Macromedia Flash 8Revealed
CREATING SPECIAL EFFECTS
2Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Create shape-tweened animations
Create a mask effect
Add sound
Add scenes
Create an animated navigation bar
Chapter Lessons
3Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Special effects can add variety and interest to a movie
Morphing– Changing one shape into another
Spotlight– Highlighting an area, or revealing part of
the stage
Special Effects
4Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Special Effects Sound Effects
Animated Navigation Bar– Causes a drop down menu when the
user rolls over a button
5Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Creating Shape Tween Animations
Greater control over shape transformations than with motion tweening
Can shift initial object’s shape into any form you desire
Can also change other properties of color, location, and size
6Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Morphing EffectsChanging one object into another unrelated object
Requires only two keyframes
The number of frames between keyframes determines how quickly the morphing takes place
7Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Shape TweeningCan be applied only to editable graphics– To apply to instances, groups, text blocks
or bitmaps, use “Break Apart”– A “Broken Apart” instance is no longer
linked to its symbol
You can shape tween more than one object at a time as long as all objects are on the same layer
8Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Shape TweeningShape tween an object in a straight line; rotating option unavailable
Use the Properties inspector to set acceleration and deceleration
Shape hints used to control more complex shape changes
9Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Properties Panel Options
Ease– Adjust the rate of change between
frames to create a more natural appearance
• Between -1 and -100 will begin the tween gradually and accelerate
• Between 1 and 100, begin the tween rapidly and then decelerate
10Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Properties Panel Options
Blend– Distributive for smoother, irregular shapes– Angular preserves corners and straight
lines– Flash defaults to Distributive option
11Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Properties Panel Options
12Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Shape HintsControl a shape’s transition appearance during animation
Hints specified at the beginning and end of an animation correspond with one another
Hint suggests how the object should morph
13Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Shape Hints
14Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Create a Mask Effect
A mask layer allows you to cover up objects on another layer(s), and create a window through which you can view various objects on the other layer
Moving the window around can give you a spotlight effect
15Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Understanding Mask Layers
You need at least two layers– Mask layer contains the window object
through which you view objects on the layer below
– The masked layer is the second layer which contains the objects that are viewed through the window
16Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
The Masking ProcessSelect masked layer containingobjects to be revealed
Create new “Mask” layer above
Draw a filled shape– Flash ignores bitmaps, gradients,
transparencies
Use Layer Properties Dialog box to declare new layer a mask
17Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
The Masking ProcessLock both layers
Mask additional layers by dragging layers beneath the mask layer
To unmask a layer, drag it above the mask layer, or select and declare it normal through Layer Properties
18Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
19Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Add Sound
Sound adds impact to Flash movies
Quick process– Import the sound file into the Library– Create a new layer– Select the desired frame and drag the
sound symbol onto the stage– Multiple sounds may go on each layer
20Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Sound FormatsFlash supports– WAV (Windows Only)– AIFF (Macintosh Only)– MP3(Windows and Macintosh)– With QuickTime 4, Flash accepts add’l
sound formats
21Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Managing Sound
The Properties inspector allows you to synchronize sound and add basic effects like fades
Preview sounds in the Library
22Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Adding Sound to Buttons
Open the Button Symbol
Create a sound layer and insert a keyframe in the down frame
Drag a sound from the Library
23Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Working with Scenes
As your timelines grow, scenes help manage the Flash movie
To add a Scene, choose Insert >Scene, or use the Scene command from the Modify menu
24Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
The Scene PanelScene Panel allows you to manage and name your scenes– Rename a scene– Duplicate a scene– Add a scene– Delete a scene– Reorder scenes
25Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Working with Scenes
New scenes can be created with new content
Split existing content into multiple scenes by copying and pasting frames from one scene’s timeline to another
26Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Adding Interactivity to Scenes
By default, Flash plays scenes in order
Buttons can cause a movie to jump from one scene to another
Frame scripts can cause a movie to jump from one scene to another
27Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Adding Interactivity to Scenes
28Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Create an Animated Navigation Bar
Provides user with many options without cluttering the screen
Allows the user to go quickly to another location without navigation
Provides consistency in function and appearance
29Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Create an Animated Navigation Bar
The Process– Create a navigation bar– Position the drop-down buttons– Add the animated mask– Assign actions to the drop down
buttons– Assign a rollover action to the
Navigation bar button– Create an invisible button
30Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Using Frame LabelsFrame labels can be used in ActionScript codeAssign a label to a frame as an identifierIf you insert frames into the timeline, the label adjusts to the framesThe descriptive labels help you identify frames
31Creating Special Effects Chapter 5
Chapter 5 TasksCreate shape-tweened animation
Create a mask effect
Add sound
Add scenes
Create a slide show presentation