CHAPTER ONE: SOFTWARE

There are three pieces of software that I have found indispensable for flash creation. The first, of course, is Flash 8.

This application will be the platform you use to create your flash animations, and export them for distribution. (more...)

Open up flash 8. My goodness, there's a lot of stuff there. However, you only need to familiarize yourself with a few basic things, before you should be comfortable with your workspace.

In the following screenshot, I have three floating windows open- you need to have the same windows open, now. (more...)

Let's get right to it- press the "B" key to use the brush tool. In your stage area- draw out a squiggle:

Press the "V" key. Click on your squiggle- you'll notice that it becomes a bit "grayed out." In flash, this discoloration is a visual signal that lets the user know that a vector shape has been selected. (more...)

CHAPTER FOUR: AN INTRODUCTION TO KEYFRAMES AND TWEENS

Now that you (hopefully) understand your tools, it's time to move on to more interesting stuff.

Open up flash, and make sure you have the Library Library, Color Mixer, and Align panels open (you can use the keyboard shortcuts mentioned in the previous chapter, or click on the "windows" tab at the top of your screen.)

Take a look up at your timeline- for now, it consists of one layer, and one keyframe (the little box with the "o" inside of it.)

Use your brush tool to draw out a squiggle. (more...)

CHAPTER FIVE- A QUICK STEP BACK

Okay- so now you know a bit about your tools, and how to create some simple animation. It's time to take a quick step back, and learn how to change the basic properties of your movie. (more...)

Allrighty. Right-click on the following image, and select "save picture as." Browse to your desktop, and save the file under any name you want.

Go to Photoshop, and select "File>Open", and open up the picture you just saved to your desktop- and there it is, within your photoshop framework:

Now- pay close attention: For your flash animations, a full-screen image needs only to be 320X240 pixels. (more...)