Butters

Full Color

Flash

® CS

4

Pro

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do

be

®

Look Inside!

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer instructions that show you how to do something — and skip the long-winded explanations? If so, then this book is for you. Open it up and you’ll find clear, step-by-step screen shots that show you how to tackle more than 135 Flash CS4 Professional tasks. Each task-based spread covers a single technique, sure to help you get up and running on Flash CS4 Professional in no time.

Spine = 0.70"

Keith Butters

You’ll learn to:• Set up new Flash documents• Use Pencil, Paintbrush, and Pen• Import vector art and bitmaps• Create timeline animations • Add interactive properties• Integrate sound and video files

• Two-page lessons break big topics into bite-sized modules

• Succinct explanations walk you through step by step

• Full-color screen shots demonstrate each task

• Helpful sidebars offer practical tips and tricks

Adobe®

Flash® CS4Professional

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer instructionsthat show you how to do something — and skip the long-winded explanations? If so, then this book isfor you. Open it up and you’ll find clear, step-by-step screen shots that show you how to tackle more than 135 Flash CS4 Professional tasks. Each task-based spread covers a single technique, sure to help you get up and running on Flash CS4 Professional in no time.

You’ll learn to:• Set up new Flash documents• Use Pencil, Paintbrush, and Pen• Import vector art and bitmaps• Create timeline animations • Add interactive properties• Integrate sound and video files

• Two-page lessons break big topics into bite-sized modules

• Succinct explanations walk you through step by step

• Full-color screen shots demonstrate each task

• Helpful sidebars offer practical tips and tricks

Internet / Web Page Design

$29.99 USA • $32.99 CAN • £19.99 UK

www.wiley.com/go/visual

01_344743-ffirs.qxp 12/18/08 10:48 PM Page iii

Flash® CS4 Professional

by Keith Butters

01_344743-ffirs.qxp 12/18/08 10:48 PM Page i

Teach Yourself Visually™ Flash® CS4Professional

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.10475 Crosspoint BoulevardIndianapolis, IN 46256

www.wiley.com

Published simultaneously in Canada

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis,Indiana

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning orotherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the priorwritten permission of the Publisher, or authorization throughpayment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the CopyrightClearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923,(978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisherfor permission should be addressed to the PermissionsDepartment, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street,Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008942703

ISBN: 978-0-470-34474-3

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Trademark Acknowledgments

Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, Visual, the Visual logo,Simplified, Master VISUALLY, Teach Yourself VISUALLY,Visual Blueprint, Read Less - Learn More and related tradedress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley &Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Adobe and Flash are registeredtrademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. All othertrademarks are the property of their respective owners. WileyPublishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendormentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THEPUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONSOR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY ORCOMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK ANDSPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDINGWITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR APARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OREXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THEADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BESUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITHTHE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOTENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHERPROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE ISREQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONALPERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHERNOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISINGHEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION ORWEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATIONAND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATIONDOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHERENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION ORWEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAYMAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THATINTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVECHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORKWAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

FOR PURPOSES OF ILLUSTRATING THE CONCEPTSAND TECHNIQUES DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOK, THEAUTHOR HAS CREATED VARIOUS NAMES, COMPANYNAMES, MAILING, E-MAIL AND INTERNETADDRESSES, PHONE AND FAX NUMBERS ANDSIMILAR INFORMATION, ALL OF WHICH AREFICTITIOUS. ANY RESEMBLANCE OF THESEFICTITIOUS NAMES, ADDRESSES, PHONE AND FAXNUMBERS AND SIMILAR INFORMATION TO ANYACTUAL PERSON, COMPANY AND/ORORGANIZATION IS UNINTENTIONAL AND PURELYCOINCIDENTAL.

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SalesContact Wiley at (800) 762-2974 or fax (317) 572-4002.

01_344743-ffirs.qxp 12/18/08 10:48 PM Page ii

“Like a lot of other people, I understand things best whenI see them visually. Your books really make learning easyand life more fun.”

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“I have quite a few of your Visual books and have beenvery pleased with all of them. I love the way the lessonsare presented!”

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“I just purchased my third Visual book (my first two aredog-eared now!), and, once again, your product hassurpassed my expectations.

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“I am an avid fan of your Visual books. If I need to learnanything, I just buy one of your books and learn the topicin no time. Wonders! I have even trained my friends togive me Visual books as gifts.”

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“Thank you for making it so clear. I appreciate it. I willbuy many more Visual books.”

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“I have several books from the Visual series and havealways found them to be valuable resources.”

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“Thank you for the wonderful books you produce. Itwasn’t until I was an adult that I discovered how I learn— visually. Nothing compares to Visual books. I love thesimple layout. I can just grab a book and use it at mycomputer, lesson by lesson. And I understand thematerial! You really know the way I think and learn.Thanks so much!”

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“I absolutely admire your company’s work. Your booksare terrific. The format is perfect, especially for visuallearners like me. Keep them coming!”

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“I bought my first Teach Yourself VISUALLY book lastmonth. Wow. Now I want to learn everything in this easyformat!”

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“Thank you, thank you, thank you...for making it so easyfor me to break into this high-tech world. I now own fourof your books. I recommend them to anyone who is abeginner like myself.”

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“I write to extend my thanks and appreciation for yourbooks. They are clear, easy to follow, and straight to thepoint. Keep up the good work! I bought several of yourbooks and they are just right! No regrets! I will alwaysbuy your books because they are the best.”

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“Compliments to the chef!! Your books are extraordinary!Or, simply put, extra-ordinary, meaning way above therest! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I buy themfor friends, family, and colleagues.”

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“What fantastic teaching books you have produced!Congratulations to you and your staff. You deserve theNobel Prize in Education in the Software category.Thanks for helping me understand computers.”

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“Over time, I have bought a number of your ‘Read Less -Learn More’ books. For me, they are THE way to learnanything easily. I learn easiest using your method ofteaching.”

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“I am an avid purchaser and reader of the Visual series,and they are the greatest computer books I’ve seen. TheVisual books are perfect for people like myself who enjoythe computer, but want to know how to use it moreefficiently. Your books have definitely given me a greaterunderstanding of my computer, and have taught me touse it more effectively. Thank you very much for the hardwork, effort, and dedication that you put into this series.”

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Praise for Visual Books

July 05

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CreditsProject EditorSarah Cisco

Senior Acquisitions EditorJody Lefevere

Copy EditorKim Heusel

Technical EditorJon McFarland

Editorial ManagerRobyn Siesky

Business ManagerAmy Knies

Sr. Marketing ManagerSandy Smith

ManufacturingAllan ConleyLinda CookPaul GilchristJennifer Guynn

Book DesignKathie Rickard

Production CoordinatorErin Smith

LayoutCarrie A. CesaviceAndrea HornbergerJennifer Mayberry

Screen ArtistAna CarrilloJill Proll

IllustratorsRonda David-BurroughsCheryl Grubbs

ProofreaderLinda Quigley

Quality ControlDavid Faust

IndexerPotomac Indexing, LLC

Vice President and ExecutiveGroup PublisherRichard Swadley

Vice President and ExecutivePublisherBarry Pruett

Composition DirectorDebbie Stailey

01_344743-ffirs.qxp 12/18/08 10:48 PM Page iv

About the AuthorKeith Butters is a founding partner and executive creative director atThe Barbarian Group. He has over 10 years experience architecting,designing, and programming for the Internet. Some notable andaward-winning Web sites that Keith has worked on include severalprojects for Volkswagen of America, Comcastic!, the Method “ComeClean” site, and the Subservient Chicken. Visit The Barbarian Group’sWeb site at www.barbariangroup.com to learn more and to see a fullportfolio.

Author’s AcknowledgmentsThanks to the team at Wiley Publishing, especially Jody Lefevere andSarah Cisco for working with me on this book, and for their patience.

Thanks to all of the barbarians, for continuing to be an inspiringcollective of the most talented and interesting people I have everknown.

And, a special thanks to Melanie for her love and support, and fortrying to keep me on track with the writing of this book.

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Table of Contents

Introducing Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Get to Know the Flash User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Using Flash Utility Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Open a Flash File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Save and Close a Flash File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Save and Version Your Work with Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Create a New Flash Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Organize and Save Your Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Move and Zoom the Work Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Using Rulers and Grids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Work from a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Using the Properties Inspector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Set up a New Flash Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Adjust Publish Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Test a Flash Movie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Get Flash Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Getting Started with Flashchapter1

Click here to see the fighter plane in action!START

Introducing Flash Drawing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Understanding Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Using the Line Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Draw Lines Freehand with the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Draw Fills with the Brush Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Draw Shapes with the Pen Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Draw Rectangles and Ovals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Fill Shapes with the Paint Bucket Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Drawing in Flashchapter2

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Using the Eraser Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Select Artwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Change the Color of Lines and Fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Customize Lines with the Ink Bottle Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Reshape Lines and Shape Outlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Copy Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Create Custom Color Swatches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Make a Custom Gradient Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Transform a Gradient Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Scale and Rotate Objects with the Free Transform Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Create Groups of Lines, Fills, and Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Send Groups Forward and Backward in Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Align Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Snap to Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Snap to Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Modifying and Positioning Artworkchapter3

Add Text with the Text Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Format a Paragraph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Change Text Colors and Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Copy Text Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Adjust Text Kerning and Leading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Move and Resize Text Areas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Break Apart Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Transform Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Working with Textchapter4

Text

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Table of Contents

Understanding Vector Art and Bitmaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Import a Bitmap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Break Apart a Bitmap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Create a Bitmap Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Convert a Bitmap to Vector Art Using Trace Bitmap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Import Vector Graphics from Illustrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Set Bitmap Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Import a PSD File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Importing Artworkchapter5

Add and Delete Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Set Layer Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Add a Guide Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Make a Layer Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Group Layers into Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Show and Hide Layers and Layer Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Show Layers as Outlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Lock Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Rearrange Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Working with Layerschapter6

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Add and Remove Frames and Keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Add Frame Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Move Frames. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Cut, Copy, and Paste Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Reverse Frames. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Preview Frames in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Working with the Timelinechapter7FRAME

# 51# 50FRAME#50#49STAY BEHINDSTAY BEHIND

TIMELINETIMELINEFRAME#49#48

F

Understanding Symbols and Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Types of Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Create a Graphic Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Add an Instance of a Symbol to the Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Modify Instances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Swap Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Create a Button Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Edit the States of a Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Add a Behavior to a Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Create a Movie Clip Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Preview a Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Apply Filters to an Instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Apply a Blend Mode to an Instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Understanding the Different Blend Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Rotate and Translate MovieClip Instances with 3-D Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Working with Symbols and Instanceschapter8

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Table of Contents

Introducing ActionScript. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Using the Actions Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Assign Frame Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Add a gotoAndPlay() Action to the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Work with Instances in ActionScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Move a Movie Clip with ActionScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Adding Interactivity with ActionScriptchapter10Variables

var numberOf

Tomatoes:

Number=1000

Create a Frame-by-Frame Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Onion-Skinning an Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Edit Multiple Frames. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Understanding Tweening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Create a Classic Tween. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Create a Motion Tween . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Create a Motion Tween with 3-D Transformations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Create a Shape Tween . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Add Shape Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Animate Along a Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Create a Movie Clip of an Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Animate a Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Add Animation to a Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Creating Timeline Animation in Flashchapter9

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Introducing Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Add a Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Delete a Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Modify a Component’s Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Skin a Button Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

Adding Interactivity with User Interface Componentschapter11Do Hummingbirds live in your

state? Yes No

Import a Sound File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Add Event Sounds to the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Add Sound to a Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Add Streaming Sound to the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Fade a Sound In and Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Create a Sound Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Edit Audio Settings for Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Integrating Soundchapter12

Fade Out a Movie Clip with ActionScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Animate Using the Flash Transitions Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Understanding Events and Event Handlers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Start and Stop an Animation with a Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Create a Dynamic Text Counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Create and Include an External ActionScript File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244this.stadium.this.stadium.

field.field.

ballball

this ballthis.ball

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Table of Contents

Understanding Dynamic Content in Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Load a JPEG File Dynamically with a Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Load a SWF File Dynamically with ActionScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296

Create an XML File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

Load Data from an XML File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

Use XML to Create Dynamic Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Use XML to Create a JPEG Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Make a Simple Preloader for Loading an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

Loading External Elements Dynamically at Runtimechapter14LoadingData . . . Data

xmxmlxmlxmlta

Understanding FLV and F4V Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Embed a Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

Import a Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Skinning the Video Player Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Adding Videochapter13

Now in Now in

Flash Player Flash Player

6 and higherd highe

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Get to Know the Publish Settings Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

Publish a SWF File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Export a GIF or JPEG Image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Export Animation as Video. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

Publish a Flash Movie as a Web Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Using the Bandwidth Profiler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Publish a Self-Contained Projector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

Publishing Flash Movieschapter15

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How to Use this Teach Yourself VISUALLY Book

Do you look at the pictures in a book or newspaperbefore anything else on a page? Would you rather seean image instead of read about how to do something?Search no further. This book is for you. Opening TeachYourself VISUALLY Flash® CS4 Professional allows youto read less and learn more about the Flash program.

Who Needs This Book

This book is for a reader who has never used thisparticular technology or software application. It is alsofor more computer literate individuals who want toexpand their knowledge of the different features thatFlash has to offer.

Book Organization

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Flash® CS4 Professional has 15chapters and 3 appendixes.

Chapter 1, Getting Started with Flash, introduces youto the Adobe Flash application and its user interface. Italso demonstrates how to set up a new Flashdocument, test it, and save.

In Chapter 2, Drawing in Flash, you learn aboutcreating vector artwork using the Flash Drawing tools.

Chapter 3, Modifying and Positioning Artwork, showsyou how to create more complex artwork by customizinglines, creating gradient fills, and using transforms.

In Chapter 4, Working with Text, you go through thesteps needed to format type, including paragraphformatting, kerning, and leading.

Chapter 5, Importing Artwork, teaches you how touse images and illustrations that were created in otherapplications like Photoshop or Illustrator.

Chapter 6, Working with Layers, shows you how toorganize the Flash Timeline by creating new Layers andLayer groups, and by changing the appearance of yourlayers.

In Chapter 7, Working with the Timeline, you learnhow to add and edit Frames and Keyframes in Flash.

Chapter 8, Working with Symbols and Instances,teaches you about the basic Symbol types in Flash, howto edit and modify them, and how to use them in yourmovies.

Chapter 9, Creating Timeline Animation in Flash,shows you how to create animation using MotionTweens, Shape Tweens, and Classic Tweens.

In Chapter 10, Adding Interactivity with ActionScript,you learn how to change the behavior of your FlashMovie by writing Frame Actions. It demonstrates how toset properties of Symbols, and how to ‘listen’ for Eventslike mouse clicks.

Chapter 11, Adding Interactivity with User InterfaceComponents, gives you the tools you need to utilizeFlash’s built-in components, and how to skin them tolook the way you want them to.

In Chapter 12, Integrating Sound, you find out variousways to use audio in your projects. You also learn aboutthe different types of sounds and how to optimize themfor the Internet.

Chapter 13, Adding Video, tells you everything youneed to know to add video to your Flash movies,including how to customize the appearance of thevideo player component.

Chapter 14, Loading External Elements Dynamicallyat Runtime, takes you through a series of tasks designedto show how Flash can load images and other types ofdata on the fly. It also demonstrates the basics ofcreating XML and how Flash can read data from an XMLfile.

In Chapter 15, Publishing Flash Movies, you learnabout the different ways you can distribute your Flashmovies. It shows how you can publish as an image, asa video, and how to embed Flash in a Web page.

Appendix A, Flash Keyboard Shortcuts, is a table thatshows you the most commonly used quick-keys inFlash, so you can speed up your workflow.

Appendix B, Commonly Used ActionScript Commands,is a reference for ActionScript commands that are usedfrequently.

Appendix C, ActionScript Operators, is a reference foroperators in ActionScript for tasks like mutiplication,division, and comparison.

Chapter Organization

This book consists of sections, all listed in the book’stable of contents. A section is a set of steps that showyou how to complete a specific computer task.

Each section, usually contained on two facing pages,has an introduction to the task at hand, a set of full-color screen shots and steps that walk you through thetask, and a set of tips. This format allows you to quicklylook at a topic of interest and learn it instantly.

How to use this book

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Chapters group together three or more sections with acommon theme. A chapter may also contain pages thatgive you the background information needed tounderstand the sections in a chapter.

What You Need to Use This Book

Using the Mouse

This book uses the following conventions to describethe actions you perform when using the mouse:

Click

Press your left mouse button once. You generally clickyour mouse on something to select something on thescreen.

Double-click

Press your left mouse button twice. Double-clickingsomething on the computer screen generally openswhatever item you have double-clicked.

Right-click

Press your right mouse button. When you right-clickanything on the computer screen, the program displaysa shortcut menu containing commands specific to theselected item.

Click and Drag, and Release the Mouse

Move your mouse pointer and hover it over an item onthe screen. Press and hold down the left mouse button.Now, move the mouse to where you want to place theitem and then release the button. You use this methodto move an item from one area of the computer screento another.

The Conventions in This Book

A number of typographic and layout styles have beenused throughout Teach Yourself VISUALLY Flash® CS4Professional to distinguish different types ofinformation.

Bold

Bold type represents the names of commands andoptions that you interact with. Bold type also indicatestext and numbers that you must type into a dialog boxor window.

Italics

Italic words introduce a new term and are followed bya definition.

Numbered Steps

You must perform the instructions in numbered steps inorder to successfully complete a section and achievethe final results.

Bulleted Steps

These steps point out various optional features. You donot have to perform these steps; they simply giveadditional information about a feature.

Indented Text

Indented text tells you what the program does inresponse to you following a numbered step. Forexample, if you click a certain menu command, a dialogbox may appear, or a window may open. Indented textmay also tell you what the final result is when youfollow a set of numbered steps.

Notes

Notes give additional information. They may describespecial conditions that may occur during an operation.They may warn you of a situation that you want toavoid, for example the loss of data. A note may alsocross reference a related area of the book. A crossreference may guide you to another chapter, or anothersection with the current chapter.

Icons and buttons

Icons and buttons are graphical representations withinthe text. They show you exactly what you need to clickto perform a step.

You can easily identify the tips in any section bylooking for the TIPS icon. Tips offer additionalinformation, including tips, hints, and tricks. Youcan use the TIPS information to go beyondwhat you have learn learned in the steps.

Operating System Difference

This book was written using Mac OS X Leopard (10.4.5).Depending on your system, you may need to holddown the key to use - on many Macs. On a Windows computer, you can use the

modifier key where on a Mac you use the key.

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1 chapter

Getting Started with Flash

Adobe Flash is an excellenttool for creating richinteractive experiences forthe Internet, animation, andonline applications. Thischapter gives you a workingknowledge of the Flashauthoring environment. Youalso learn to create, save,and customize a new Flashdocument.

UTILITYPANELUTILITYPANEL

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Introducing Flash..................................................4

Get to Know the Flash User Interface ............6

Using Flash Utility Panels ..................................7

Open a Flash File ..................................................8

Save and Close a Flash File..............................10

Save and Version Your Work with Save As ....12

Create a New Flash Document........................13

Organize and Save Your Workspace ............14

Move and Zoom the Work Area......................18

Using Rulers and Grids......................................20

Work from a Template ......................................22

Using the Properties Inspector ......................24

Set Up a New Flash Document ......................26

Adjust Publish Settings ....................................30

Test a Flash Movie..............................................34

Get Flash Help ....................................................35

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Adobe Flash is an integrateddevelopment environment, specificallydesigned for creating animation,multimedia experiences, and Web pagecomponents. Flash has also become thede facto standard for delivering videoover the Internet. The Flash Playerplug-in allows users to view Flash intheir browsers. Nearly all current Webbrowsers support Flash.

AnimationsWeb page componentsMulti-media experiences

Deliver video over Internet

Mobile phone content

Introducing Flash

4

Work with Symbols and InstancesSymbols are objects in Flash that you can reuse.These objects can be Graphics, Buttons, MovieClips,sounds, and videos. Copies of your symbols that areused in your Flash movie are called instances. Nomatter how many instances you create, the symbol isonly compiled into your movie once. On the Web,this is very powerful, because a hundred instanceswill download just as quickly as a single instance. Youcan scale, rotate, and modify other properties of aninstance without affecting the base symbol. But, ifyou edit a symbol, all of the instances inherit yourchanges. To learn more about working with symbolsand instances, see Chapter 8.

Create Illustrations, Animations, and OtherArtworkFlash has many of the same drawing tools as otherillustration programs that allow you to create vectorgraphics. Vector graphics are composed of lines,curves, and polygons. Conversely, bitmaps are madeup of pixels. The main benefit of using vectorartwork in Flash projects is that they can be scaledlarger and smaller without a loss in fidelity. And,depending on their complexity, vector graphics maydownload a lot faster over the Internet. To learnmore about creating graphics, see Chapters 2 and 3.To learn how to import artwork, see Chapter 5. SeeChapter 4 to learn about working with text.

The Newest

Vector GraphicsVector GraphicsVector GraphicsVector Graphics

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5

Create AnimationThere are several ways to animate in Flash. You cancreate frame-by-frame animation, use the MotionEditor, or use ActionScript to move and manipulatean object’s properties. Frame-by-frame animation isused primarily for creating movements that cannot beachieved in Flash by other methods. For more oncreating animations, see Chapters 8 and 9. To learnhow to animate using ActionScript, see Chapter 10.

“Air Fighters.

fla”

Act 2Scene 7

09-07-08Take 1

Organize with LayersLayers are very useful in Flash for several reasons.First, you can draw, erase, and add or removeinstances on one layer without affecting anotherlayer. Second, you can hide layers (make theminvisible) and lock layers (make them uneditable).Also, you can use layers for organization in a morecomplex Flash document. Many Flash developers useone layer at the top of their document exclusively foractions, and another exclusively for labels. To learnmore about working with layers, see Chapter 6.

BackgroundBackground

Layer 1Layer 2Layer 2

Layer 3Layer 3

Add Interactive ElementsYou can add interactivity to your Flash movies in anumber of ways. The simplest is by using theButton object. Buttons have built-in rollover andclick states. With a small amount of ActionScript, youcan create a vast range of interactivity, from simplerollover effects to triggering complex animation. Formore on adding interactivity to your Flash movies, seeChapters 10 and 11.

Click here to see the fighter plane in action!START

Publish Your MoviesYou can publish and share your Flash movies over theWeb or create self-contained Projector files. Flashmovies can also be exported as QuickTime movies,animated GIFs, and a variety of image sequenceformats. For more on how to publish your Flashmovies, see Chapter 15.

Getting Started with Flash chapter1

5

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The Flash program window has several components forworking with graphics and movies. Take time to familiarizeyourself with the on-screen elements. If you use Flash on aWindows-based computer, the program elements may look abit different than those displayed in the following example,which was done on a Mac.

1 5 10 15Get to Know the Flash User Interface

6

l Title Bar

Allows you to open,close, and minimizeFlash.

l Menu Bar

Displays Flash menusthat, when clicked,reveal commands.

l Timeline

Contains allthe frames,layers, andscenes thatmake up amovie.

l Tools Panel

Contains thebasic toolsneeded tocreate andwork withvectorgraphics.

l Work Area

The areasurrounding theStage. Anythingplaced on thework area doesnot appear inthe movie.

l Stage

The area insideof the workarea, which isvisible whenyou publish orexport yourFlash movie.

l CurrentLocation

Displays thename of thescene onwhich you arecurrentlyworking. Ifyou are insideinstances orgroups, itallows you tonavigate upthe objecthierarchy.

l File Tab

The tab at the top of the work area representsthe current file. If two or more files are open,you can switch from file to file by clicking a tab.

l PropertiesTab

Use this panelto view andedit propertiesof the currentobject.

l Library Tab

Use this tabto organizeand selectsymbols toadd to yourmovie.

l Workspace Menu

This menu allows youto switch betweenworkspaces and tocreate new ones. It is the same as clicking Window,Workspace from the main menu.

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7

UTILITYPANELUTILITYPANEL

Flash utility panels allow you toorganize your workspace by functionand by what tools you use most often.They are all dockable to the mainFlash window. So now any panel canalso be a part of any of the tab sets.You can also create new tab sets.

l Top Bar

Click this bar to collapse apanel into its icon form.

l Tab

Displays the name of the panel. The tab is also theportion of the panel that you click and drag to dock,move, or break away from other tabs.

Using Flash Utility Panels Getting Started with Flash chapter1

l Panel Dropdown

Use this menu toclose a panel, get helpabout a panel, or toaccess a list offunctions that affectthe panel.

l Close Button

When a panel existson its own, not as apart of a tab set, youcan close it by clickingthe Close button.

l Minimize Area

Click on this area ofthe panel to hide thecontent of the panel,but retain the tabsand top bar.

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There are two main types ofFlash files you can use to createFlash movies: Flash documentfiles (.fla) and ActionScript files(.as). Flash documents are thebase file type you use to createyour Flash movies.

Air Figh

ters

Open a Flash File

Open a Flash File

8

OPEN A FLASH FILE

1 Click File.

2 Click Open.

l If there are no open documents,you can click the Open button onthe welcome screen.

The Open dialog box appears.

1122

44

33

3 Click on a Flash file, or navigateto one you want to open.

l To enable only certain types offiles for Flash to open, click hereand select a file type.

4 Click Open.

The file opens in Flash.

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9

Getting Started with Flash chapter1OPEN MULTIPLE FILES AT ONCE

1 Click File.

2 Click Open.

1122

33

44

The Open dialog box appears.

3 Select multiple Flash files byholding down ( ) andclicking the files you want toopen.

4 Click Open.

All of the documents you selectedopen in tabs in Flash.

How do I switch between multiple files?Flash has a tabbed interface that allows you to have many files open at the sametime and provides an easy way to switch between files. If you open multiple files,switch between them by clicking the tabs. On a Mac, you can cycle through themby pressing + ~. There is no keyboard shortcut on a PC.

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You are going to want to keep your Flashfiles so that you can continue to work onthem in the future. Flash does notautomatically save your work periodically,so it is essential to save early and often —every time you make a significant change.

Air Fighters

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Save and Close a Flash File

Save and Close a Flash File

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SAVE A FILE

1 Click File.

2 Click Save.

You can also press +( + ) as you work to savechanges to your file.

You can also press + +( + + ) to open the

Save As dialog box.

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3 Type a name for your file.

4 Click Save (Save As).

Your file is saved.

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Getting Started with Flash chapter1CLOSE A FILE

Save your file. See the task “Save a File” to learn how to save.

1 Click File.

2 Click Close.

You can also press + ( + )to close your Flash document.

If you forget to save your file beforeclosing, Flash prompts you with adialog box to save your work.

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11CLOSE A FILE WITH THE CLOSEBUTTON

Press + ( + ) to save yourfile.

1 Click the Close button ( ) on yourdocuments tab.

How do I close all of the opendocuments at once?If you close the main Flashwindow, all of your documentsclose and the Flash programquits. Only do this if you havesaved all of your documents.Flash gives you an opportunity toreview any unsaved changes, but it is preferableto not rely on the Review Changes dialog box.

CLOSING

CLOSING

CLOSED

Can I save my Flash CS4 fileas a CS3 document?Yes, although when you work ona project with multiple people itis better if everyone uses thesame version of Flash. ClickFile, click Save As Type (SaveAs), and select Flash CS3Document from the Format drop-downmenu. This saves your FLA file in the older format.

Fast Cars

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You can save a snapshot of your workwith Save As. Sometimes you may wantto experiment in the middle of a projectwithout fear of not being able to getback to your last stable version. So,before experimenting, you can save acopy and always go back to it.

SAVE AS

Save and Version Your Work with Save As

Save and Version Your Work with Save As

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1 Click File.

2 Click Save As.

You can also press + ++( + + ) to display the SaveAs dialog box.

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l The Save As dialog box appears.

3 Choose a new name for the currentversion of your document.

4 Click Save (Save As).

You can now work with the newlysaved version of your file.

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Create a New Flash Document

Flash files are called documents or movies. You cancreate a new document in Flash to design artwork,build an animation, or begin a larger interactiveproject. Flash movies are saved in the .fla format,so you can also refer to your flash movie as yourFLA file.

Create a New Flash Document Getting Started with Flash chapter1

1 Click File.

2 Click New.

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The New Document dialog boxappears.

3 Click the type of document youwant to create.

l A description of each typeappears here.

4 Click OK.

A blank document appears in theFlash authoring environment.

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You can organize all of thewindows and panels of the Flashinterface to suit your needs. Youmay want to save a few differentworkspaces, each specifically laidout for designing, programming,or debugging.

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Organize and Save Your Workspace

Organize and Save Your Workspace

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1 Click Window.

2 Click Actions.

3 The Actions panel appears.

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4 Click and drag the Actions paneland move it next to the Timelinetab below the work area.

l A highlight appears where yourdragged panel will be docked.

Release the mouse button.

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