Adobe Flash CS5.5 for Beginners

Open a new flash document and save early, then choose between fla, swf, and xfl formats in CS5.5, noting DOM and action scripting 3.0.

Adjust Flash preferences to boost efficiency and tailor your workflow, exploring categories like general, on launch, undos, and importers for PSD and AI, with persistent settings.

Create a new Flash document in classic mode, adjust document settings in the Properties panel—dimensions, frame rate, and stage color—and set default preferences for future projects.

Create a flash project using the project panel or quick project. Bundle the main document, then add folders and files such as action scripting, XML, text, and test.

Preview your animation in real time by pressing enter to run and stop the timeline. Use period and comma to step forward or backward one frame without publishing.

customize the tools panel in adobe flash cs5.5 by adding or removing tools via the edit or flash menu, then select customize, tools, panel and restore defaults if needed.

Master the Flash timeline, manage layers with folders and preferences, and learn when and how to use scenes in this cs5.5 beginner lesson.

Explore how the Flash timeline drives animation by scrubbing the playhead and using key frames. Learn to adjust views, toggle preview, and manage panels to streamline timeline work.

Explore layers in Flash CS5.5 and the timeline: create, rename, move, hide, lock, and delete layers; understand stacking order and tween vs plain layers for effective animation.

Create folders to organize layers and simplify the timeline by moving items into folders, then collapse to save space and use show/hide or lock to control visibility and stacking order.

Learn to manage layers in Adobe Flash CS5.5, including renaming, show/hide, lock, access properties, use normal and masking layers, and apply outlines to see through complex documents.

Create and manage Flash scenes to structure a movie into opening, movie, and closing with separate timelines. Use frames and spans to set durations at 30 frames per second.

Learn color management in Flash and explore vector drawing using the deco tool, line drawing, pencil, brush and scatter brush tools, along with gradients and predefined shapes.

Learn to work with color in Adobe Flash CS5.5 by setting stroke and fill, using the color wheel and color dialog, and applying alpha transparency to objects.

Open the deco tool to explore vine fill, lightning, and building brush effects, customize symbols in the library, and animate patterns via the deco tool and timeline.

Draw with the line tool, bend lines using the center rotation axis, switch to object drawing, then copy, paste in place, and transform to form a flower from simple strokes.

Explore the pencil tool in Adobe Flash CS5.5 to draw freehand with the stroke color, using straightening, smoothing, and ink options to shape lines.

Master predefined shape tools in Adobe Flash CS5.5 to draw rectangles, ovals, primitives, and stars, adjust fill, stroke, and stroke weight, and explore angles and inner radius for vector shapes.

Learn to create and modify gradients in Adobe Flash CS5.5 using linear and radial gradients, color swatches, and alpha transparency, with tools like gradient transform and paint bucket.

Use the eye dropper tool to pick a color from one object and apply it to other objects in your Flash document, with the cursor turning into a paint bucket.

Add strokes and fills to existing objects in Adobe Flash CS5.5 using the ink bottle and paint bucket tools, without recreating shapes.

Explore the Flash library, working with Flash objects and the core items—graphic symbols, movie clips, and buttons on the stage. Learn to use external libraries and swap library symbols.

Explore the flash library and learn to work with merged shapes, drawing objects, and groups, including converting between types and using union, break apart, and other path operations.

Learn to navigate the Flash library, manage buttons, graphics, movie clips, fonts, and videos, and create and organize library items and folders with built-in editing tools.

Animate with movie clips from the library onto the stage, using a single key frame to drive a multi-frame timeline and transform properties, more controllable than static graphics.

Learn to use flash library buttons, place a button on the stage, preview up, over, down, and hit states, and compare action scripting in AS3 and AS2.

Create your first graphic symbol in Adobe Flash CS5.5 by drawing a circle, duplicating the shape, and converting it to a symbol in the library for easy editing and reuse.

Create a pulse movie clip in the library by drawing a circle, inserting keyframes, applying classic tween, resizing with the free transform tool, and testing the movie.

Learn two methods to open external libraries in Flash CS5.5: drag items between documents or File > Import > Open External Library to reuse graphics and symbols.

Swap library symbols via the properties swap option, so all instances update with the new symbol and preserve their rotations and sizes.

Convert strokes to fills in Adobe Flash CS5.5 by selecting a stroke and choosing Modify, Shape, Convert Lines to Fills. Gain independent width control based on anchor points.

Explore classic text versus TLF text, detailing static, dynamic, and input flavors, and show how TLF introduces read-only, selectable, and editable formats controllable with ActionScript.

Explore classic static text in Flash CS5.5: set fonts and size, use hard and soft returns, and control left-right margins without vertical bounds.

Explore Flash text features that control font readability by adjusting tracking, kerning, and letting. Use the properties panel to adjust tracking, letting, and handle overflow.

Break and reconnect column text in Adobe Flash CS5.5 by unlinking two columns, converting the text box into a standalone element, and reattaching threads with the chain tool.

Learn to format columnar text in Adobe Flash CS5.5 by justifying with the last line left, indenting the first line, and adding spacing after paragraphs to improve readability.

Drag and drop images from Photoshop or Illustrator into Flash CS5.5, using Ctrl+Tab to switch apps, and apply import settings to preserve vectors and layers.

Drag Photoshop or Illustrator files from the desktop into Flash CS5.5 to preserve layers, convert to Flash layers or keyframes, and set the stage size to the Photoshop canvas size.

Import graphics into Flash using the import command, choosing between import to stage and import to library, and learn stage versus library behavior with merge layers and compression options.

Edit bitmap images in Flash CS5.5 by right-clicking the graphic, choosing edit with, applying grayscale or other adjustments in an external editor, and saving back to Flash.

Open the image in the library, set its bitmap properties to custom, and adjust jpeg quality to about 60% to reduce file size without noticeable quality loss.

Convert a photograph to vector clip art in Adobe Flash CS5.5 by bitmap tracing the image, then adjust thresholds and area for cleaner shapes, and edit the vector after tracing.

Learn how to set selection preferences in Adobe Flash CS5.5 by enabling shift select in the general preferences, so items are selected individually unless you hold the shift key.

Explore frame-by-frame animation in Flash CS5.5, learning to build and modify one-cell animations, compare with Disney animation, and apply alignment, distribution, and editing tips to synchronize motion over time.

Control the animation speed by changing the frame rate, and use elapsed time to locate the play head for syncing with audio.

Frame-by-frame animation using library items, combining alignment, distribution, and onion skinning to align Pac-Guy sprites precisely on the stage and distribute them evenly.

Master classic tweening, set up the document correctly, and apply gravity (easing), guide layers, shape tweening, and shape hinting to bring Flash animations to life.

Apply rotation to a classic tween object in Adobe Flash CS5.5 by setting the rotate property to clockwise for a span, creating a more life-like bouncing ball.

Explore gravity in Flash CS5.5 by applying easing to a bouncing ball, using onionskinning, keyframes, and acceleration to make downward motion faster and upward motion slower.

Morph a square into a circle using shape tweening, with onion skinning and keyframes to animate a seamless transformation. Add color changes and save the file as morph102.

Explore shape hinting in Adobe Flash CS5.5 as you morph a square into a circle using shape tween, onion skinning, and keyframe hints to control corners and avoid rocking.

Select multiple spans and drag to create a single multi-span tween, then right-click and choose create classic tween to animate them quickly across the document.

Learn to fade an on-screen object with a shape tween in Adobe Flash CS5.5 by adding a key frame at frame 25 and setting alpha from 100 to 0%.

Create a frame-by-frame movie clip from library symbols to animate walking on a single timeline, aligning each frame to the stage, testing, and reversing frames to correct.

Create a grass ground by adding a new layer beneath the walking man, draw a rectangle, and apply a green linear gradient in an up-down direction.

Create a moving mountain background in Adobe Flash CS5.5 by building a mountains movie clip, applying a motion tween, aligning to a phony stage, and adjusting frames for speed.

Create a phone pole movie clip, draw and align it on the stage, and animate a 25-frame motion tween to move faster than the mountains.

Create a cloud as a movie clip, apply a motion tween with the motion editor to move it from right to left and scale across frames, then test the movie.

Use the pen tool to convert anchor points and drag to create a curved path, then enable Orient to Path so the cloud moves smoothly along the motion tween.