How to animate in flash

More and more people are turning to digital software to unleash their creative side and make animations. Animations are a great way to tell stories and the good thing is that you can do them by yourself, if you can master the technique. This article will take a look at how to animate using Flash.

What is Adobe Flash?

Adobe Flash is a multimedia software application used to create animations, videos and interactive web content. Flash is often used as a tool for games and advertisements and are a strong component of stylish web design. Flash is part of Adobes Creative Suite software package, along will other similar applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator and DreamWeaver. Getting started The first thing that you need to do is to open Flash and create a new file. This will give you a blank template in which to place your animation. Think of it as an empty canvas which is waiting to be filled. Flash uses images in order to animate, so the next thing you need to do is to upload a picture that you would like to put into motion. If this is your first time, you should consider using something simple. Import the image using the File > Import tab and the import straight to your stage, allowing you to work on it immediately.

The next steps

The next thing you want to do is convert the image into a symbol. You can do this in a number of ways, but the quickest way is to use the shortcut key, which in this case is F8. In the window that pops up, name the file and select "movie clip". Animating your image You will be able to start animating your project. Place your image at its desired starting location. Right-click (Mac: command click) on the first frame of the timeline and select 'Create motion tween". This will increase the number of frames in your animation and is the very start of your completed project! To change the frame length, simply drag the last frame using your mouse cursor to its desired position. Now, with the last frame of the timeline selected, move your image to a new location using your mouse. When played, your image will now move from its starting position in the first frame to its final position in the last frame. You've just made an animation! What to do next Obviously, this is only a very basic animation. More complex and fun flash projects take a long time, but now that you know you basics of how it works, you can begin to build your own project using this simple walkthrough. Remember - you're in charge!