Publishers of technology books, eBooks, and videos for creative people

Home > Articles > Design > Adobe Creative Suite

Using Animation to Build Movement in Flash MX

Animating in Flash is where the real excitement begins. If you do it right, you'll find that you can control your audience's emotions in ways they'll not soon forget. Sound appealing? Read on.
This chapter is from the book

If all you want to do is create Web sites with cool graphics and a few text descriptions, you could easily stick with plain old HTML. However, even though HTML can effectively convey a message, its design limitations make it about as exciting as watching your hair grow. Once you've acquired even a little visual savvy, you'll to want to move beyond HTML. In fact, your interest in Macromedia Flash likely stems from your desire to not only bring your message to a large audience, but to bring it to life as well. That, after all, is what animation is all about.

From the early Disney cartoons to the spectacular computer-generated effects seen in today's movies, audiences have long been fascinated by the skillful combination of graphics and motion. Although in live-action films much movement is left to chance, as an animator you determine not only what action occurs in a scene, but exactly when it occurs as well. You can make birds fly and cartoon characters talk, or vice versa. You can even determine what your characters say, and whether they get their lights punched out for saying it.

All you've learned about Flash thus far means little without this chapter's ingredients. This is where the real excitement begins. By animating your message, you make it much more powerful. And if you do it right, you'll find that you can control your audience's emotions in ways they'll not soon forget. Sound appealing? Read on.

How Animation Works

At one time or another you've probably seen the actual film that's used to project a movie. Basically, it looks like a bunch of pictures strung together on a long strip of plastic. A Flash animation is no different. Just like a motion picture, it consists of individual frames, each slightly different from the preceding one. Special frames known as keyframes define where changes occur in your animation—for example, when movie elements are moved, rotated, resized, added or removed, and so on. Each frame can contain any number of symbols or graphics placed on different layers.

Like a strip of movie film, Flash's timeline includes all of your animation's layers and frames. When your movie plays, or when the playhead on the timeline is moved manually, the graphic content of each succeeding frame makes up what you see on stage. When the frames are played back at a fast enough rate, the illusion of movement occurs. And just as in a real movie, the timeline in Flash uses scenes to shift from one area of the story to another, so that you can break your movie's overall timeline into main sections. The timeline can be as long as you wish and play at whatever speed (frames per second, or fps) you designate—within reason.

At the same time, Flash technology differs from regular movies in two important ways: First, frame actions can be placed at particular frames on the timeline to perform specific interactive tasks (for example, jumping to other frames in your movie or opening URLs in a browser). Also, Flash movies can contain mini-movies (movie clips) and buttons.

Animation Methods

Flash offers two methods of animation: Frame-by-frame animation provides more control over the way graphical content is animated but is more time-consuming to create. Tweened animation provides less control but is much faster to implement. Let's take a look at both.

Frame-by-frame animation

As the most recognizable and widely used form of animation, the frame-by-frame method is employed for everything from creating animated cartoons to bringing clay figures to life. This type of animation involves taking a snapshot of a frame's content, changing the content slightly, taking another snapshot, changing the content again, and so on. When these snapshots are displayed in quick succession, movement appears and animation is accomplished. In Flash, creating this type of animation involves moving the timeline to a given frame, adjusting the content on the stage, then moving the timeline to the next frame and adjusting the content again—and so on, for each frame of the animation.

With frame-by-frame animation, you must manually edit each element's movement on the stage (Figure 10.1). In addition to being time-consuming, using this mode of animation can substantially increase your movie's overall file size. Thus, you should only use frame-by-frame animation when it's absolutely necessary—for quick or subtle movements, such as a mouth moving or hands playing a piano.

For a more detailed discussion of frame-by-frame animation, see "Creating Animation" later in this chapter.

Figure 10.1Figure 10.1 In a frame-by-frame animation, each movement is edited manually.


Tweened animation

Since we now have computers to make our lives easier, there's no reason to manually create an animation when Flash can do so automatically—especially when it requires smooth transitions in movement, size, rotation, shape, or color.

With a tweened animation, you use keyframes to specify two images of a given movie element: its appearance at the beginning of the animation, and at the end. You also specify how long the transition should take from the beginning to end (measured in frames). Flash then generates the graphic content for each of the frames in between (Figure 10.2).

Figure 10.2Figure 10.2 In a tweened animation, you define the graphic images at the beginning and ending keyframes, and Flash calculates how each of the intermediate frames should look.


Obviously, it's much faster to produce animations using tweening than the frame-by-frame method. Tweened animations are also much easier to edit, because there are only two editable frames—the beginning and ending keyframes. If you change either of these, Flash will automatically recalculate the content of all of the intervening frames. In contrast, you must manually edit each frame of a frame-by-frame animation. As you work more with animated content, you'll find that tweening works for most animation tasks that involve fluid and smooth movements as well as transitions, or morphing, of shapes. Frame-by-frame animation works best for delicate, complex, and quick movements. Flash's layering functions also make it possible to use both types of animation on different graphic elements in the same scene.

Peachpit Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from Peachpit and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about Peachpit products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites; develop new products and services; conduct educational research; and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email ask@peachpit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by Adobe Press. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.peachpit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020