book

Foundation Flash CS4 for Designers

Name: Foundation Flash CS4 for Designers
ISBN: 9781430210931

by David Stiller, Tom Green

November 2008

Intermediate to advanced

650 pages

20h 54m

English

Apress

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Copyright
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ABOUT THE TECHNICAL REVIEWER
ABOUT THE COVER IMAGE DESIGNER
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
1. LEARNING THE FLASH CS4 PROFESSIONAL INTERFACE
1.1. Getting started1.2. Creating a new Flash document1.3. Managing your workspace1.4. Setting document preferences and properties1.4.1. Document preferences1.4.2. Document properties1.5. Zooming the stage1.6. Exploring panels in the Flash interface1.6.1. The Timeline panel1.6.1.1. Animation and the timeline1.6.1.2. Understanding frames1.6.2. The Property inspector1.6.3. The Tools panel1.6.4. The Library panel1.6.5. The Motion Editor panel1.6.6. The Help menu1.7. Using layers1.7.1. Layer modes1.7.2. Creating layers1.7.3. Adding content to layers1.7.4. Showing/hiding and locking layers1.7.5. Grouping layers1.8. Your turn: build a Flash movie1.8.1. Preparing the stage1.8.2. Adding the sky1.8.3. Adding the mountains and playing with color1.8.4. Using trees to create the illusion of depth1.8.5. Using a motion tween to create a twinkling star1.8.6. Adding a moon over Lake Nanagook1.8.7. Making some moonshine1.8.8. Breaking the stillness of the night at Lake Nanagook1.8.9. Testing your movie1.8.10. Making the moon rise over Lake Nanagook1.8.11. Lighting up Lake Nanagook1.9. What you have learned
2. CREATING ARTWORK IN FLASH
2.1. Flash's two kinds of artwork2.2. The Tools panel2.3. Selecting and transforming objects2.3.1. The Selection and Subselection tools2.3.2. The Free Transform tool2.3.3. The Gradient Transform tool2.3.4. Object Drawing mode2.4. Drawing in Flash CS42.4.1. The Pencil tool2.4.2. The Brush tool2.4.3. The Deco tool2.4.4. The Spray Brush tool2.4.5. The Eraser tool2.4.6. The Pen tool2.4.7. Your turn: Trees grow at Lake Nanagook2.4.7.1. Drawing the tree trunk2.4.7.2. Drawing the pine tree2.4.7.3. Adding pine needles2.5. Working with color2.5.1. The Color panel2.5.2. Color models2.5.3. The Color palette and Color Picker2.5.4. Creating persistent custom colors2.5.5. The Kuler Color Picker2.5.6. Your turn: Play with color2.5.6.1. Creating gradient effects2.5.6.2. Locking a fill2.5.6.3. Using an image as a fill2.6. Using bitmap images in Flash2.6.1. Importing image files into Flash2.6.2. Editing imported bitmaps2.6.3. Tracing bitmaps in Flash2.6.3.1. Tracing an image2.6.3.2. Optimizing the drawing2.6.4. Using JPG files in Flash2.6.5. Using GIF files in Flash2.6.5.1. Working with GIF images2.6.5.2. Working with GIF animations2.6.6. Importing Fireworks CS4 documents2.6.7. Importing Illustrator CS4 documents2.6.7.1. Importing an AI file2.6.7.2. Copying and pasting an AI file2.6.7.3. Putting the AI file on the stage2.6.8. Importing Photoshop CS4 documents2.6.8.1. Importing a PSD file2.6.8.2. Notes from the PSD file import front2.7. Creating a banner ad2.8. What you have learned
3. SYMBOLS AND LIBRARIES
3.1. Symbol essentials3.1.1. Creating a symbol3.1.2. Understanding symbol types3.1.2.1. Graphic symbols3.1.2.2. Button symbols3.1.2.3. Movieclip symbols3.1.3. Editing symbols3.2. 9-slice scaling3.2.1. How 9-slice scaling works3.2.2. Your turn: Frames for Peter Pan3.2.3. 9-slice "gotchas"3.3. Sharing assets3.3.1. Author-time shared libraries3.3.2. Runtime shared libraries3.3.3. Updating shared assets3.3.4. A word from the bunnies3.4. Filters and blend modes3.4.1. Applying filters3.4.1.1. Applying a Drop Shadow filter3.4.1.2. Adding perspective3.4.1.3. Some filter facts3.4.2. Playing with blends3.5. Managing content on the stage3.5.1. Grouping content3.5.2. Aligning objects by snapping3.5.2.1. Using Snap Align3.5.2.2. Snapping to the grid3.5.2.3. Aligning with guides3.5.2.4. Snapping in a guide layer and to pixels3.5.3. Stacking order and using the Align panel3.5.3.1. Stacking objects3.5.3.2. Distributing to layers3.5.3.3. Using the Align panel3.6. Masks and masking3.6.1. Creating a simple mask3.6.2. Creating a masked animation3.6.3. Using text as a mask3.6.4. Your turn: Create a soft mask in Flash3.6.4.1. Setting up the stage3.6.4.2. Creating the cutout for the mask3.6.4.3. A mask without a masking layer3.7. What you have learned
4. ACTIONSCRIPT BASICS
4.1. The power of ActionScript4.2. The Actions panel4.2.1. Actions panel components4.2.1.1. Actions toolbox4.2.1.2. Script navigator4.2.1.3. Script pane4.2.1.4. Panel context menu4.2.2. The Actions panel vs. the Behaviors panel4.3. Everything is an object4.3.1. Classes4.3.2. Properties4.3.2.1. Using instance names4.3.2.2. Setting properties via ActionScript4.3.3. Methods4.3.4. Events4.4. Coding fundamentals4.4.1. Syntax4.4.1.1. Capitalization matters4.4.1.2. Semicolons mark the end of a line4.4.1.3. Mind your keywords4.4.2. Commenting code4.4.3. Dot notation4.4.4. Scope4.4.5. Variables4.4.6. Data types4.4.7. Operators4.4.8. Conditional statements4.4.9. Class files and the document class4.4.10. Syntax checking4.5. How to read the ActionScript 3.0 Language and Components Reference4.5.1. Getting help4.5.2. Search tactics4.6. Using ActionScript4.7. Your turn: Pause and loop with ActionScript4.7.1. Pausing a timeline4.7.2. Looping a timeline4.8. What you have learned

5. AUDIO
5.1. Flash and audio formats5.1.1. Bit depth and sample rates5.1.2. Flash and MP35.2. Adding audio to Flash5.2.1. Importing an audio file5.2.2. Setting sound properties5.3. Using audio in Flash5.3.1. Choosing a sound type: event or streaming5.3.2. Removing an audio file from the timeline5.3.3. Getting loopy5.3.4. Adjusting volume and pan5.3.5. A note from a master5.3.6. Your turn: Add sound to a button5.4. Controlling audio with ActionScript 3.05.4.1. Playing a sound from the library5.4.2. Using a button to play a sound5.4.3. Playing a sound from outside Flash5.4.4. Turning an external sound on and off5.4.5. Adjusting volume with code5.4.6. Your turn: Let users select from multiple audio files5.4.6.1. Setting up the component5.4.6.2. Wiring up the Play button5.4.6.3. Testing the movie5.5. What you have learned
6. TEXT
6.1. Type basics6.1.1. Adobe CoolType6.1.1.1. A little screen type history6.1.1.2. CoolType to the rescue6.1.2. Typefaces and fonts6.2. Working with device fonts6.3. Types of text fields6.3.1. Static text properties6.3.1.1. Character properties6.3.1.2. Paragraph properties6.3.1.3. Options properties6.3.2. Your turn: Play with static text6.3.2.1. Applying a filter to text6.3.2.2. Exploding text6.3.2.3. Applying a Blend mode and color to text6.3.3. Dynamic text6.3.3.1. Adding text to a dynamic text field6.3.3.2. Formatting text with ActionScript6.3.3.3. Creating a text field with ActionScript6.3.4. Input text6.4. HTML formatting6.5. Hyperlinks and Flash text6.5.1. Using HTML for hyperlinks6.5.2. Using hyperlinks to trigger ActionScript6.5.3. Your turn: A visit to the pond6.5.3.1. Using hyperlinks with a static text field6.5.3.2. Using hyperlinks with a dynamic text field6.6. Embedding font outlines6.6.1. Embedding font outlines in individual text fields6.6.1.1. Choosing a character set to embed6.6.1.2. Applying character embedding correctly6.6.2. Using font symbols6.7. Checking spelling6.8. Your turn: Scrollable text6.8.1. Using the UIScrollBar component6.8.2. Rolling your own scroller6.9. What you have learned
7. ANIMATION
7.1. Shape tweening7.1.1. Scaling and stretching7.1.2. Modifying shape tweens7.1.3. Altering shapes7.1.3.1. Examining anchor points7.1.3.2. Shape changing7.1.4. Shape hints7.1.5. Altering gradients7.2. Classic tweening7.2.1. Rotation7.2.2. Classic tween properties7.2.3. Scaling, stretching, and deforming7.2.4. Easing7.2.5. Custom easing7.2.5.1. Adding anchor points7.2.5.2. Easing multiple properties7.3. Using animation7.3.1. A closer look at the Timeline panel7.3.2. Onion skinning7.3.3. Modifying multiple frames7.3.3.1. Swapping graphic symbols7.3.3.2. Editing multiple frames7.3.4. Combining timelines7.3.4.1. Movieclip timelines vs. graphic symbol timelines7.3.4.2. Nesting symbols7.3.4.3. Graphic symbols as mini-libraries7.3.5. Classic tween effects7.3.5.1. Applying tween effects to an image converted to a symbol7.3.5.2. Applying a filter to a tween7.3.5.3. Alpha tweening7.3.6. Motion guides7.3.7. Tweening a mask7.3.7.1. Animating a mask7.3.7.2. Using motion guides with masks7.3.8. Your turn: Make an animated button7.3.8.1. Adding some animated glint7.3.8.2. An even cooler animated button7.4. Copying motion as ActionScript7.5. Your turn: Complete an animated scene7.6. What you have learned
8. ANIMATION, PART 2
8.1. Animating with the Motion Editor panel8.1.1. Getting acquainted: scaling and moving8.1.2. Easing with graphs8.1.2.1. Built-in eases8.1.2.2. Creating custom eases8.1.2.3. Applying multiple eases8.1.3. Managing property keyframes8.1.3.1. Changing duration proportionally8.1.3.2. Changing duration nonproportionally8.1.4. Motion paths8.1.4.1. Manipulating motion paths8.1.4.2. Using advanced motion paths8.1.5. Motion tween properties8.2. Motion presets8.3. Inverse kinematics (IK)8.3.1. Using the Bone tool8.3.1.1. Bone tool properties8.3.1.2. Constraining joint rotation8.3.1.3. Deleting bones8.3.1.4. Applying joint translation8.3.1.5. A note about bone preferences8.3.2. Animating IK poses8.3.3. Using the Bind tool8.3.3.1. Shape IK and fills8.3.3.2. Shape IK and anchor points8.3.4. Your turn: Animate a fully rigged IK model8.4. Inspiration is everywhere8.5. What you have learned
9. FLASH GETS A THIRD DIMENSION
9.1. What 3D really means in Flash (and what it doesn't)9.2. Understanding the vanishing point9.3. Using the 3D tools9.3.1. The 3D Rotation tool9.3.1.1. Old-school 3D rotation9.3.1.2. New 3D rotation9.3.2. The 3D Translation tool9.4. Strategies for positioning content in 3D space9.4.1. Share 3D rotation and translation settings9.4.2. Use the 3D center point to your advantage9.4.3. Be aware of depth limitations9.5. Your turn: Simulate a photo cube9.6. What you have learned
10. VIDEO
10.1. Video on the Web10.2. Video formats10.3. Encoding an FLV10.3.1. Using the Adobe Media Encoder10.3.1.1. Previewing and trimming video10.3.1.2. Video settings10.3.1.3. Audio settings10.3.1.4. Cropping video10.3.1.5. Running the render process10.3.2. Batch encoding10.4. Playing an FLV in Flash CS410.4.1. Using the wizard10.4.1.1. A word about file paths10.4.2. Using the FLVPlayback component10.4.3. Playing video using ActionScript10.4.4. Using the FLVPlayback control components10.4.5. Adding captions with the FLVPlaybackCaptioning component10.4.6. Preparing and using alpha channel video10.4.7. Going full screen with video10.4.7.1. Full-screen video the ActionScript/HTML way10.4.7.2. Full-screen video the easy way10.5. When video is not video10.5.1. Embedding video10.5.2. Embedding video as a movieclip10.5.3. Interacting with video content10.6. Adding cue points10.6.1. An alternate XML format for cue points10.6.2. Your turn: Create XML captions for video10.7. Your turn: Play with alpha video10.8. What you have learned
11. BUILDING INTERFACES WITH THE UI COMPONENTS
11.1. Button component11.1.1. Using the Button component11.1.1.1. Adding button events11.1.1.2. Referencing components in event handlers11.1.1.3. Considering UI component weight11.1.2. Changing the Button component's appearance11.1.2.1. Skinning11.1.2.2. Styling components11.2. CheckBox component11.3. ColorPicker component11.4. ComboBox component11.5. DataGrid component11.6. Label component11.7. List component11.8. NumericStepper component11.9. ProgressBar component11.10. RadioButton component11.11. ScrollPane component11.12. Slider component11.13. TextArea component11.14. TextInput component11.15. TileList component11.16. UILoader component11.17. UIScrollBar component11.18. What you have learned
12. CSS
12.1. Styling with CSS12.1.1. Element selectors vs. class selectors12.1.1.1. Block element styling12.1.1.2. Inline element styling12.1.2. Custom tags12.1.3. Style inheritance12.1.4. Styling hyperlinks12.1.5. Embedded fonts12.1.6. Selectors vs. the Property inspector12.2. Loading external CSS12.3. What you have learned
13. XML (DYNAMIC DATA)
13.1. Writing XML13.2. Loading an XML file13.3. Using E4X syntax13.3.1. Dots and @s13.3.2. Node types13.3.3. E4X filtering13.3.4. Double dots and more13.3.5. Namespaces13.4. Your turn: Draw shapes with XML13.5. What you have learned
14. BUILDING STUFF
14.1. Loading content14.1.1. Dynamic loading14.1.2. One loader, multiple SWFs14.1.3. Creating a movie preloader14.2. Building a slide show with components and XML14.2.1. A tour of the Beijing art district14.2.2. Extending the tour14.3. Building an MP3 player with XML14.3.1. Setting up the external playlist14.3.2. Polishing up the symbols14.3.2.1. Renaming library assets14.3.2.2. Improving the controls14.3.3. Wiring up the MP3 player controls14.3.3.1. Handling the button events14.3.3.2. Programming the sliders14.3.3.3. Finishing up the controls14.3.4. Evaluating and improving the MP3 player14.4. Building a video controller14.4.1. Assembling the controller14.4.2. Wiring up the video player controls14.4.2.1. Handling the button events14.4.2.2. Programming the slider14.4.3. Using timers to rewind and fast-forward14.5. What you have learned
15. OPTIMIZING AND PUBLISHING FLASH MOVIES
15.1. Flash's love-hate Internet relationship15.1.1. This "Internet" thing15.1.2. Enter the World Wide Web15.1.3. Bandwidth15.1.4. So who are these folks we call users?15.2. Streaming15.3. The Bandwidth Profiler15.3.1. Simulating a download15.3.2. Pinpointing problem content15.3.3. Can I get that in writing?15.4. Optimizing and fine-tuning your Flash movies15.4.1. Planning your movie15.4.2. Distributing the weight15.4.3. Optimizing elements in the movie15.4.4. Optimizing Flash content for use in video15.5. Publishing and web formats15.5.1. Flash15.5.2. HTML15.5.3. Animated GIFs15.5.3.1. Exporting as an animated GIF15.5.3.2. Importing an animated GIF15.5.4. QuickTime15.6. It's showtime!15.6.1. Publish settings15.6.1.1. Formats15.6.1.2. Flash settings15.6.1.3. HTML settings15.6.2. Publishing Lake Nanagook15.6.3. Publishing Flash movies containing linked files15.7. What you have learned

Overview

If you're a Flash designer looking for a solid overview of Flash CS4, this book is for you. Through the use of solid and practical exercises, you will soon master the fundamentals of this latest edition of the Adobe Flash authoring tool. Using a series of carefully developed tutorials, you will be led from basic Flash CS4 techniques to the point where you can create animations, MP3 players, and customized Flash video players in no time. Each chapter focuses on a major aspect of Flash, and then lets you take the reins in a "Your Turn" exercise to create something amazing with what you've learned.

This book focuses on the core skill set you need to feel at home with Flash CS4, and also introduces you to some of the biggest names in today's Flash community through interviews and actual "How To" examples, so you can learn from the masters. You will start by studying the Flash CS4 interface, and while you're at it, you'll be guided toward mastery of the fundamentals, such as movieclips, text, and graphics, which will lead you into some of the more fascinating aspects of Flash, including audio, video, animation, and 3D transformations.

By the time you finish, you will have created an MP3 player and a Flash video player, been introduced to the basics of ActionScript 3.0, learned how to combine Flash with XML, styled Flash text with CSS, created animated scenes, and worked your way through a host of additional projects. All of these exercises are designed to give you the knowledge necessary to master Flash CS4 from the ground up. If you're already a seasoned Flash designer, this book will get you up to speed with the latest version in relatively short order.

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