FlashMX Workshop

2. Workspace

flashmx workshops

workspace

Macromedia has constructed Flash around a movie metaphor:
  1. Tool palette (dressing room, prop and costume development)
  2. Work area (green room, backstage/wings)
  3. Stage (performance area, the shoot)
  4. Timeline (editing booth)
Important Interface Parts
(some of these should feel familiar - they function almost exactly like they do in DreamweaverMX)
  • Edit Bar
  • Panels
  • Properties Inspector
  • Stage
    • Grid and Rulers
  • Timeline
    • Playhead
    • Status Bar
    • Frame View
    • Layer Controls
  • Toolbar
  • Work Area

video clips

Quicktime "Bits"
  • History Panel (exercise 1)
  • v2 Component Overview - demo
  • User Interface Components - demo

Exercise 1

Shapes, Fill and History Panel
From QT Movie
  1. Shapes : remember to hold the shift key for perfect circles or squares
  2. Paint Bucket (fill) and Ink Bottle (stroke)
  3. Eraser - check out the two options

Exercise 2

Create a Simple Animation
  1. Open a new Flash document
  2. Draw a small rectangle near the lower-left corner of the stage
  3. Click the arrow tool to select it (which de-selects the rectangle tool)
  4. Select the entire object by either double-clicking the rectangle or drawing a selection box around it
  5. Select Modify > Group (Ctl+G) - the stroke and fill are now grouped
  6. Click Frame 24 [arbitrary choice - will make this animation last for 2 secs at 12fps] in the timeline to select the frame - it will change to a dark blue color.
  7. With Frame 24 selected, Insert > Timeline > Keyframe. The keyframe is symbolized differently from other frames. What's the difference?
  8. Drag the rectangle from the lower left to the upper right of the stage. This is where it will end in frame 24.
  9. Select any frame between 1 and 24 by clicking it. Insert > Timeline > Create Motion Tween.
  10. Control > Test Movie
  11. Recap interface elements used
Macromedia Flash MX2004: A Beginner's Guide, page 35
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