Introduction

1. Background Information
   
   Why Use Macromedia Flash MX?
   What's New in Macromedia Flash MX?
   Macromedia Flash MX as Project, Player, or Projector?
   File Types Associated with Macromedia Flash MX
   Caution: Player Required!
   Beyond Macromedia Flash MX
2. Interface
   
   The Document Window
   The Timeline
   Docking and Undocking the Timeline
   The Layer Controls
   The Information Bar
   The Toolbox
   The Panels
   Undocking and Docking Panels
   Resizing Panels
   Expanding, Collapsing, Hiding, and Closing Panels
   Using the Panel Options Menu
   Creating and Saving Panel Sets
   Switching to Another Panel Set
   The Panels Defined
   Custom Keyboard Shortcuts
   Creating a New Shortcut Set
   
3. Drawing and Color Tools
   
   Drawing Tools Explained
   Lines, Strokes, and Fills Explained
   Exercise 1: Drawing with the Pencil Tool
   Exercise 2: Modifying Lines
   Exercise 3: Using the Oval and Rectangle Tools
   Exercise 4: Using the Brush Tool
   Exercise 5: Modifying Strokes and Fills
   Exercise 6: Working with Multiple Objects
   Exercise 7: Grouping Objects
   What Is the Color Mixer Panel?
   Exercise 8: Creating Gradients
   Exercise 9: Drawing with the Pen Tool
   Exercise 10: Modifying Paths
4. Animation Basics
   
   The Timeline
   Projects and Movies
   Exercise 1: Document Properties
   What Is a Keyframe?
   Keyframes in Macromedia Flash MX
   Exercise 2: Frame-by-Frame Animation with Keyframes
   Exercise 3: Onion Skinning
   Exercise 4: Understanding Frame Rate
   What Is the Frame Rate?
   Recommended Frame Rates
   Exercise 5: Inserting and Deleting Frames
   Exercise 6: Copying and Reversing Frames
   Exercise 7: Testing Movies
5. Shape Tweening
   
   What Is Shape Tweening?
   Exercise 1: Shape Tweening Text
   Exercise 2: Shape Hinting
   Exercise 3: Multiple Shape Tweening
   Layer Properties Defined
   Exercise 4: Animating Gradients
6. Symbols and Instances
   
   The Symbol and Instance Structure
   Symbol Naming Conventions
   Important Timeline Vocabulary Terms
   Exercise 1: Creating Graphic Symbols
   Exercise 2: Creating Symbol Instances
   Exercise 3: Editing Symbols
   Exercise 4: Editing Symbol Instances
   Color Styles
   Exercise 5: Animating Graphic Symbols
7. Motion Tweening
   
   Shape Tweening Versus Motion Tweening
   Exercise 1: Basic Motion Tweening
   Exercise 2: Tweening Effects
   Exercise 3: Editing Multiple Frames
   Exercise 4: Using a Motion Guide
   Exercise 5: Exploding Text
   Motion Tweening Options and Limitations
8. Bitmaps
   
   Benefits of Bitmaps
   Compression in Macromedia Flash MX
   Exercise 1: Importing and Compressing Bitmaps
   Exercise 2: Importing Bitmap Sequences
   Exercise 3: Converting Bitmaps to Vectors
   Exercise 4: Basic Masking
   Exercise 5: Animated Masks
   Exercise 6: Breaking Apart Bitmaps
   Exercise 7: Stroking a Bitmap
   Exercise 8: Combining Bitmaps and Vectors
9. Buttons
   
   Button States
   Button Types
   Exercise 1: Rollover Buttons
   Exercise 2: Rollover Buttons with Text
   Exercise 3: Duplicating and Aligning Buttons
   Exercise 4: Adding Sound to Buttons
   Exercise 5: Invisible Buttons
10. Movie Clips
    
    What Is a Movie Clip?
    Exercise 1: Creating a Movie Clip
    Exercise 2: Animated Graphic Symbols Versus Movie Clip Symbols
    Exercise 3: Creating an Animated Rollover Button
    Exercise 4: Animated Rollover Button in Action
11. ActionScripting Basics
    
    Where Do I Place ActionScript?
    The Actions Panel Defined
    Exercise 1: Controlling the Timeline
    Interactivity and Actions: Events and Event Handlers
    Mouse Events
    Keyboard Events
    Movie Clip Events
    Time-Based Events
    Exercise 2: Controlling Movie Clips
    Exercise 3: The goto Action to Create a Slideshow
    Exercise 4: On Mouse Event: getURL
    What Are Scenes?
    Exercise 5: Targeting Scenes
    Exercise 6: Creating a Drop-Down Menu
    What Is loadMovie?
    Exercise 7: Loading Movies
12. Working with Text
    
    Text Block Types
    Creating, Modifying, and Formatting Text
    Text Options in the Property Inspector
    Exercise 1: Working with Static Text and Device Fonts
    Embedded Fonts Versus Device Fonts
    Exercise 2: Loading Dynamic Text Fields Using External Files
    Exercise 3: Working with Dynamic Text and HTML
    Exercise 4: Scrollable Dynamic Text Fields
    Exercise 5: Working with Input Text
13. Sound
    
    Exercise 1: Importing Sounds
    Exercise 2: Compressing Sound
    Exercise 3: Creating Background Sound with Sound Effects
    Modifying Sound Settings
    Exercise 4: Controlling Sound with On/Off Buttons
    Exercise 5: Compression Settings for Narration
    Exercise 6: Synchronizing Sound to Narration Cues
14. Components and Forms
    
    What Are Components?
    Working with Components
    Exercise 1: Creating a Form
    Exercise 2: Configuring Components
    Exercise 3: Modifying Components
15. Video
    
    Importing Video into Macromedia Flash MX
    Sorenson Spark Video Compression
    Exercise 1: Importing Video
    Exercise 2: Controlling Video with stop and go Actions
    Exercise 3: Controlling Video Targeting Frame Labels
    Exercise 4: Applying Effects to Video
    Exercise 5: Linking to QuickTime Video
    The QuickTime Dialog Box
    What Is Sorenson Squeeze?
16. Publishing and Exporting
    
    What Types of Content Can Macromedia Flash MX Publish?
    Exercise 1: Macromedia Flash MX and HTML
    Exercise 2: Creating Projectors
    Exercise 3: Modifying Projectors with FSCommands
    To Publish or to Export?
    Exercise 4: Exporting Image Files
    More About the Publish Settings
    Flash Settings
    HTML Settings
    GIF Settings
    JPEG Settings
    PNG Settings
    QuickTime Settings
    Settings for Projector Files
    Top Tips for Optimizing Movies
17. Putting It All Together
    
    Exercise 1: The Big Picture
    Exercise 2: Examining the Scenes
    Layer Management
    Exercise 3: Examining the Layers
    Library Organization
    Exercise 4: Investigating the Library
    Exercise 5: Using the Movie Explorer
    What Is a Preloader?
    Exercise 6: Building a Preloader
    Exercise 7: Printing from the Project File
    Exercise 8: Printing from the Macromedia Flash Player
    Exercise 9: Exporting the Scenes
    Exercise 10: Creating Draggable Movies
18. Integration
    
    Importing Vector Files
    Exercise 1: Bringing Fireworks Editable Content into Flash
    Exercise 2: Bringing Fireworks Flattened Content into Flash
    Exercise 3: Importing FreeHand Content as Keyframes
    Exercise 4: Importing FreeHand Content as Scenes
    Exercise 5: Dreamweaver and Macromedia Flash MX
    Exercise 6: Illustrator and Macromedia Flash MX
    Exercise 7: Creating Accessible Content

Index