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Flash
5 Tutorial Introduction
Welcome
to the Flash 5 tutorial section. In this tutorial,
we will cover all the basics of Flash and a few advanced
features it has to offer. First thing you need is the
software. You can download a demo of the software at
the Macromedia site, click here. If you have the software
and have not installed it yet, click
here to go to the Installation tutorial.
What
is Flash?
Flash is a vector graphic based application. It is used
worldwide to produce movies, animation, presentations
and more. You can use it to create presentations for
your company, equipped with an up to date database to
show the right information at the right time to creating
a button for your web site. An example would be a Stock
Ticker. Flash is very easy to use and a very effective
tool in the web development industry. One advantage
to Flash is it is a cross-browser platform, which means
you can show your movies in any browser out there, such
as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
Work
environment:
Flash is a little like the program Paint for
Windows. Although it is used mainly for animation, if
you have ever used Paint, creating graphics and
artwork in Flash is the same way. You have all the same
tools that Paint uses, such as the square/rectangle
tool, the circle tool and the line tool. The work environment
in Flash consists of four major parts:
1
- The Stage:
The stage is the area in which you will be working.
The stage is basically your drawing board, where you
can create, add and delete your work. The stage(s) are
the only areas in which you can put in graphics, and
while your movie is in play on a web site, and only
the content in the stage will be displayed. You can
also use special features and import your graphics from
other programs.
2
- Timeline
The timeline is the area that represents moving objects
in your stage. The timeline is consisted of frames and
layers. Each frame is a brand new image. Using simple
tweening motions will allow you to modify your objects
in your timeline to produce a quick movie. Layers represent
each layer of transparency on your stage, you can have
as many layers as you want and you can only see objects
on the layers.
3
- Library
The library is just a small database where Flash stores
all your graphics and symbols. From the library, you
can click and drag symbols onto your stage area, which
saves you a lot of time, instead of re-creating new
graphics.
4
- Panels
The panels used in Flash 5 allow you to control anything
you do, such as modifying your text, of setting effects
for a symbol. The advantage about the panels is that
they can be hidden allowing you more work space to work
on. Go to Window > Panels for a complete list of
your panels.
Flash
5, now allows you to import MP3 sound files. This new
feature allows you to play music, add sound effects
to your buttons, etc. This new feature is only useful
using supported sound files, such as .mp3 and .wav.
Remember
to open a new document for each tutorial. This will
make it easier to work with, and a lot faster.
To
begin, click Next to continue to Chapter II.
Permission
to reprint this tutorial in its entirety is granted
only if all information below this notice, including
the link, is included as it is written. Brought to you
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