How To Create a Flash Animation

Adobe Flash is a multimedia program that lets you create all kinds of interactive graphics. Creating an animation is just one of the different things you can do in Flash. There are two ways to create an animation in Flash. You can do it through frame-by-frame animation or through shape-and-motion tweening. Once you understand these processes, you will have a good grasp on how to create Flash animations on the stage.

Instructions

Frame-by-frame animation

1. Open Flash and create a new file. Adjust the size of your stage in the Properties window, which you can access by navigating to "Window," then "Properties" and "Properties" again.

2. 

   Navigate to the Shape tool on Flash's toolbar, and create a rectangle on the stage.

3. 

   Move to the Timeline, and select "Frames 1 to 5." To do this, click on "Frame 1," and holding down the Shift key, click "Frame 5." With these selected, hit "F6" ("Fn + F6" on a Mac). This will create five new keyframes.

4. Select the entire rectangle, and with the second keyframe selected, move it over a bit. Do this with each keyframe selected, moving the rectangle further and further off the stage with each frame.

5. Hit "Shift + Enter" to test your movie.

Motion tweening

1. Create a new file in Flash, and again create a rectangle in your stage in a blank keyframe.

2. Select "Frame 5" from the Timeline, and hit "F6." Make sure you only have Frame 5 highlighted when you do this.

3. 

   In your new Frame 5 keyframe, move your rectangle all the way off the right part of the stage.

4. 

   Highlight your first keyframe, and right click ("Ctrl + click" on a Mac). Select "Create Motion Tween."

5. Hit "Shift + Enter," and test your movie. Your rectangle will now move off the screen.

Shape tweening

1. Repeat Step 1 and Step 2 from the previous section.

2. In the Frame 5 keyframe, delete your rectangle and draw a circle with the Circle tool.

3. Go to the first keyframe and select your rectangle. Hit "Ctrl + B" ("Command + B" on a Mac) to break up the object. Do this with the circle in your fifth keyframe as well.

4. 

   Highlight your first keyframe, and right click ("Ctrl + click" on a Mac). Select "Create Shape Tween."

5. Hit "Shift + Enter" to test the movie. The rectangle will now become a circle.

Tips & Warnings

• To keep the animation from looping, create a new layer on the Timeline using the "Create new layer" button in the bottom right corner of the Timeline and call it "Actions." Create a new keyframe at the end of your animation on the Actions level by hitting "F6" on a PC ("Fn + F6" on a Mac). Navigate to "Window," "Actions" and in this new window with the new keyframe highlighted, write "stop()". This will stop the animation after it plays through once.