Adobe® Flash® CS4 Professional Bible

Adobe® Flash® CS4 Professional Bible

by
Released February 2009
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9780470379189

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Book description

A completely revised and updated edition of the all-time bestselling Flash title

  • Written by two of the world’s leading Flash experts, this comprehensive reference provides you with undocumented techniques, tips, and tricks on the CS4 release of Flash, the popular tool that allows you to create animations and build interactive Web sites

  • In-depth coverage on more than one thousand pages includes something for everyone—whether you’re a Web novice or an accomplished Web professional—this resource will be your guide to the inner workings and capabilities of Flash CS4

  • Two of the world’s leading Flash experts offer more coverage than any other book on the market

  • The accompanying CD-ROM includes trial software, addons, plugins, shareware, templates, and examples

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. About the Authors
  3. About the Technical Editor
  4. Credits
  5. Preface
    1. How to Get the Most out of This Book
    2. Icons: What Do They Mean?
    3. How This Book Is Organized
    4. Part I: An Introduction to Flash Web Production
    5. Part II: Mastering the Flash Environment
    6. Part III: Creating Animation and Effects
    7. Part IV: Integrating Media Files with Flash
    8. Part V: Adding Basic Interactivity to Flash Movies
    9. Part VI: Distributing Flash Movies
    10. Part VII: Approaching ActionScript
    11. Part VIII: Applying ActionScript
    12. Part IX: Appendixes
    13. Getting in Touch with Us
    14. Adobe Wants to Help You
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. I. An Introduction to Flash Web Production
    1. 1. Understanding the Adobe Flash CS4 Blueprint
      1. 1.1. The Key Is Integration
        1. 1.1.1. The topography of Flash CS4
        2. 1.1.2. File types in Flash CS4
          1. 1.1.2.1. Flash documents
          2. 1.1.2.2. Flash movies
          3. 1.1.2.3. Flash ActionScript files
          4. 1.1.2.4. Flash video files
          5. 1.1.2.5. Flash Component files
      2. 1.2. The Many Worlds of Flash CS4
        1. 1.2.1. Bitmap handler
        2. 1.2.2. Vector-based drawing program
        3. 1.2.3. Vector-based animator
        4. 1.2.4. Video engine
        5. 1.2.5. Audio player
        6. 1.2.6. Multimedia authoring program
        7. 1.2.7. Animation sequencer
        8. 1.2.8. Programming and database front end
        9. 1.2.9. Desktop application authoring program
      3. 1.3. Summary
    2. 2. Exploring Web Technologies
      1. 2.1. Contextualizing Flash in the Internet Evolution
        1. 2.1.1. High expectations for Web experiences
        2. 2.1.2. To Flash or not to Flash?
          1. 2.1.2.1. An effective use of Flash
          2. 2.1.2.2. When not to use Flash
        3. 2.1.3. Alternative methods of multimedia authoring
          1. 2.1.3.1. Dynamic HTML
          2. 2.1.3.2. XML and XSL
          3. 2.1.3.3. Adobe Director
          4. 2.1.3.4. Macromedia Authorware
          5. 2.1.3.5. Scalable Vector Graphics
          6. 2.1.3.6. Microsoft Silverlight
          7. 2.1.3.7. Microsoft PowerPoint
          8. 2.1.3.8. SMIL, Real Systems RealPlayer, and Apple QuickTime
      2. 2.2. Exploring Companion Technologies
        1. 2.2.1. HTML is here to stay
        2. 2.2.2. Client-side scripting using JavaScript
        3. 2.2.3. The world of Web services
        4. 2.2.4. Adobe server technologies
      3. 2.3. Recognizing Project Potential
        1. 2.3.1. Linear presentations
        2. 2.3.2. Interactive presentations
        3. 2.3.3. Data-driven presentations
        4. 2.3.4. Data-driven applications (or Rich Internet Applications)
      4. 2.4. Summary
    3. 3. Planning Flash Projects
      1. 3.1. Workflow Basics
        1. 3.1.1. Phase I: Establishing the concept and goals
          1. 3.1.1.1. Determining the project's goals
          2. 3.1.1.2. Creative exploration: Producing a solution
          3. 3.1.1.3. Approving a final concept and budget
        2. 3.1.2. Phase II: Producing, testing, and staging the presentation
          1. 3.1.2.1. Assembling assets
          2. 3.1.2.2. Making the Flash architecture
          3. 3.1.2.3. Staging a local test environment
          4. 3.1.2.4. HTML page production
          5. 3.1.2.5. Staging a server test environment
          6. 3.1.2.6. Quality assurance testing
          7. 3.1.2.7. Maintenance and updates
      2. 3.2. Using the Project Panel in Flash CS4
        1. 3.2.1. 1. Establishing a project structure
        2. 3.2.2. 2. Creating the project in Flash CS4
        3. 3.2.3. 3. Changing project and panel preferences
        4. 3.2.4. 4. Opening and editing files in the project
        5. 3.2.5. 5. Publishing the entire project
      3. 3.3. Summary
  8. II. Mastering the Flash Environment
    1. 4. Interface Fundamentals
      1. 4.1. Getting Started
        1. 4.1.1. Welcome to Flash CS4
        2. 4.1.2. Start Page
        3. 4.1.3. Help menu options
        4. 4.1.4. The Flash CS4 interface on Macintosh and Windows
        5. 4.1.5. What to expect from the Properties panel
      2. 4.2. Managing Windows and Panels
        1. 4.2.1. Contextual menus
        2. 4.2.2. Floating and docking panels
        3. 4.2.3. Focus: Making panels or windows active
        4. 4.2.4. Creating custom workspace layouts
        5. 4.2.5. Keyboard shortcuts
      3. 4.3. The Tools Panel
        1. 4.3.1. Controlling the Tools panel
        2. 4.3.2. Reading the Tools panel
        3. 4.3.3. Using Tool options
        4. 4.3.4. Customizing the Tools panel
      4. 4.4. The Document Window
        1. 4.4.1. Controlling the Document window
        2. 4.4.2. Reading the Document window
          1. 4.4.2.1. Stage view control
          2. 4.4.2.2. Edit options
        3. 4.4.3. Using scenes
        4. 4.4.4. Using Document window menu options
        5. 4.4.5. Working with Flash templates
      5. 4.5. The Timeline Window
        1. 4.5.1. Controlling the Timeline window
        2. 4.5.2. Using the Timeline Controller toolbar
        3. 4.5.3. Reading the Timeline
          1. 4.5.3.1. Visual display of time
          2. 4.5.3.2. Visual display of depth
          3. 4.5.3.3. Timeline window features
        4. 4.5.4. Editing frames and layers
          1. 4.5.4.1. Frame specifics
          2. 4.5.4.2. Layer specifics
          3. 4.5.4.3. The Layers contextual menu
        5. 4.5.5. Using Frame View options
      6. 4.6. Printing
      7. 4.7. Summary
    2. 5. Drawing in Flash
      1. 5.1. Using Geometric Shape Tools
        1. 5.1.1. The Oval tool
        2. 5.1.2. The Oval Primitive tool
        3. 5.1.3. The Rectangle tool and Rectangle Primitive tool
        4. 5.1.4. Join and Miter settings
        5. 5.1.5. The PolyStar tool
        6. 5.1.6. The Line tool
      2. 5.2. Using Drawing Tools
        1. 5.2.1. The Pencil tool
        2. 5.2.2. The Brush tool
          1. 5.2.2.1. The Brush mode menu
          2. 5.2.2.2. Brush size and shape options
          3. 5.2.2.3. Additional Brush options for drawing tablets
        3. 5.2.3. The Eraser tool
      3. 5.3. Creating Precise Lines and Bezier Curves with the Pen Tool
      4. 5.4. Using Fill and Stroke Controls
        1. 5.4.1. Choosing colors
        2. 5.4.2. Choosing line styles
        3. 5.4.3. Controlling Stroke Scale behavior
      5. 5.5. Optimizing Drawings
      6. 5.6. Putting Selection Tools to Work
        1. 5.6.1. The Selection tool
          1. 5.6.1.1. Moving multiple elements with the Selection tool
          2. 5.6.1.2. Modifying Selection preferences
          3. 5.6.1.3. Using Selection tool arrow states to adjust or move drawings
          4. 5.6.1.4. Knowing your Selection tool options
        2. 5.6.2. The Lasso tool
          1. 5.6.2.1. Polygon mode
          2. 5.6.2.2. The Magic Wand option and Magic Wand properties
        3. 5.6.3. The Subselection tool
      7. 5.7. Designing and Aligning Elements
        1. 5.7.1. Simplifying snapping settings
          1. 5.7.1.1. Snap Align
          2. 5.7.1.2. Snap to Objects
          3. 5.7.1.3. Snap to Grid
          4. 5.7.1.4. Snap to Guides
          5. 5.7.1.5. Snap to Pixels
        2. 5.7.2. Design panels
          1. 5.7.2.1. The Align panel
          2. 5.7.2.2. The Info panel
          3. 5.7.2.3. The Transform panel
      8. 5.8. The Edit menu
      9. 5.9. Creating Patterns with Symbols Using the Spray Brush Tool and the Deco Tool
        1. 5.9.1. Applying random "ink" with the Spray Brush tool
        2. 5.9.2. Creating order and pattern with the Deco tool
          1. 5.9.2.1. Growing patterns with the Vine Fill drawing effect
          2. 5.9.2.2. Tiling patterns with the Grid Fill drawing effect
          3. 5.9.2.3. Creating reflected patterns with the Symmetry Brush drawing effect
      10. 5.10. Summary
    3. 6. Symbols, Instances, and the Library
      1. 6.1. Understanding the Document Library
        1. 6.1.1. Working with Common Libraries and External Libraries
        2. 6.1.2. Working with multiple Document Libraries
        3. 6.1.3. Reading the Library panel
        4. 6.1.4. Organizing Library panels
      2. 6.2. Defining Content Types
        1. 6.2.1. Raw data
        2. 6.2.2. Drawing objects and shape primitives
        3. 6.2.3. Groups
        4. 6.2.4. Native symbols
          1. 6.2.4.1. Graphic symbols
          2. 6.2.4.2. Movie Clip symbols
          3. 6.2.4.3. Button symbols
          4. 6.2.4.4. Components
        5. 6.2.5. Imported media elements
          1. 6.2.5.1. Bitmaps
          2. 6.2.5.2. Vector graphics
          3. 6.2.5.3. Sounds
          4. 6.2.5.4. Video assets
          5. 6.2.5.5. Font symbols
      3. 6.3. Editing Symbols
        1. 6.3.1. Modifying a symbol in Edit mode
        2. 6.3.2. Editing a symbol in a new window
        3. 6.3.3. Editing a symbol in place
        4. 6.3.4. Editing symbols from the Library
        5. 6.3.5. Returning to the Main Timeline or scene
      4. 6.4. Modifying Instance Properties
        1. 6.4.1. Applying basic color effects to symbol instances
        2. 6.4.2. Changing the symbol type of an instance
        3. 6.4.3. Swapping symbols
      5. 6.5. Building Nested Symbol Structures
        1. 6.5.1. Converting a raw shape into a Graphic symbol
        2. 6.5.2. Using Graphic symbols in a button
        3. 6.5.3. Animating Graphic symbols in a Movie Clip
        4. 6.5.4. Adding a Movie Clip to a Button symbol
        5. 6.5.5. Modifying a MovieClip instance
      6. 6.6. 9-Slice Scaling for Movie Clip Backgrounds
      7. 6.7. Using the Movie Explorer
        1. 6.7.1. Filtering buttons
        2. 6.7.2. The display list
        3. 6.7.3. The Movie Explorer Options menu
        4. 6.7.4. The contextual menu
      8. 6.8. Using Authortime Shared Libraries
      9. 6.9. Summary
    4. 7. Applying Color
      1. 7.1. Introducing Color Basics
        1. 7.1.1. Discussing Web-safe color issues
        2. 7.1.2. Using hexadecimal values
        3. 7.1.3. Using color effectively
      2. 7.2. Working in the Swatches Panel
        1. 7.2.1. Swatches panel options
        2. 7.2.2. Importing custom palettes
          1. 7.2.2.1. Loading a custom color theme from the Kuler panel
          2. 7.2.2.2. Loading a custom GIF color palette
          3. 7.2.2.3. Creating and loading a custom color table
      3. 7.3. Using the Color Panel
        1. 7.3.1. Adjusting fill and stroke transparency
        2. 7.3.2. Working with gradient fills
        3. 7.3.3. Controlling gradient fill colors
        4. 7.3.4. Using alpha settings with gradients
        5. 7.3.5. Selecting bitmap fills
      4. 7.4. Working with Droppers, Paint Buckets, and Ink Bottles
      5. 7.5. Summary
    5. 8. Working with Text
      1. 8.1. Considering Typography
      2. 8.2. Text Field Types in Flash
        1. 8.2.1. Static text boxes
        2. 8.2.2. Editable text fields: Dynamic and input
      3. 8.3. The Text Tool and the Properties Panel
        1. 8.3.1. Working with the Text tool
          1. 8.3.1.1. Creating static text boxes
          2. 8.3.1.2. Modifying or deleting text
        2. 8.3.2. Setting text attributes in the Properties panel
          1. 8.3.2.1. Static text options
          2. 8.3.2.2. Editable text options
          3. 8.3.2.3. Character Embedding
          4. 8.3.2.4. Application menu commands
      4. 8.4. Font Export and Display
        1. 8.4.1. Smoothing text with anti-alias settings
        2. 8.4.2. Rendering outlines with the Bitmap text setting
        3. 8.4.3. Understanding device fonts
        4. 8.4.4. Working with the Use Device Fonts setting
        5. 8.4.5. Troubleshooting font display
        6. 8.4.6. Controlling font substitution
      5. 8.5. Font Symbols and Shared Font Libraries
        1. 8.5.1. Creating a font symbol
        2. 8.5.2. Updating font symbols at authortime
        3. 8.5.3. Using font symbols in runtime shared libraries
      6. 8.6. Modifying Text
        1. 8.6.1. Editing text manually
          1. 8.6.1.1. Scaling text
          2. 8.6.1.2. Sampling and sharing text attributes
          3. 8.6.1.3. Converting text into vector shapes
        2. 8.6.2. Moving beyond the box with live filter effects
      7. 8.7. Summary
    6. 9. Modifying Graphics
      1. 9.1. Sampling and Switching Fills and Strokes
        1. 9.1.1. The Eyedropper tool
        2. 9.1.2. The Ink Bottle tool
        3. 9.1.3. The Paint Bucket tool
        4. 9.1.4. Using the Paint Bucket Gap size option
        5. 9.1.5. Using the Paint Bucket Lock Fill option
      2. 9.2. Transforming Gradients and Bitmap Fills
        1. 9.2.1. Adjusting the center point with the Gradient Transform tool
        2. 9.2.2. Rotating a fill with the Gradient Transform tool
        3. 9.2.3. Adjusting scale with the Gradient Transform tool
        4. 9.2.4. Setting gradient fill overflow styles
        5. 9.2.5. Skewing a bitmap fill with the Gradient Transform tool
      3. 9.3. Gradient Transform Used for Lighting Effects
      4. 9.4. Applying Modify Shape Menu Commands
        1. 9.4.1. Convert Lines to Fills
        2. 9.4.2. Creating scalable artwork
        3. 9.4.3. Expand Fill
        4. 9.4.4. Soften Fill Edges
      5. 9.5. Free Transform Commands and Options
        1. 9.5.1. The Transform panel
        2. 9.5.2. The Modify Transform menu
        3. 9.5.3. The Free Transform tool
        4. 9.5.4. Transforming shapes, symbols, text, and groups
          1. 9.5.4.1. Free Transform limit options
          2. 9.5.4.2. Free Transform special shape options
      6. 9.6. Manipulating Symbols in 3D Space
        1. 9.6.1. Controlling the camera view: Perspective and vanishing point
        2. 9.6.2. Transforming symbols with the 3D Rotation tool
        3. 9.6.3. Moving symbols with the 3D Translation tool
      7. 9.7. Modifying Item Types
        1. 9.7.1. Stacking order
        2. 9.7.2. Grouping
        3. 9.7.3. Applying Break apart
          1. 9.7.3.1. Breaking apart text
          2. 9.7.3.2. Breaking apart bitmaps
        4. 9.7.4. About the Magic Wand option
          1. 9.7.4.1. Magic Wand Threshold setting
          2. 9.7.4.2. Magic Wand Smoothing setting
        5. 9.7.5. Tracing bitmaps
      8. 9.8. Working with Drawing Objects and Combine Object Commands
      9. 9.9. Working with Compound Shapes
      10. 9.10. Editing with Find and Replace
      11. 9.11. Using the History Panel
        1. 9.11.1. Replay Steps
        2. 9.11.2. Copy Steps
        3. 9.11.3. Clear History
        4. 9.11.4. History View
        5. 9.11.5. Save As Command
      12. 9.12. Summary
  9. III. Creating Animation and Effects
    1. 10. Animation Strategies
      1. 10.1. Establishing Ground Rules
      2. 10.2. Defining Variables
        1. 10.2.1. The environment
        2. 10.2.2. The materials
        3. 10.2.3. The motion
      3. 10.3. Adding Personality
      4. 10.4. Manipulating Perception and Illusion
        1. 10.4.1. Viewpoint, framing, and depth
        2. 10.4.2. Anticipation
        3. 10.4.3. Secondary motion
      5. 10.5. Understanding the Laws of Nature
        1. 10.5.1. Law #1: Inertia
        2. 10.5.2. Law #2: Acceleration
        3. 10.5.3. Law #3: Action/reaction force pairs
      6. 10.6. Summary
    2. 11. Timeline Animation and the Motion Editor
      1. 11.1. Basic Methods of Flash Animation
      2. 11.2. Frame-by-Frame Animation
        1. 11.2.1. Adding keyframes
        2. 11.2.2. Creating frame-by-frame animation
      3. 11.3. Modifying Multiframe Sequences
        1. 11.3.1. Onion skinning
        2. 11.3.2. Editing multiple frames
      4. 11.4. Using Tweens for Animation
        1. 11.4.1. Shape tweening
        2. 11.4.2. Adding shape hints
        3. 11.4.3. Motion tweening
        4. 11.4.4. Modifying motion tween properties
        5. 11.4.5. Working with motion tween spans and layers
        6. 11.4.6. Editing motion paths
        7. 11.4.7. Adding control to animation along a motion path
          1. 11.4.7.1. Using Orient to path
          2. 11.4.7.2. Registration and center point alignment
        8. 11.4.8. Working with motion presets
      5. 11.5. Adjusting Easing and Tween Properties with the Motion Editor
        1. 11.5.1. Controlling property views in the Motion Editor
        2. 11.5.2. Editing tween curves and property key frames
        3. 11.5.3. Eases and custom eases
        4. 11.5.4. Animating 3D properties
      6. 11.6. Integrating Multiple Animation Sequences
        1. 11.6.1. Moving tweens onto symbol timelines
        2. 11.6.2. Organizing symbol instances on the Main Timeline
      7. 11.7. Reusing and Modifying Tweened Symbol Instances
        1. 11.7.1. Controlling symbol instances with ActionScript
        2. 11.7.2. Make Flash work for you
      8. 11.8. Summary
    3. 12. Applying Filters, Blends, Guides, and Masks
      1. 12.1. Applying Filters in Flash
      2. 12.2. Adding and adjusting filters
        1. 12.2.1. Creating dimensional shadows
        2. 12.2.2. Combining filters and saving custom presets
        3. 12.2.3. Animating filters with motion tweens
        4. 12.2.4. Using the Motion Editor to control filter interpolation
      3. 12.3. Controlling Color: Properties versus Filters
        1. 12.3.1. Adjust Color filter
        2. 12.3.2. Color properties
        3. 12.3.3. Using advanced color effects: Understanding relative and absolute color settings
          1. 12.3.3.1. Relative color control
          2. 12.3.3.2. Absolute color control
      4. 12.4. Layering Graphics with Blend Modes
        1. 12.4.1. Understanding blend modes
        2. 12.4.2. Applying basic blends
        3. 12.4.3. Applying compound blend modes: Alpha and Erase
        4. 12.4.4. Creating an animated Alpha blend
      5. 12.5. Working with Special Layer Types: Guides and Masks
        1. 12.5.1. Using guide layers
        2. 12.5.2. Adding masks
        3. 12.5.3. Masking with a filled shape
        4. 12.5.4. Masking with a group
        5. 12.5.5. Masking with a symbol instance
        6. 12.5.6. Masking text
      6. 12.6. Using Distribute to Layers
      7. 12.7. Summary
    4. 13. Character Animation Techniques
      1. 13.1. Working with Large File Sizes
        1. 13.1.1. Storyboarding scenes and shots
        2. 13.1.2. Flash scenes and project files
        3. 13.1.3. Voices, sound effects, and ambient sound
      2. 13.2. Some Cartoon Animation Basics
        1. 13.2.1. Expressing motion and emotion
        2. 13.2.2. Anticipation
        3. 13.2.3. Weight
        4. 13.2.4. Overlapping actions
        5. 13.2.5. Blurring to simulate motion
      3. 13.3. Animator's Keys and Inbetweening
        1. 13.3.1. Walk cycles (or walk loops)
        2. 13.3.2. Repeaters
        3. 13.3.3. Types of walks
      4. 13.4. Coloring the Art
        1. 13.4.1. The model sheet
        2. 13.4.2. Gap problems
        3. 13.4.3. Speed coloring
        4. 13.4.4. Temporary backgrounds
      5. 13.5. Flash Tweening
        1. 13.5.1. Panning
        2. 13.5.2. Instance swapping
        3. 13.5.3. Motion guides
      6. 13.6. Lip-Syncing
        1. 13.6.1. Shape morphing is not for lip-syncing
        2. 13.6.2. Expression and lip-syncing
        3. 13.6.3. Lip-sync tricks
        4. 13.6.4. Syncing with music and sound effects
      7. 13.7. Backgrounds and Scenery
        1. 13.7.1. Runtime bitmap caching
        2. 13.7.2. Bitmaps
        3. 13.7.3. QuickTime limitations
        4. 13.7.4. Building layered backgrounds in Photoshop
        5. 13.7.5. Flash mask layers
        6. 13.7.6. Long pans
        7. 13.7.7. Multiplane pans
        8. 13.7.8. Blurring to simulate depth
      8. 13.8. Creating IK Armatures with the Bone Tool and Bind Tool
      9. 13.9. Finishing Up
        1. 13.9.1. Final output
        2. 13.9.2. Post production
      10. 13.10. Summary
  10. IV. Integrating Media Files with Flash
    1. 14. Adding Sound
      1. 14.1. Identifying Sound File Import and Export Formats
        1. 14.1.1. Import formats
        2. 14.1.2. Export formats
      2. 14.2. Importing Sounds into Flash
      3. 14.3. Assigning a Sound to a Button
      4. 14.4. Adding Sound to the Timeline
      5. 14.5. Organizing Sounds on the Timeline
        1. 14.5.1. Enhanced viewing of sound layers
        2. 14.5.2. Organizing sound layers with a layer folder
      6. 14.6. Synchronizing Audio to Animations
        1. 14.6.1. Event
        2. 14.6.2. Start
        3. 14.6.3. Stop
        4. 14.6.4. Stream
      7. 14.7. Stopping Sounds
        1. 14.7.1. Stopping an event sound
        2. 14.7.2. Stopping a single instance of a stream sound
        3. 14.7.3. Stopping all sounds
      8. 14.8. Editing Audio in Flash
        1. 14.8.1. Sound-editing controls
        2. 14.8.2. Applying effects from the Effect menu of the Properties panel
          1. 14.8.2.1. Creating a custom Fade-In or Fade-Out
          2. 14.8.2.2. Other controls in the Edit Envelope control
          3. 14.8.2.3. The Repeat/Loop option
      9. 14.9. Sound Optimization Overview
      10. 14.10. Publish Settings for Audio
        1. 14.10.1. The Set options
        2. 14.10.2. Supporting audio and MP3 playback
      11. 14.11. Fine-Tuning Sound Settings in the Library
        1. 14.11.1. Settings for audio in the library
        2. 14.11.2. Combining methods for controlling sounds
      12. 14.12. Final Sound Advice and Pointers
        1. 14.12.1. VBR (Variable Bit Rate) MP3
        2. 14.12.2. Optimizing sounds for bandwidth usage
        3. 14.12.3. Extracting a sound from a Flash document
      13. 14.13. Summary
    2. 15. Importing Artwork
      1. 15.1. Defining Vectors and Bitmaps
      2. 15.2. Knowing the File Formats for Import to Flash
      3. 15.3. Preparing Bitmaps
      4. 15.4. Preserving Bitmap Quality
      5. 15.5. Importing and Copying Bitmaps
        1. 15.5.1. Importing sequences
        2. 15.5.2. Working with layered bitmap files
          1. 15.5.2.1. Importing Photoshop (PSD) files
          2. 15.5.2.2. Importing Fireworks (PNG) files
        3. 15.5.3. Copying and pasting a bitmap into Flash
        4. 15.5.4. Applying color effects, alpha, and filters to bitmaps
      6. 15.6. Setting Bitmap Properties
        1. 15.6.1. Being prepared for common problems
        2. 15.6.2. Cross-browser consistency
      7. 15.7. Using the Bitmap Buttons in the Properties Panel
        1. 15.7.1. Swap
        2. 15.7.2. Edit
      8. 15.8. Making Sense of Bitmap Compression
        1. 15.8.1. 24-bit or 32-bit lossless source files
        2. 15.8.2. 8-bit lossless source files
        3. 15.8.3. Source files with lossy compression
      9. 15.9. Converting Rasters to Vectors
      10. 15.10. Using External Vector Graphics
      11. 15.11. Importing Vector Artwork
        1. 15.11.1. Copying and pasting a vector image into Flash
        2. 15.11.2. Importing Adobe Illustrator files
      12. 15.12. Optimizing Vectors
        1. 15.12.1. Interpreting complex vector artwork
        2. 15.12.2. Converting text to outlines
        3. 15.12.3. Optimizing curves
        4. 15.12.4. Runtime bitmap caching
      13. 15.13. Working with XFL: The Flash Format of the Future
      14. 15.14. Summary
    3. 16. Displaying Video
      1. 16.1. Integrating Video: The Solutions
        1. 16.1.1. Loading a Flash Video file at runtime
        2. 16.1.2. Real-time streaming a Flash Video file at runtime
        3. 16.1.3. Embedding video into a Flash movie
      2. 16.2. Importing the Video
        1. 16.2.1. An overview of codec options
        2. 16.2.2. Compressing video with Adobe Media Encoder CS4
          1. 16.2.2.1. General export settings
          2. 16.2.2.2. Video tab
          3. 16.2.2.3. Audio tab
          4. 16.2.2.4. Cue Points section
          5. 16.2.2.5. Crop tool
        3. 16.2.3. Using the Video Import wizard
          1. 16.2.3.1. Choosing a target Flash Player version
          2. 16.2.3.2. Choosing a source clip: The Select Video screen
          3. 16.2.3.3. Formatting the embedded video content: The Embedding screen
          4. 16.2.3.4. Controlling the video content: The Skinning screen
          5. 16.2.3.5. Reviewing your settings: The Finish Video Import screen
        4. 16.2.4. Deploying video files with Flash CS4
      3. 16.3. Using the FLVPlayback Component (AS3)
        1. 16.3.1. Working with the Component parameters
        2. 16.3.2. Using FLVPlayback Custom UI components
      4. 16.4. Working with Cue Points
      5. 16.5. Working with Video Alpha Channels
        1. 16.5.1. Live action footage
      6. 16.6. Summary
  11. V. Adding Basic Interactivity to Flash Movies
    1. 17. Understanding Actions and Event Handlers
      1. 17.1. Actions and Event Handlers
        1. 17.1.1. What is ActionScript?
        2. 17.1.2. Navigating the Actions panel
        3. 17.1.3. A brief primer on code syntax
          1. 17.1.3.1. White space
          2. 17.1.3.2. Parentheses
          3. 17.1.3.3. Semicolons and curly braces
      2. 17.2. Your First Five Actions
        1. 17.2.1. gotoAndPlay() and gotoAndStop()
        2. 17.2.2. nextFrame() and prevFrame()
        3. 17.2.3. nextScene() and prevScene()
        4. 17.2.4. play() and stop()
        5. 17.2.5. navigateToURL()
      3. 17.3. Making Actions Happen with Event Handlers
        1. 17.3.1. Combining an action with an event handler to make a functioning button
        2. 17.3.2. The Flash event handlers
          1. 17.3.2.1. Working with mouse events and buttons
            1. 17.3.2.1.1. MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN
            2. 17.3.2.1.2. MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP and MouseEvent.CLICK
            3. 17.3.2.1.3. MouseEvent.ROLL_OVER
            4. 17.3.2.1.4. MouseEvent.ROLL_OUT
          2. 17.3.2.2. Capturing time events with keyframes
      4. 17.4. Creating Invisible Buttons and Using getURL
      5. 17.5. Summary
    2. 18. Building Timelines and Interactions
      1. 18.1. A Brief History of Movie Clips: The Key to Self-Contained Playback
        1. 18.1.1. How Movie Clips interact within a Flash movie
        2. 18.1.2. One movie, several timelines
      2. 18.2. Targets and Paths Explained
        1. 18.2.1. Absolute paths
        2. 18.2.2. Relative paths
      3. 18.3. Targeting Movie Clips in Flash CS4
      4. 18.4. Summary
    3. 19. Making Your First Flash CS4 Project
      1. 19.1. The Main Timeline as the Site Layout
        1. 19.1.1. Creating a plan
        2. 19.1.2. Setting up a local folder structure
        3. 19.1.3. Determining Flash movie properties
        4. 19.1.4. Mapping presentation areas to keyframes
        5. 19.1.5. Creating content for each area
      2. 19.2. Adding Navigation Elements to the Main Timeline
        1. 19.2.1. Creating text buttons for a menu
        2. 19.2.2. Browsing the video items
      3. 19.3. Text Scrolling with the TextArea Component
      4. 19.4. Using the Custom BlurFader Component
      5. 19.5. Making the Movie Accessible
      6. 19.6. Summary
  12. VI. Distributing Flash Movies
    1. 20. Publishing Flash Movies
      1. 20.1. Testing Flash Movies
        1. 20.1.1. Using the Test Scene or Test Movie command
          1. 20.1.1.1. Test Movie
          2. 20.1.1.2. Test Scene
        2. 20.1.2. Using the Bandwidth Profiler
          1. 20.1.2.1. View menu
          2. 20.1.2.2. Control menu
          3. 20.1.2.3. Debug menu
        3. 20.1.3. Using the size report
      2. 20.2. Publishing Your Flash Movies
      3. 20.3. Publish Settings
        1. 20.3.1. Selecting formats
        2. 20.3.2. Using the Flash settings
        3. 20.3.3. Using the HTML settings
        4. 20.3.4. Using the GIF settings
        5. 20.3.5. Using the JPEG settings
        6. 20.3.6. Using the PNG settings
        7. 20.3.7. Creating Windows and Mac projectors
      4. 20.4. Publish Preview and Publish Commands
        1. 20.4.1. Using Publish Preview
        2. 20.4.2. Using Publish
      5. 20.5. Using Publish Profiles
      6. 20.6. Summary
    2. 21. Integrating Flash Content with Web Pages
      1. 21.1. Writing Markup for Flash Movies
        1. 21.1.1. Using the <object> tag
        2. 21.1.2. Using the <embed> tag
      2. 21.2. Detecting the Flash Player
        1. 21.2.1. Plug-in versus ActiveX: Forcing content without a check
        2. 21.2.2. Detecting the Flash Player with Flash CS4
        3. 21.2.3. Detecting the Flash Player with SWFObject
          1. 21.2.3.1. Reviewing the content
          2. 21.2.3.2. Creating the HTML document
      3. 21.3. Using Flash Movies with JavaScript and DHTML
        1. 21.3.1. A word of caution to Web developers
        2. 21.3.2. Understanding how Flash movies work with JavaScript
        3. 21.3.3. Changing HTML attributes
          1. 21.3.3.1. Adding ExternalInterface actions to a Flash movie
          2. 21.3.3.2. Enabling JavaScript for Flash movies
        4. 21.3.4. Adding a percentLoaded() method
      4. 21.4. Summary
    3. 22. Using the Flash Player and Projector
      1. 22.1. Using the Stand-Alone Flash Player and Projector
        1. 22.1.1. Creating a projector
          1. 22.1.1.1. Method 1: Using the Publish command
          2. 22.1.1.2. Method 2: Using the stand-alone Flash Player
        2. 22.1.2. Distribution and licensing
        3. 22.1.3. Distribution on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM
      2. 22.2. Stand-Alone Limitations and Solutions
      3. 22.3. Using the Flash Player Plug-in for Web Browsers
        1. 22.3.1. Supported operating systems
        2. 22.3.2. Supported browsers
        3. 22.3.3. Plug-in and Flash movie distribution on the Web
        4. 22.3.4. Plug-in installation
      4. 22.4. Using the Settings in Flash Player 6 and Later
        1. 22.4.1. Privacy
        2. 22.4.2. Local Storage
        3. 22.4.3. Microphone
        4. 22.4.4. Camera
      5. 22.5. Player Utilities
      6. 22.6. Summary
  13. VII. Approaching ActionScript
    1. 23. Knowing the Nuts and Bolts of Code
      1. 23.1. Breaking Down the Interactive Process
        1. 23.1.1. Define your problems
        2. 23.1.2. Clarify the solution
        3. 23.1.3. Translate the solution into the interactive language
      2. 23.2. The Basic Context for Programming in Flash
        1. 23.2.1. Accessing ActionScript commands
        2. 23.2.2. Actions list organization in the Actions panel
        3. 23.2.3. The Help documentation
        4. 23.2.4. ActionScript 1.0 and 2.0
      3. 23.3. One Part of the Sum: ActionScript Variables
        1. 23.3.1. String literals
        2. 23.3.2. Expressions
        3. 23.3.3. Variables as declarations
      4. 23.4. Declaring Variables in ActionScript
        1. 23.4.1. Using actions to define variables
        2. 23.4.2. Loading variables from a predefined source
        3. 23.4.3. Establishing variables with HTML
      5. 23.5. Creating Expressions in ActionScript
        1. 23.5.1. Operators
          1. 23.5.1.1. General and numeric operators
          2. 23.5.1.2. String operators
          3. 23.5.1.3. Logical operators
        2. 23.5.2. Checking conditions: if . . . else actions
        3. 23.5.3. Branching conditions with switch() and case
        4. 23.5.4. Loops
          1. 23.5.4.1. while (condition) { actions }
          2. 23.5.4.2. do { actions } while (condition);
          3. 23.5.4.3. for (initialize; condition; next) { actions }
          4. 23.5.4.4. for (variableIterant in object) { actions }
          5. 23.5.4.5. for each (propertyValue in object) { actions }
          6. 23.5.4.6. break
          7. 23.5.4.7. continue
          8. 23.5.4.8. Adding a loop to your actions list
        5. 23.5.5. Properties
        6. 23.5.6. Built-in functions
        7. 23.5.7. Creating and calling subroutines
      6. 23.6. Creating a Login Sequence with Variables
      7. 23.7. Summary
    2. 24. Controlling Movie Clips
      1. 24.1. Movie Clips: The Object Overview
        1. 24.1.1. Movie Clip properties
        2. 24.1.2. Movie Clip methods
        3. 24.1.3. Event listener methods: The flexible Movie Clip handler
        4. 24.1.4. Other classes and functions that use the MovieClip object
          1. 24.1.4.1. ColorTransform class
          2. 24.1.4.2. Mouse class
          3. 24.1.4.3. PrintJob API
          4. 24.1.4.4. with() action
      2. 24.2. Working with Movie Clip Properties
        1. 24.2.1. Positioning Movie Clips
        2. 24.2.2. Scaling Movie Clips
        3. 24.2.3. Rotating Movie Clip instances
      3. 24.3. Creating Draggable Movie Clips
        1. 24.3.1. Drag-and-drop basics
          1. 24.3.1.1. Lock mouse to center
          2. 24.3.1.2. Constrain dragging area to a rectangle
        2. 24.3.2. Detecting the drop position: Using dropTarget
        3. 24.3.3. Making alpha, scale, and blur sliders
          1. 24.3.3.1. Assembling the parts
          2. 24.3.3.2. Building the sliders
          3. 24.3.3.3. Checking the positions of the sliders
          4. 24.3.3.4. Removing Movie Clip instances
      4. 24.4. Summary
    3. 25. Using Functions and Arrays
      1. 25.1. What Are Data Types?
        1. 25.1.1. String
        2. 25.1.2. Number
        3. 25.1.3. Boolean
        4. 25.1.4. Object
        5. 25.1.5. Function
        6. 25.1.6. Undefined
        7. 25.1.7. Checking data types with typeof
        8. 25.1.8. Checking class type in ActionScript 3.0
          1. 25.1.8.1. Using the is operator
          2. 25.1.8.2. Using the getQualifiedClassName() method
      2. 25.2. Overview of Functions as Procedures
        1. 25.2.1. What functions do
        2. 25.2.2. When to create a function
        3. 25.2.3. How to define a function
        4. 25.2.4. How to execute a function
      3. 25.3. Managing Related Data: The Array Class
      4. 25.4. Creating a Dynamic Reusable Flash Menu
      5. 25.5. Summary
    4. 26. Interacting with Movie Clips
      1. 26.1. Movie Clip Collision Detection
        1. 26.1.1. Using dropTarget
        2. 26.1.2. Collision detection with hitTestObject() and hitTestPoint()
      2. 26.2. Using the Mouse Class
      3. 26.3. Manipulating Color Attributes
        1. 26.3.1. Creating a ColorTransform object
        2. 26.3.2. Setting multiplier and offset values
      4. 26.4. Enabling Sound with ActionScript
        1. 26.4.1. Creating sounds with ActionScript
        2. 26.4.2. Creating a SoundTransform object
        3. 26.4.3. Creating volume and balance sliders for sounds
      5. 26.5. Printing with ActionScript
      6. 26.6. Summary
  14. VIII. Applying ActionScript
    1. 27. Animating with ActionScript
      1. 27.1. Reviewing the Tween Parameters
      2. 27.2. Making an Object Move Back and Forth
      3. 27.3. Animating 3D Properties
      4. 27.4. Following the Mouse Cursor
      5. 27.5. Summary
    2. 28. Sharing and Loading Assets
      1. 28.1. Managing Smooth Movie Download and Display
      2. 28.2. Preloading a Flash Movie
      3. 28.3. Loading Flash Movies
        1. 28.3.1. Basic overview of Flash site architecture
        2. 28.3.2. Loading an external .swf file into a movie
        3. 28.3.3. How Flash handles loaded movies of differing dimensions
        4. 28.3.4. Placing, scaling, and rotating externally loaded Flash movies
      4. 28.4. Loading Images into Flash Movies
      5. 28.5. Loading MP3 Audio into Flash Movies
      6. 28.6. Loading a Flash Video into a Flash Movie
      7. 28.7. Displaying a Flash Video at Its Native Size
        1. 28.7.1. Adjusting video size with metadata
        2. 28.7.2. Setting the video size without metadata
      8. 28.8. Accessing Items in Shared Libraries
        1. 28.8.1. Setting up a shared library file
        2. 28.8.2. Specifying the shared library's location
        3. 28.8.3. Publishing the shared library movie file
        4. 28.8.4. Linking to assets from other movies
        5. 28.8.5. Updating shared assets
      9. 28.9. Summary
    3. 29. Sending Data In and Out of Flash
      1. 29.1. Using Text Fields to Store and Display Data
        1. 29.1.1. Input text fields
        2. 29.1.2. Dynamic text fields
      2. 29.2. Defining a Data Process with States
        1. 29.2.1. Input state
        2. 29.2.2. Send state
        3. 29.2.3. Wait state
        4. 29.2.4. Output state
      3. 29.3. Creating a User Comment Form
      4. 29.4. Using XML Data in Flash Movies
        1. 29.4.1. Understanding XML
        2. 29.4.2. Loading an XML document into a Flash movie
          1. 29.4.2.1. The XML object
          2. 29.4.2.2. The URLLoader class revisited
      5. 29.5. Summary
    4. 30. Applying HTML and Text Field Formatting
      1. 30.1. Exploring HTML Usage in Text Fields
        1. 30.1.1. Supported HTML tags
          1. 30.1.1.1. Font and paragraph styles
          2. 30.1.1.2. URL and ActionScript linking
        2. 30.1.2. Formatting text with the Properties panel
        3. 30.1.3. Inserting HTML tags into text fields with ActionScript
        4. 30.1.4. Formatting fields with the TextFormat object
        5. 30.1.5. Applying style sheets to text fields
          1. 30.1.5.1. Making the style sheet
          2. 30.1.5.2. Loading the style sheet into a Flash movie
        6. 30.1.6. Inserting images into text fields
        7. 30.1.7. Using the TextEvent.LINK event with anchor tags
      2. 30.2. Controlling Text Field Properties
        1. 30.2.1. Scroll properties
        2. 30.2.2. Text rendering properties
          1. 30.2.2.1. Working with authortime TextField instances
          2. 30.2.2.2. Controlling anti-aliasing with runtime TextField instances
          3. 30.2.2.3. Comparing anti-aliasing effects
      3. 30.3. Pixel-based Text Scrolling with Movie Clips
      4. 30.4. Summary
    5. 31. Creating a Game in Flash
      1. 31.1. The Game Plan: Four Phases of Game Design
        1. 31.1.1. Game design
        2. 31.1.2. Interaction design
        3. 31.1.3. Visual and sound design
        4. 31.1.4. Scripting
      2. 31.2. Building the Project
      3. 31.3. Scripting the Game
      4. 31.4. Initializing the Game
        1. 31.4.1. Main Timeline and Document Class overview
        2. 31.4.2. The Hangman.as document class
        3. 31.4.3. The shared font layer
        4. 31.4.4. The placeholder GameView instance
      5. 31.5. Building the Interface
        1. 31.5.1. Creating text fields
        2. 31.5.2. Creating the alphabet
      6. 31.6. Starting the Game
        1. 31.6.1. Display the letters of the alphabet
        2. 31.6.2. Choose a random word
        3. 31.6.3. Create the letters of the displayed word
      7. 31.7. The User Input
      8. 31.8. Interpreting the User Input
        1. 31.8.1. Was the letter selected before?
        2. 31.8.2. Is the letter part of the word?
      9. 31.9. Checking the Status of the Game
        1. 31.9.1. Is the word complete?
        2. 31.9.2. Is the hangman complete?
        3. 31.9.3. Are there more words to guess?
        4. 31.9.4. How do you end the round?
        5. 31.9.5. Removing the hangman
        6. 31.9.6. Reset the game or just the round?
      10. 31.10. Added Feature: Storing User and Game Information
      11. 31.11. Summary
    6. 32. Using Components
      1. 32.1. What Are Components?
      2. 32.2. Why Use Components?
      3. 32.3. Compiled Clips: A Specific Component Format
      4. 32.4. How to Add a Component
      5. 32.5. Where to Find Components, Assets, and Parameters
        1. 32.5.1. Components panel
        2. 32.5.2. Component Inspector panel
        3. 32.5.3. Library panel
        4. 32.5.4. Actions panel and ActionScript
      6. 32.6. Modifying Component Color Properties and Parameters
      7. 32.7. Removing Components from Your Movie
      8. 32.8. Components in Flash CS4
        1. 32.8.1. Button component
          1. 32.8.1.1. Parameters
          2. 32.8.1.2. How it works
        2. 32.8.2. CheckBox component
          1. 32.8.2.1. Parameters
          2. 32.8.2.2. How it works
        3. 32.8.3. ComboBox component
          1. 32.8.3.1. Parameters
          2. 32.8.3.2. How it works
        4. 32.8.4. List component
          1. 32.8.4.1. Parameters
          2. 32.8.4.2. How it works
        5. 32.8.5. RadioButton component
          1. 32.8.5.1. Parameters
          2. 32.8.5.2. How it works
        6. 32.8.6. ScrollPane component
          1. 32.8.6.1. Parameters
          2. 32.8.6.2. How it works
        7. 32.8.7. TextArea component
          1. 32.8.7.1. Parameters
          2. 32.8.7.2. How it works
        8. 32.8.8. UIScrollBar component
          1. 32.8.8.1. Parameters
          2. 32.8.8.2. How it works
      9. 32.9. Understanding the Listener Event Model for Components
        1. 32.9.1. What a typical listener looks like
        2. 32.9.2. Letting the component know who its listeners are
      10. 32.10. Using Components in Your Movie
      11. 32.11. Modifying Components
        1. 32.11.1. Global style formats
        2. 32.11.2. Changing styles for a component class
        3. 32.11.3. Changing styles for individual instances
      12. 32.12. Using Embedded Fonts with Components
      13. 32.13. Modifying AS3 Component Skins
      14. 32.14. Using the UILoader and ProgressBar Components
        1. 32.14.1. Adding a UILoader component to your Flash movie
        2. 32.14.2. Applying the ProgressBar component
      15. 32.15. Custom Components
        1. 32.15.1. Live preview
        2. 32.15.2. Exchanging and acquiring components
      16. 32.16. Summary
    7. 33. Building an Image Gallery Component
      1. 33.1. Creating a Plan
        1. 33.1.1. Describing the feature set
        2. 33.1.2. Determining the server-side scripting requirements
          1. 33.1.2.1. files.php
          2. 33.1.2.2. resize.php
          3. 33.1.2.3. JPEG-Meta.php
      2. 33.2. Phase 1: Setting Up the Gallery Class
        1. 33.2.1. Reviewing the starter files
          1. 33.2.1.1. EasyFilter.as
          2. 33.2.1.2. main_starter.fla
        2. 33.2.2. Constructing the Gallery component
      3. 33.3. Phase 2: Loading Thumbnails into the ScrollPane
        1. 33.3.1. Uploading scripts and images to your Web server
        2. 33.3.2. Building data properties for the Gallery class
        3. 33.3.3. Architecting the Thumbnail class
        4. 33.3.4. Creating thumbnail holders in the Gallery class
      4. 33.4. Phase 3: Displaying the Full-Size JPEG Image
        1. 33.4.1. Loading the full-size image
        2. 33.4.2. Updating the scroll bar and auto-loading the first image
      5. 33.5. Phase 4: Enhancing the Thumbnail and Image States
        1. 33.5.1. Tracking the selected thumbnail
        2. 33.5.2. Framing the selected thumbnail with the BevelFilter class
        3. 33.5.3. Creating a loading transition with the BitmapData and BlurFilter classes
        4. 33.5.4. Transitioning thumbnail states with the Tween and ColorMatrixFilter classes
        5. 33.5.5. Setting the image caption
        6. 33.5.6. Completing the thumbnail button handlers
        7. 33.5.7. Building a right-click download menu item for the full-size JPEG
      6. 33.6. Phase 5: Finalizing the Component
        1. 33.6.1. Copying existing component class files
        2. 33.6.2. Adding the component definition
        3. 33.6.3. Changing script paths for final deployment
      7. 33.7. Summary
  15. IX. Appendixes
    1. A. Using the CD-ROM
      1. A.1. Reviewing Example .swf and .fla Files
      2. A.2. Installing and Using Plug-Ins and Applications
      3. A.3. Source Files and Applications
      4. A.4. Troubleshooting
      5. A.5. Customer Care
    2. B. Guest Experts' Information
    3. C. Digital Audio Basics
      1. C.1. Understanding the Basics of Sampling and Quality
        1. C.1.1. What is sound?
        2. C.1.2. What affects the quality and size of sound files?
          1. C.1.2.1. Sample rate
          2. C.1.2.2. Bit resolution
          3. C.1.2.3. Channels
      2. C.2. Getting Tips on Production
    4. D. Digital Video Basics
      1. D.1. Garbage In, Garbage Out: Controlling Video Quality
        1. D.1.1. Source format
        2. D.1.2. Image quality
        3. D.1.3. Sound quality
        4. D.1.4. Subject matter
      2. D.2. Editing Footage
      3. D.3. Choosing an Import Format

Product information

  • Title: Adobe® Flash® CS4 Professional Bible
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: February 2009
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780470379189