Control the Way Your Movie Looks

The stage, of course, doesn’t work alone. You’ll use many props that work in conjunction with elements on the stage to dress up your Flash movie. We’ll be going over each and every one of these elements so you can get the true feel of the Flash interface. The timeline is one of these important elements, and it works very closely with the stage to help you create your movie.

Work with the Timeline
As the name suggests, the timeline is where you work with the elements on your stage to change them over time. Objects in Flash can move, change size, rotate, and perform many other functions while time elapses. In Flash, you are in charge of how objects behave. This may seem like an abstract concept, but if you look at the way the timeline is built, it makes sense (see Figure).

Work with Layers
Layers are like transparent sheets of acetate, sitting on top of one another. Objects on the top layer can obscure objects on a lower layer. When you’re working on a complex Flash document, layers can make it easier to separate and sort out all the elements you’re using. You can also lock a layer, which freezes the objects on that layer in place, and you can turn off a layer’s visibility. By turning off the visibility, you can make it easier to selectively see layers sitting beneath one another. It should be noted here that locking layers and making layers invisible does not affect

your exported Flash Player file. These features are just bells and whistles that help streamline your production in Flash. Layers in Flash can be stored in their own folders in the timeline. This allows you to conserve space by neatly organizing groups of related layers in their own folder. You create a layer folder by clicking the Insert Layer Folder icon on the bottom left of the timeline. You can create a layer by clicking the Insert Layer icon on the bottom left of the timeline. You will define, examine, and use layers extensively as you work with Flash. As we travel through this book, you’ll get to know them intimately.

Work with Frames
Now that you’ve had an overview of layers, you are ready to look at how the other part of the timeline, the frames section, works. To the right of each layer is a series of frame rectangles that appears in grid-like fashion, as you can see here.

Each frame is numbered chronologically. In these frame cells, you create the frames for your movie. Have you ever seen a filmstrip outside a camera? The film exists as a series of frames. However, when the movie is shown, the audience sees these single frames, one frame at a time, projected at a speed that simulates continuous action. So it is with Flash, but instead of residing on a celluloid filmstrip, Flash.

Navigate the Edit Bar
The Edit bar is not technically part of the timeline, but it may appear as if it is to a beginner because of its close proximity. It sits right on top of the timeline, so now is a good time to address its purpose. The Edit bar contains tools to help you edit and navigate scenes and symbols and (in Windows) test your movie. The Edit bar is shown here:

                                                                         Back button                             Current document tab                                     Scene pop-up menu              Zoom control

                                                                                                               Current edit locator                                                                                 path Symbol pop-up menu

At the top of the Edit bar, you can toggle between Flash and SWF documents by clicking the tabs. Note that the name on the tab reflects the document you are choosing. This option is available only in the Windows interface.

frames exist in the timeline. You, as the director, can control the length of time layered objects are on the stage, pause time, or stop time altogether. The actual frames you create can exist as keyframes, frames, or blank keyframes. A keyframe is represented with a black circle and is used for changing the contents of a frame. For example, if you wanted an object to appear blue on one frame and then yellow on the next, a keyframe would be required on both frame cells because the object changes from one color to another. If an object on a keyframe remained the same and you wanted to extend the length of time this object appeared, you would create regular frames. Frames that have not been filled yet are depicted as white rectangles, and every fifth frame is shown in light gray to make it a little easier for you to keep track of the frames. A blank keyframe is represented with a white circle. Blank keyframes are exactly that— blank. We will be examining keyframes in more depth insection Learn the Basics of Flash Animation

Understand the Tools Pane

lWe have already looked at the View options in the Tools panel (also known as the Toolbar), and many of the other Flash tools probably look familiar to you (see Figurebelow). The Toolbar is divided into four sections:
■ Tools This is where tools related to drawing and editing objects are stored.
■ View These tools give you options for viewing the stage.

■ Colors In this segment of the Toolbar, you can select and edit colors of elements on the stage.
■ Options Additional options become available depending upon which tool is selected.

When you select a tool and position your mouse over the stage, the cursor changes its appearance, depending upon the tool you selected. For example, if you click the Zoom tool and position the cursor on the stage, the cursor becomes a magnifying glass. If you click the Circle or Rectangle tool and position the cursor on the stage, the cursor becomes crosshairs. As you gain more proficiency with Flash, you will become increasingly familiar with Flash’s visual interface.

Use the Filters Panel

In Flash Professional there is also a Filters panel whose tab by default is docked with the Properties Inspector. Filters allow you to apply glows, drop shadows, and bevel effects to movie clips, buttons, and text, as shown here:

Dissect the Properties Inspector

The Properties Inspector displays current information about a selected element of your Flash document (see Figure below). When an object is selected, the Properties Inspector displays information about the object in context and also allows you to edit certain properties of the element. There are additional sets of windows, called panels, that you can use for editing elements in the movie. Panels are covered in the next section.

If the Properties Inspector disappears from view, you can open it by selecting Window | Properties from the menu.

Use Panels

In addition to the timeline and Properties Inspector, a myriad of other panels are available in Flash. Panels help you create and edit elements in your movie. In fact, the Properties Inspector is a panel, too.

You can customize the workspace with panels, displaying only the panels that are relevant to your current work session. You can arrange them any way that helps you be more productive. Over twenty panels are available, including the timeline, Toolbar, Library, and Properties Inspector. You could really clutter up your screen with all of these panels if you wanted to. Flash fortunately provides some assistance in helping you maintain a neat and well-organized work environment.

If you don’t see a panel you need to use because it’s been closed or isn’t listed in the default panel layout, you can access it by going to the Window menu. Panels are located in the Window menu and in the Window submenus under Other Panels.

Dock Panels

Panels can dock to other panels. “Docking” refers to anchoring one or more panels together to form one big window or panel. When a panel is not docked, it can float freely around the workspace and you can place it anywhere that’s convenient for you.

When you launch Flash, you’ll see the panel configuration from your last session. An example is shown in Figure. To tear off a docked panel, grab the little dots in the upper-left corner of the panel, known as the grabber handle, and drag the panel outside the docked set.

Rearrange Docked Panels

Sometimes you may not like the order of your docked panels. You can rearrange the order of the panels to suit your needs. To rearrange docked panels, tear off the panel that you want to move, click the grabber handle in the upper-left corner of the panel, and position the panel over the panel you want it to be docked with. You will see a black line indicating the location where the panel will dock. Once you get used to the technique, you’ll discover that it’s quite easy to customize docked panels.

Open and Close Panels

It’s important to know how to open and close panels quickly, especially if you’re working in a one-monitor environment. To open a panel, select Window | Panel name.

The Toolbars subset of selections offers a Controller panel (for playing animations on the stage) and the Edit bar, which sits above the stage and is used to track editing and display views. Additional panels including Accessibility, History (which records your actions), Scenes, and Web

Services are available in the Window | Other Panels subset of selections. Throughout the book, these panels will be explored in relation to other tasks performed in Flash. You can close floating panels in Windows by clicking the close box in the upper-right corner of the panel. On the Mac, you can close a panel by clicking the circle icon in the upper-left corner of the panel. Both platforms are shown in the following illustration. You can also close all panels (excluding the timeline) by pressing F4.

                                                                                         Close box in Windows                                                          Close box on Mac

Once you get a feel for the panels, your workflow will become more productive. You also need to become familiar with the many options available in panels. As part of your learning journey, you should take the time to familiarize yourself with these options. It’s important to spend some time experimenting, clicking, and displaying. A good dose of curiosity can help accelerate your learning experience.

Explore the Library

Another panel you’ll be using a lot in Flash is the Library panel. The Library panel is where you store various elements you’ll be using in your movie. These elements can be graphics, buttons, movie clips, imported pictures, sound, and video. When you want to call upon one of these elements to perform on your stage, you drag it onto the stage from the Library (see Figure 2-10). To display the Library panel, select Window | Library or press ctrl-l in Windows/cmd-l on the Mac. Alternately, you can press f11. When you become a more experienced Flash user, you’ll discover that the most efficient way to work is to organize as many elements as possible into symbols. Symbols (graphic symbols, movie clips, and buttons) are elements you create that become stored in the Library. Since symbols are a key component in understanding Flash, you’ll be using the Library a lot. We will be examining the Library in detail in Create and Store Symbols in the Library Section