How to Use Macromedia Flash Professional 8

Macromedia Flash 8 is a multipurpose multimedia application designed to create dynamic animations. Your project progresses like a movie along a timeline. It incorporates audio and video, as well as image and text effects. Once you build an animation using the interface, you save your creation with the option of multiple outputs. The most commonly used output aside from the FLA source file is the SWF file, which displays your animation. Create a fading text animation to become familiar with using Flash.

• 1

  Create a new Flash file by choosing "New" from the File menu. Use the text tool from the Tools panel to type text, for example, "It's Easy to Be Green." Press "F8" to create a movie clip of the text. This is a Flash object that will enable manipulation of the text.

• 2

  Click in frame 50 of the timeline and create a keyframe by pressing "F6." A keyframe enables a change in animation flow, such as stopping or changing direction. Click on the text movie clip and change the Properties panel "Color" setting to "Alpha." Set the alpha value to 0%.

• 3

  Click in frame one and set the "Tween" button to "Motion." This instructs Flash to fade the text by creating the necessary increments of alpha to get your text from 100% in frame one to 0% in frame 50.

• 4

  Press "Ctrl" and "Enter" to create the SWF and display the animation. The text fades. You can also execute the SWF outside of Flash by clicking on it from its saved location.