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Learning Flash CS4 Professional

Learning Flash CS4 Professional

by Rich Shupe
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Release Date: April 2009
ISBN: 9780596803575
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Book Description

Learning Flash CS4 Professional offers beginners and intermediate Flash developers a unique introduction to the latest version of Adobe's powerful multimedia application. This easy-to-read book is loaded with full-color examples and hands-on tasks to help you master Flash CS4's new motion editor, integrated 3D system, and character control with the new inverse kinematics animation system. No previous Flash experience is necessary.

This book will help you:

  • Understand Flash fundamentals with clear, concise information you can use right away
  • Learn key concepts and techniques in every chapter, with annotated screenshots and illustrations
  • Develop an ongoing project that utilizes material from every chapter
  • Practice new skills and test your understanding with constructive exercises
  • Learn how to package your work for distribution on the Web and through AIR desktop applications
  • Download sample files and discuss additional Flash features on the companion blog

As part of the Adobe Developer Library, this is the most authoritative guide to Flash CS4 available. Get moving with Flash today!

Table of Contents

  1. Learning Flash CS4 Professional
  2. FOREWORD
  3. Preface
    1. A Dynamic Duo
    2. Can I See Your Portfolio?
    3. Who This Book Is For
    4. What Is—and Isn’t—in This Book
      1. What’s In
      2. What’s Not
    5. Companion Website
    6. Related Resources
    7. Conventions Used in This Book
    8. Project Progress
    9. Using Code Examples
    10. We’d Like to Hear from You
    11. Safari® Books Online
    12. Acknowledgments
    13. About the Author
    14. Colophon
  4. 1. INTERFACE ESSENTIALS
    1. Introduction
    2. Getting to Know the Flash CS4 Interface
      1. Creating a New Document
      2. Using the New Application Window
      3. Understanding Panels
        1. Tools
        2. Properties
        3. Library
        4. Other common panels
      4. Understanding the Timeline
        1. Layers
        2. Keyframes and interpolated frames
    3. Customizing Your Interface
      1. Selecting and Editing a Workspace
      2. Minimizing Panels
      3. Grouping and Docking Panels
        1. Dock or group?
      4. The Preferences Dialog
      5. Customizing the Tools Panel
      6. Keyboard Shortcuts
    4. Project Progress
      1. Creating Your First FLA
      2. Importing Your First Asset
      3. Creating Your First Shape
      4. Testing Your File
      5. Creating a Guide Layer
      6. Adding Utility Layers
      7. Saving Your File As a Template
      8. The Project Continues...
  5. 2. CREATING GRAPHICS
    1. Introduction
    2. Drawing Modes
      1. Merge Drawing Mode
        1. Union, intersection, and deselecting
      2. Object Drawing Mode
      3. Grouping and Breaking Apart
      4. Drawing au Naturel
      5. Drawing with Bézier Curves
      6. Selecting
    3. Using Fills and Strokes
      1. Selecting Separately
      2. Stroke Properties
      3. Mining Properties with Tools
    4. Working with Color
      1. Pop-Up Palette
      2. Swatches Panel
      3. Color Panel
        1. Creating gradients
      4. Kuler Panel
    5. Using Context-Sensitive Tool Options
      1. Paint Modes
      2. Erase Modes
    6. Transforming Assets
      1. Free Transform Tool
      2. Transform Panel
      3. Gradient Transform Tool
    7. Creating Static Text
    8. Using the Spray Brush
      1. Creating a Symbol
    9. Project Progress
      1. Creating a New File and Container Movie Clip
      2. Adding Title Text and Underline
      3. Adding Skills Text and Underline
      4. Cascading Rectangles Primitives
      5. Applying a Gradient to the Cascade
      6. Adding Grime
      7. The Project Continues...
  6. 3. USING SYMBOLS
    1. Introduction
    2. Symbol Types
      1. Button
        1. Creating your first button
        2. Editing your button
        3. Writing your first script
      2. Movie Clip
      3. Graphic
      4. Converting Symbol Types
    3. Creating and Editing Symbols
      1. Convert to Symbol and Edit in Place
      2. Insert Symbol and Edit Selected
    4. Reusing Symbols
    5. Using the Deco Tool
      1. Vine Fill
      2. Grid Fill
      3. Symmetry Brush
    6. Project Progress
      1. Creating the Sound Controller
        1. Using layer masks
        2. The controller parts
        3. Assembling the pieces
      2. Adding ActionScript-Controlled Animation
      3. The Project Continues...
  7. 4. IMPORTING GRAPHICS
    1. Introduction
    2. Importing Graphics
      1. Importing Nonnative Formats
      2. Importing from SWF
      3. Importing from Adobe Photoshop
        1. Supported Photoshop features
        2. Using the Import dialog
        3. Configuring the PSD Importer preferences
      4. Importing from Adobe Illustrator
        1. Supported Illustrator features
        2. Using the Import dialog
        3. Configuring the AI Importer preferences
      5. Importing from Other Native Formats
    3. Importing an Image Sequence
    4. Working with Bitmaps
      1. Publish Settings
      2. Bitmap Properties
      3. Tracing a Bitmap
      4. Using a Bitmap As a Tile
    5. Project Progress
      1. Importing the Interface Shell
      2. Importing the Background
      3. Importing the Logo
      4. Importing the Lab Screen
      5. The Project Continues...
  8. 5. ANIMATION
    1. Introduction
    2. Knowing the Timeline
      1. Layers
      2. Frames
        1. Adding and removing frames
        2. Creating and clearing keyframes
      3. Frame Editing Controls
    3. Creating Frame-by-Frame Animations
      1. Editing Multiple Frames
      2. Copying and Pasting Frames
      3. Swap Symbols
    4. Creating a Shape Tween
      1. Shape Hints
    5. Adding a Layer Mask
    6. Creating a Motion Tween
      1. Editing the Motion Path
      2. Drawing a Motion Guide
        1. Roving keyframes
        2. Reversing a motion path
      3. Color Effects
    7. Using Motion Presets
    8. Copying Motion
    9. Using the Motion Editor Panel
      1. Adding Property Keyframes in the Motion Editor
      2. Editing Property Curves in the Motion Editor
    10. Easing
      1. Adding Easing with the Motion Editor
      2. Creating a Custom Easing Preset
    11. Creating a Classic Tween
      1. Adding Easing with the Properties Panel
      2. Custom Easing
      3. Classic Motion Guide
    12. Project Progress
      1. Inner Section Timeline Structure
        1. Adding layers and frame labels
        2. Inserting frame scripts
        3. Tweening the motion blur
        4. Creating content spans and adding content
      2. Project-Wide Timeline Structure
        1. Defining the length of each layer frame span
        2. User interface motion tweens
        3. Viewer wheel classic motion tween intro animation
        4. Viewer wheel classic motion tween section animations
      3. Button Script
      4. Testing Your Work
      5. The Project Continues...
  9. 6. ACTIONSCRIPT BASICS
    1. Introduction
    2. How Much ActionScript Is Covered in This Book?
    3. Introducing ActionScript Interface Elements
      1. Actions Panel
      2. Output Panel
    4. Basic Script Grammar
      1. Introducing Properties
      2. Introducing Methods
      3. Introducing Events and Event Listeners
    5. Basic Syntax Issues
      1. Dot Syntax
      2. Case Sensitivity
      3. Execution Order
      4. Use of the Semicolon(;)
      5. Evaluating an Expression
      6. Absolute Versus Relative Addresses
      7. Comments
      8. Checking and Formatting Your Scripts
    6. Variables and Data Types
    7. Casting Data Types
    8. Operators
    9. Scope and this
    10. Functions
      1. Arguments
      2. Return Values
    11. Conditionals
      1. if
      2. switch
    12. Loops
      1. for Loop
      2. while Loop
      3. A Loop Caveat
    13. Arrays
      1. Multidimensional Arrays
      2. Associative Arrays and Objects
    14. Properties
    15. Methods
    16. Events
      1. Event Listeners
      2. Using Mouse Events to Control Properties and Methods
      3. Frame Events
    17. Removing Event Listeners
    18. The Display List
      1. Adding and Removing Children
      2. Using addChild()
      3. Adding Symbol Instances to the Display List from the Library
      4. Using addChildAt()
      5. Removing Objects from the Display List and from Memory
        1. Preventing out-of-bounds errors
        2. Removing objects from memory
      6. Finding Children by Position and by Name
      7. Casting a Display Object
    19. Timeline Control
      1. Frame Labels
      2. Frame Rate
    20. Project Progress
      1. Chapter 3: The Deco Tool
      2. Chapter 5: The Portfolio Project Navigation
      3. The Project Continues...
  10. 7. FILTERS AND BLEND MODES
    1. Introduction
    2. Bitmap Caching
      1. The Properties Panel
      2. The ActionScript Method
    3. Filters
      1. Filter Inventory
      2. The Properties Panel
      3. The ActionScript
        1. Configuring a filter
        2. Applying a filter
      4. Filters in Practice
    4. Blend Modes
      1. Blend Mode Inventory
      2. The Properties Panel
      3. ActionScript
      4. Blend Modes in Practice
    5. Alpha Masks
      1. The Timeline Limitation
      2. The Blend Mode Solutions
      3. The ActionScript Solution
    6. Project Progress
      1. Confirming the Imported Blend Mode
      2. Filters
        1. Make the UI glow
        2. Making button states with drop shadows
      3. The Project Continues...
  11. 8. 3D
    1. Introduction
    2. Moving Objects in 3D Space
      1. Translating 3D Objects
      2. Rotating 3D Objects
      3. Transforming Multiple Objects in 3D Space
      4. Changing the 3D Center Point
      5. Global Versus Local 3D Transformations
    3. Global 3D Environment Settings
      1. Vanishing Point
      2. Perspective Angle
        1. Changing the perspective angle when changing the stage size
      3. Taking Advantage of Global 3D Settings with Movie Clip Containers
    4. Animating 3D Properties
    5. Depth Management
    6. Parallax Scrolling
    7. Using ActionScript to Change 3D Properties
      1. Practical Demonstrations
        1. Rotation
        2. Translation
        3. Vanishing point
        4. Perspective angle
    8. Project Progress
      1. Adding Depth for Parallax Scrolling
      2. Animating the Gallery
      3. Adding ActionScript Control
      4. Adding a Layer Mask
      5. Adding the Gallery to the Main Project File
      6. The Project Continues...
  12. 9. COMPONENTS
    1. Introduction
    2. Adding and Configuring Components
    3. Functionality Without Programming
      1. Scrolling Text
    4. Adding a Pinch of ActionScript
      1. Triggering Actions with Buttons
    5. Working Hand-in-Hand with Code
      1. Navigating with Menus
    6. Skinning UI Components
    7. Project Progress
      1. Loading an External Graphic at Runtime
      2. Display Details of a Larger Image
      3. The Project Continues...
  13. 10. INVERSE KINEMATICS
    1. Introduction
    2. Anatomy of an Armature
    3. Using the Bone Tool with Movie Clips
    4. Authortime Mode
      1. Tweening Armatures
      2. Armature Easing
    5. Runtime Mode
    6. Joint Rotation and Translation
      1. Constraining Joint Rotation
        1. Adding a bone
        2. Setting minimum and maximum rotation angles
        3. Determining numeric values for rotation constraint settings
        4. Seeing the constraints in action
      2. Enabling Joint Translation
    7. Transforming Movie Clips and Armatures
    8. Using the Bone Tool with Shapes
      1. Using the Bind Tool
      2. Adjusting Points
    9. Basic ActionScript
      1. Supporting Runtime Armature Use Beyond Frame 1
      2. Posing an Armature with Code
    10. Project Progress
      1. The Project Continues...
  14. 11. TEXT
    1. Introduction
    2. Components
      1. Using the Component Inspector Panel to Configure Text Components
      2. Using ActionScript to Configure Text Components
        1. Common coding
        2. TextArea
        3. TextInput
        4. Label
    3. Configuring Text Fields with the Flash Interface
      1. Dynamic Text
        1. Character
        2. Paragraph
        3. Options
        4. Filters
      2. Input Text
      3. Static Text
    4. Resizing Text Fields
    5. Configuring Text Fields with ActionScript
      1. Dynamic Text
      2. Input Text
    6. Formatting Text
      1. Fonts
        1. Device fonts
        2. Custom fonts
        3. Embedding fonts
      2. ActionScript
    7. Using HTML
    8. Using CSS
    9. Loading Text
    10. Using InDesign and XFL
    11. Project Progress
      1. Cosmetic Assets
        1. Page title
        2. Blurb
        3. Flourishes
      2. Dynamic Text Field
      3. Input Text Field
      4. The Project Continues...
  15. 12. AUDIO
    1. Introduction
    2. Supported File Formats
      1. Importing Audio
      2. External Audio Playback
    3. Compression
      1. Compressing External Sounds
      2. Internal Asset-Specific Sound Properties
      3. Internal File-Wide Publish Settings
    4. Timeline Use
      1. Sync Types
      2. Repeating and Looping
    5. Editing a Sound
      1. Setting Volume and Pan
      2. Using an External Editor
    6. ActionScript Use
      1. Playing a Library Sound
      2. Playing an External Sound
      3. Setting Volume and Pan
      4. Visualizing Volume
    7. Project Progress
      1. Scripting the Sound Controller
      2. The Project Continues...
  16. 13. VIDEO
    1. Introduction
    2. Video Formats
    3. Encoding Software
      1. On2 Flix
      2. Sorenson Squeeze
      3. Adobe Media Encoder
        1. Video settings
        2. Audio settings
        3. Trimming
        4. Cue points
        5. Cropping
        6. Other
        7. Encoding
    4. Playing Video with the FLVPlayback Component
    5. Full-Screen Video
    6. Captioning Video
    7. Streaming Versus Progressive Download
    8. Embedding Videos in a SWF
      1. When to Embed
      2. When Not to Embed
    9. Project Progress
      1. Adding Video
      2. The Project Continues...
  17. 14. PUBLISHING AND DEPLOYING
    1. Introduction
    2. Using a Preloader
      1. The Assets
      2. The ActionScript
      3. Testing Your Preloader
      4. Project Progress Preloader
    3. Distributing External Assets
    4. Deploying for Web Browsers
      1. Publish Settings: Format
      2. Publish Settings: Flash
        1. General
        2. Images and Sounds
        3. SWF Settings
        4. Advanced
      3. Publish Settings: HTML
      4. Deployment
      5. Project Progress HTML
    5. Deploying for AIR
      1. Publish Settings
        1. Application settings
        2. Use custom application descriptor file
        3. Installer settings
        4. Digital certificates
        5. Creating a self-signed digital certificate
      2. Deployment
      3. Project Progress AIR
    6. What’s Next?
  18. Index
  19. About the Author
  20. Copyright