How To Make Greeting Cards in Flash

An animated greeting card can be a great way to send your loved ones a message. They're easy to make in Flash, which will allow you to create animated and interactive graphics. You can send the .swf Flash file to your loved ones on their birthdays, for the holidays or just to say hello.

Things You'll Need

• Flash CS3 or CS4

Instructions

1. Open your copy of Flash, and create a new file.

2. On your toolbar, select the Text Tool (T), and create a text box on your stage. Select your font settings in the Properties window by navigating to "Windows", then selecting "Properties" and again selecting "Properties".

3. Type your greeting in the tool box with the font you selected.

4. Create your decorations using the Shape Tools on the toolbar. For example, if celebrating a birthday, you can create a balloon or some confetti. You can also bring in a drawn piece of clip art by navigating to "File", then "Import" and "Import to Stage."

5. Place your image on its own layer on the timeline. You can do this by creating the "Insert Layer" button on the bottom right corner of the timeline.

6. To make the image on your card move, create a new keyframe by right clicking and selecting "Create New Keyframe" on Frame 5 of the new layer of your timeline. Select your image in this new keyframe, and move it up or down the way you wish to. Create any motion changes in this frame.

7. Right-click the first keyframe on your second layer, and select "Create Motion Tween". Hit Ctrl + Enter (Apple + Enter on a Mac) to preview your movie and convert it into a .swf file.

8. Continue to add any motion graphics until you are satisfied, and hit Ctrl + Enter (Apple + Enter on a Mac) to create your .swf.

9. Send your .swf file greeting card to your friend.