhardt: This book would not have been possible without the help
and talent of many people. I am grateful for the added breadth and depth the
tutorials bring to this second edition. First and foremost, I would like to thank the
Flash development community. In my six years of multimedia research and production, I haven’t seen another community that has been so open, friendly, and willing
to share advanced tips and techniques. It was a wonderful experience to meet many
of you at the FlashForward 2000 conferences in San Francisco and New York.
Along the lines of communal experiences, I would like to thank my award-winning
Flash team from Rampt.com. All of them have contributed to this book in one way
or another. With Scott Brown, Daniel Cluff, Sandro Corsaro, and Shane Elliott,
I learned more about real Flash production in one short year than any books,
tech notes, or tutorials could ever describe.
I would like to thank everyone at Hungry Minds (formerly IDG Books Worldwide)
who saw this book through a tough production schedule. As anyone in a creative
team can attest, a great manager can make or break a project — or, in this case,
a book. Julie Smith, our development editor, was always there (on ICQ and at the
phone, weekdays and weekends) to answer questions and steer us in the right
direction. A great deal of gratitude must also go to Mike Roney, our acquisitions
editor. Even when I was pushing deadlines, Mike trusted that I would do whatever
it took to see this book, doubled in size from its previous edition, to print.
I find it hard to believe that some authors can go without a literary agent. If it
weren’t for David Fugate, our agent at Waterside Productions, this book wouldn’t
have been written — at least, not before the next release of Flash. David, I couldn’t
have gotten through this without your invaluable guidance and encouragement.
Of course, a book about Flash would not be very useful if it wasn’t technically accurate. Many thanks to the developers, engineers, and support staff at Macromedia,
especially Gary Grossman and Jeremy Clark, who answered my questions during
the development of Flash 5. Also, I am indebted to Jeffrey Bardzell and Shane Elliott
for their watchful eyes and keen observations of the material.
Finally, even though this book was considered a “revision” of the first edition, the
extensive new features of Flash 5 made the writing process no less grueling. There
were many weeks that I missed dog walks to the top of Runyon Canyon and weekend
outings to see a movie or swim in the ocean. I couldn’t have finished this project
without the love, support, and understanding of my partner, Snow Dowd.
xx
Acknowledgments
Jon Warren Lentz: Over a year ago, when Robert and I were in the early phases
of development for the original Flash 4 Bible, I came up with the idea of solicitung
Expert Tutorials from eminent Flash artists in order to augment and deepen our
coverage of the program. At that time, I had no idea how popular and effective that
concept would be – but, judging by the emails from readers and comments to me in
person, the idea was clearly a huge success. Accordingly, this book is graced with
nearly 50 tutorials which are the contributions of nearly 40 guest tutorialists. In
soliciting these contributions, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with and editing the wisdom of some of the finest minds in the Flash world. (The contact information for these contributors is listed in Appendix C.) These contributions have
added immeasurable breadth and depth to our book. On behalf of my readers, my
co-author, and myself, I want to thank all of you tutorialists for your generosity and
genius: you gals and guys ROCK!
I also owe an incredible debt to all of my friends and associates; both on the
Flash beta, and also the denizens of the many Flash lists and communities — your
unthreatened willingness to share your knowledge and ideas, confident that you
have an endless supply better ideas, is what makes our Flash community so
vibrant and personally rewarding.
I would like to thank my co-author, Robert Reinhardt for his unflagging support
and solidarity throughout all phases of this intensely demanding project. I would
also like to thank our agent, David Fugate of the Waterside Agency, for his insight
and counsel. I am also grateful to my students and readers: Your questions and
ideas have helped me to revise and improve this book on each and every page.
For all the people at Macromedia — especially Jeremy Clark, Flash product
manager — I heap high praise and infinite thank yous.
Finally, I would like to thank all of the people at IDG/Hungry Minds, Inc., for the
extraordinary efforts which they brought to this project. Thanks to Walt Bruce,
our publisher, for allocating so much special attention to this book. Thanks to Andy
Cummings for his careful management. Thanks to Michael Roney, our Acquisitions
Editor, for keeping us on track and for resolving so many natty details that threatened to impinge on our progress. Thanks to Julie Smith, our Developmental Editor,
for your clear and consistent handling of our submissions. Thanks to all of the
other amazing people at IDG/Hungry Minds, Inc., for carrying this project from
manuscript to the book that you now hold in your hands.
Bravo.
Contents at a Glance
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Quick Start: Flash in a Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Part I: Mastering the Flash Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Chapter 1: Understanding the Flash Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Chapter 2: Exploring the Interface: Panels, Settings, and More . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Chapter 3: Using Tools for Navigation and Viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Chapter 4: Working with Selections and the Pen Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 5: Working with the Drawing and Painting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Chapter 6: Applying Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Chapter 7: Working with Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Part II: Creating Flash Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Chapter 8: Exploring the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 9: Checking Out the Library: Symbols and Instances
Chapter 10: Drawing in Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 11: Animating in Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 12: Using Bitmaps and Other Media with Flash . . .
Chapter 13: Designing Interfaces and Interface Elements . .
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203
229
263
299
325
355
Part III: Sound Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Chapter 14: Understanding Sound for Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Chapter 15: Importing and Editing Sounds in Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Chapter 16: Optimizing Flash Sound for Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Part IV: Adding Basic Interactivity to Flash Movies . . . . . . . . . . 433
Chapter 17: Understanding Actions and Event Handlers
Chapter 18: Navigating Flash Timelines . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 19: Controlling Movie Clips . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 20: Sharing and Loading Assets . . . . . . . . .
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435
455
493
557
xxii
Contents at a Glance
Part V: Programming Flash Movies with ActionScript . . . . . . . . . 587
Chapter 21: Planning Code Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 22: Creating Subroutines and Manipulating Data . . . . . .
Chapter 23: Understanding Movie Clips as Complex Objects . . . .
Chapter 24: Sending Data In and Out of Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 25: Understanding HTML and Text Field Functions in Flash
Chapter 26: Advanced Movie Clip Architecture and Beyond . . . .
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589
623
659
691
719
729
Part VI: Using Flash with Generator and Other Server Technologies 751
Chapter 27: What Is Generator? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753
Chapter 28: Revving Up Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 769
Chapter 29: Working with Third-party, Server-side Applications . . . . . . . . . 801
Part VII: Using Flash with Other Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 817
Chapter 30: Working with Raster Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819
Chapter 31: Working with Vector Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
Chapter 32: Working with Audio Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897
Chapter 33: Working with 3D Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 929
Chapter 34: Working with QuickTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 965
Chapter 35: Working with RealPlayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 997
Chapter 36: Creating Full-Motion Video with Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1013
Chapter 37: Creating Cartoon Animation with Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1035
Chapter 38: Planning Flash Production with Flowcharting Software . . . . . . 1069
Chapter 39: Working with Authoring Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1103
Part VIII: Distributing Flash Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1147
Chapter 40: Publishing Flash Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1149
Chapter 41: Integrating Flash Content with HTML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1181
Chapter 42: Using Players, Projectors, and Screensaver Utilities . . . . . . . . 1211
Appendix A: Using the CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1239
Appendix B: Contact Information for Contributors and Expert Tutorialists . . 1241
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1245
End-User License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1300
CD-ROM Installation Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1303
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Quick Start: Flash in a Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Starting Flash projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The width of a circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Your first animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Movie Clip Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Frame labels and comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Working with text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The Button symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The sound and the fury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figuring items over time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
An ActionScript primer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Adding actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Testing movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Tips for Effective Flash Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
A process approach to Flash authoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Know Flash 5’s capabilities and limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Part I: Mastering the Flash Environment
37
Chapter 1: Understanding the Flash Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Introducing the Flash 5 Framework . . . . . . . . . .
Bitmap handler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vector program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vector animator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Authoring program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Animation sequencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Programming interface and database front end
Viewing Flash movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Finding Applications for Flash 5 Movies . . . . . . . .
Planning interactive Flash projects . . . . . . .
Looking at Flash movie file types . . . . . . . .
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39
40
40
41
41
41
42
43
43
45
45
xxiv
Contents
Chapter 2: Exploring the Interface: Panels, Settings, and More . . . 49
Learning Flash Tool Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using tooltips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Color and Flash tools . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Getting to Know the Fundamental Flash Interface
Cross-platform consistency . . . . . . . . .
Contextual menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Insert Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Modify Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Text Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Control Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Window Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Offline learning resources . . . . . . . . . .
Online learning resources . . . . . . . . . .
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49
50
52
52
52
53
56
57
58
61
62
63
72
75
77
80
82
83
90
91
91
Chapter 3: Using Tools for Navigation and Viewing . . . . . . . . . . . 93
The Magnifier Tool . . . . . . . . . .
Zoom In/Zoom Out . . . . . .
The Hand Tool . . . . . . . . . . . .
Zoom Control and View Commands
The Zoom Control . . . . . . .
The Magnification commands
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93
94
95
95
96
96
Chapter 4: Working with Selections and the Pen Tool . . . . . . . . 101
The Lasso Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Polygon option with the Lasso Tool . . .
Using the Magic Wand option with the Lasso Tool .
Using Magic Wand properties . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Arrow Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Arrow Tool to select items . . . . . . . .
Using the Magnet option of the Arrow Tool . . . . .
Understanding shape recognition . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Smooth option with the Arrow Tool . . .
Using the Straighten option with the Arrow Tool .
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101
102
103
103
104
105
106
107
108
108
Contents
Using the Rotate option with the Arrow Tool . . . . . . .
Using the Scale option with the Arrow Tool . . . . . . .
Using the Scale and Rotate dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using arrow states to reshape and reposition drawings
Introducing the Pen Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Pen Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Subselect (Arrow) Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stroke and color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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109
110
110
111
113
114
118
119
Chapter 5: Working with the Drawing and Painting Tools . . . . . . 123
Choosing Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Stroke and Fill Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stroke Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stroke Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stroke Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Applying and changing fills with the Fill Panel .
Adjusting Stroke and Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Pencil Mode pop-up options . . . . .
Understanding line processing . . . . . . . . . .
The Line Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Oval Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Rectangle Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the (Paint) Brush Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Brush Mode option . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Brush Size option . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Brush Shape option . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Brush Lock Fill option . . . . . . . . .
Using the Brush Pressure option . . . . . . . . .
The difference between the Brush Tool and the
Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Dropper Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Ink Bottle Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Paint Bucket Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Paint Bucket Gap Size option . . . . .
Using the Paint Bucket Lock Fill option . . . . .
Using the Paint Bucket Transform Fill option
(a.k.a. the Reshape Arrow cursor) . . . . . .
The Eraser Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Eraser Shape option . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Eraser’s Faucet option . . . . . . . . .
Using the Erase Mode option . . . . . . . . . . .
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123
125
125
126
126
128
129
130
131
131
132
133
133
135
136
138
139
140
140
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141
142
144
145
147
147
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147
152
153
154
154
xxv
xxvi
Contents
Chapter 6: Applying Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Introducing Color Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Discussing Web-Safe Color issues . . . . . . .
Using hexadecimal values . . . . . . . . . . . .
Applying ColorSafe and other solutions . . . .
Using color effectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Flash Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Toolbox Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Applying color from the Stroke and Fill Panels
Working with the Swatches Panel . . . . . . .
Working with the Mixer Panel . . . . . . . . .
Creating gradient colors . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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157
158
158
159
164
165
165
167
168
170
172
Chapter 7: Working with Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Understanding Font Display Problems . . . . . . . . . . . .
Problems with fonts on the Mac . . . . . . . . . . . .
Problems with fonts on the PC . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cross-platform issues and codevelopment problems
The Text Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Flash text boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Character Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Paragraph Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Text Options Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reshaping and Manipulating Text Characters . . . . . . . .
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