Transcript Cheltenham Computer Training www.cctglobal.com

Macromedia Flash 5
Foundation Level Course
What is Flash?
Flash 5 is the latest version of Macromedia’s
graphics and animation package
Flash File Types
• In the Flash you can
use many file types.
• We will cover the most
important ones:
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FLA Files
SWF Files
HTML Files
PROJECTOR Files
Movie Properties
Setting up Movie Properties:
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Frame Rate
Dimensions
Background Color
Ruler Units
The Authoring Environment
The Toolbox
The Timeline
The Stage
The Work Area
The Launcher Bar
Panels
Toolbars
• Flash has five Toolbars: Toolbox, Main,
Status Bar, Controller, and the Launcher Bar
Main
Controller
Launcher Bar
Status Bar
Toolbox
The Timeline
• The Timeline is an object on the Flash interface that
contains the sequence of frames, layouts and scenes
composing an animation.
Panels
• You can control
Panels by choosing
Window, then…
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Panels > Panels Menu
Panel Sets
Save Panel Layout…
Close All Panels
Frames
• Any content you want to display in the Flash movie needs
to be placed within one or more Frames
Playhead
Frame Numbers
Frames
Layers
• The Timeline can have one or more Layers
• Layers allow us to separate out pieces of content
and action
One Layer
Many Layers
Scenes
• The Flash movie can have one or more Scenes
• Each new Flash movie comes with one default
scene, named “Scene 1”
Default Scene “Scene 1”
The Movie Explorer
• The Movie Explorer gives
you the ability to browse
through the whole movie
at different levels of detail
• The Movie Explorer
displays the contents of
the movie: scenes, layers
and keyframes
Toolbox
• The Toolbox is a toolbar where you can quickly
access all the drawing, painting and editing tools
• The Toolbox window is divided into four sections
Tools
View
Colors
Options
Arrow Tool
• The Arrow tool is used to
select, move, place and
modify objects on stage
Snap to Objects
Smooth
Rotate
Straighten
Scale
• The Arrow tool has five
modifiers in the Options
section: Snap to Objects,
Smooth, Straighten, Rotate
and Scale
Lasso Tool
• The Lasso tool is used to
select objects on the stage
• The Lasso tool has three
modifiers in the Options
section: Magic Wand,
Magic Wand Properties
and Polygon Mode
Magic Wand
Polygon Mode
Magic Wand Properties
Oval Tool
• The Oval tool is used to
draw oval shapes on the
stage
Rectangle Tool
• The Rectangle tool is used
to draw rectangle shapes
on the stage
• The Rectangle tool has
one modifier in the
Options section: Round
Rectangle Radius
Round
Rectangle
Radius
Line Tool
• The Line tool is used to
draw lines on the stage
Pencil Tool
• The Pencil tool is used to
draw freeform lines on the
stage
• The Pencil tool has one
modifier in the Options
section: Pencil Mode
Pencil Mode
Brush Tool
• The Brush tool is used to
paint on the stage
• The Brush tool has four
modifiers in the Options
section: Brush Mode,
Brush Size, Brush Shape
and Lock Fill
Brush Mode
Brush Size
Brush Shape
Lock Fill
Pen Tool
• The Pen tool is used to
draw curves on the stage
• The curves created by Pen
tool are called Bezier
Curves
Text Tool
• The Text tool is used to
create and edit text
elements on the stage
• The Text tool is used in
conjunction with the
Character Panel
Ink Bottle Tool
• The Ink Bottle tool is used
to change the fill color of
existing lines
• The Ink Bottle tool is used
in conjunction with the
color palette on the
Toolbox
Paint Bucket Tool
• The Paint Bucket tool is used
to fill in empty shapes or to
change the fill color of
existing shapes
• The Paint Bucket tool is used
in conjunction with the color
palette on the Toolbox
Gap Size
Lock Fill
Transform Fill
• The Paint Bucket tool has
three modifiers in the
Options section: Gap Size,
Lock Fill and Transform Fill
Subselect Tool
• The Subselect tool is used
to select and modify
existing points on the
curves
Dropper Tool
• The Dropper tool is used
to pick-up the colors and
styles of fills or lines from
existing objects
Eraser Tool
• The Eraser tool is used to
erase shapes on the stage
• The Eraser tool has three
modifiers in the Options
section: Eraser Mode,
Faucet and Eraser Shape
Eraser Mode
Eraser Shape
Faucet
Hand Tool
• The Hand tool is used to
move around the segment
of the stage that is
displayed on your screen
Zoom Tool
• The Zoom tool allows you
to enlarge or reduce
screen view
• The Zoom tool has two
modifiers in the Options
section: Enlarge and
Reduce
Enlarge
Reduce
Colors
Colors have five modifiers:
Stroke Color
Fill Color
Default Colors
Swap Color
No Color
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Stroke Color
Fill Color
Default Colors
No Color
Swap Colors
Lines
• Lines can be drawn using the Line tool, the Pencil
tool and the Pen tool
Using the Line Tool
Using the Pen Tool
Using the Pencil Tool
Fills
• Fills can be painted using the Brush tool, the
Paint Bucket tool and the Pen tool
Using the Brush Tool
Using the Pen Tool
Using the Paint Bucket Tool
Shapes
• Shapes can be easily drawn using the Oval tool
and the Rectangle tool
Selecting Shapes
• The Arrow tool and the Lasso tool are used for
selecting shapes
Using the Arrow Tool
Using the Lasso Tool
Modifying Shapes
• Shapes can be modified using the Arrow tool,
the Dropper tool, the Paint Bucket tool and the
Ink Bottle tool
Using the Arrow Tool
Using the Ink Bottle Tool
Custom Colors
• To create custom colors, you will use
the Mixer panel, the Swatch panel and the Color
picker
Gradient Color
In Flash, you can create:
• Solid colors - called Color Swatches
• Multicolored color - called Color Gradient
Creating Text
• The Text tool is used to
create text
• There are three Panels that
are used to modify text:
Character Panel,
Paragraph Panel and Text
Options Panel
Font Types
Flash can use the following font types:
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True Type Fonts
Postscript Type 1 Fonts
Bitmap Fonts
Device Fonts
Vector Graphics
500% increase
• A Vector graphic file stores
image data in the form of
mathematical expressions
• Vector graphics can scale
to any size without loosing
the image quality
• Vector graphics are not
good for representing a
detailed graphic
Raster Graphics
500% increase
• A Raster graphic file
stores image data for each
individual pixel
• Raster graphics can
become very “pixelated”
when scaled up from their
original size
• Raster graphics appear
onscreen very quickly
Importing Vector Graphics
• Choose File > Import…
• Select a vector graphic file:
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WMF
FH
AI
SWF
Importing Raster Graphics
• Choose File > Import…
• Select a raster graphic file:
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JPG
BMP
GIF
TIF
PCT
PNG
Grouping Objects
Grouping objects has two main benefits:
• It isolates objects from the other shapes so that
they do not merge into one shape when
overlapped
• It allows stacking of the shapes
Transforming Objects
• The Transform Menu is
used to change an object
by scaling it, rotating it or
flipping it
Arranging Objects
• The Arrange Menu is used
to change the stacking
order of the objects on the
same layer
Aligning Objects
• The Align Panel is used to control alignment, size
and spacing of the objects on the stage
Rulers
• Rulers are used to
help you align and
organize your
objects
Grid
• Grid is used as a
guide for the
placement and
alignment of objects
on the stage
Guides
• Guides are also used
to help you align and
organize your objects.
• They can be
customized to suit
your work style and
needs
Symbol Types
• Symbols are self-contained content stored in the
Library
• There are three symbol types:
– Graphics Symbol
– Button Symbol
– Movie Clip Symbol
Creating Symbols
There are two ways to create a symbol:
• Converting an existing object
• Creating new symbol from scratch
Library
• The Library is a storage
facility for various media
elements used in a Flash
movie, such as graphics,
sounds and movies
• Libraries can be shared
between many Flash
movies
Publishing Options
Formats Options
Flash Options
HTML Options
Projector