Welcome to the beginners guide to flash! I will (hopefully) be updating this tutorial section weekly (if not more), and as I learn more so will you! If there is anything you are unclear on just post a comment and ask, or if there is something specific you need to know just email me here.
In this tutorial you will learn the VERY basics, so if you have never used flash before you are in the right place! I will show you basic navigation around the interface, how to add / remove frames and create a basic tweens.
Well, first things first, lets take a look at the Flash Interface when you first open a new file. Please click here for a full size image. As you can see I have too much time on my hands and have labelled the major parts we will be working with.
Now, on with the tutorial!
STEP 1
First, in the properties panel set the frame rate to 31(or there abouts), this will create a smoother animation. In the layers panel rename layer 1 to ‘circle’. Select frame 1 on the timeline, then click and hold on the rectangle shape button and select the circle shape tool. Click and hold on the border colour, and select none (at the top of the colour panel, white square with red line through). Draw a circle on the stage, holding shift to keep it proportionate.
After all this hard labour, your stage should now look like this:
Yes I know, its a white stage with a blue circle & nothing particularly interesting! Now we shall animate this circle using the timeline and tweens.
STEP 2
Click on frame 15 on the timeline and press f5, this will add new frames between frame 1 & 15 to give you some room to play with. Select the last frame on this timeline, and convert to a keyframe by pressing f6. (This can be done via insert>timeline>frame, but using these simple shortcut keys is a great timesaver so you may as well learn them now!)
Your timeline should now look like this:
STEP 3
Select the last frame in the timeline as above (your newly created keyframe). In the toolbar choose the selection tool. If you hover around the edge of your circle on the stage, you will see the cursor change. At this point, click and drag to alter the shape of your circle. Once will do for this example but feel free to change the shape as much as you like!
With any luck you should now have something like this:
STEP 4
Now, for the tween. On the timeline, right click anwhere between frame 1 & 15, select shape tween. Done!
Hit ctrl+ enter, and watch your shape move!
Well, thats the end of this tutorial im afraid. Hopefully if you are new to flash this has helped give you a basis to work from. Have a play, do some shape tweening and sit tight for part 2 of Flash for Beginners coming soon!
The Dude
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