|Project Information-- • Skill level-Intermediate • MacromediaR FlashR MX 2004|
It's almost Halloween so I decided to create a quick and easy text animation using the Flash Timeline Blur effect and a scary sound file. In keeping with the holiday spirit, I decided to animate a scary looking BOO! Of course, you can use any text and sound file you prefer for your own project. Most of the instructions for this project have been covered in greater detail previously in my Building A Website With Flash series and you may wish to review those articles before we begin. But if you are ready, open Flash and let's go.
Step 1. Start A New Document. To start a new Flash document, click File > New to open the New Document dialog box and choose Flash Document from the list.
Step 2. Resize And Recolor The Stage. The default size and color of the Flash stage is too large and isn't very scary is it? So let's go to the Property Inspector/Size button and change the Background color to black and resize it to 200 pixels wide and 100 pixels high. Of course, you can use any size and color you prefer for your own project.
Step 3. Add Text. Now we will add the BOO text. Click on Frame 1 on the Timeline, click on the Text Tool and then click on the center of the Stage. Go to the Property Inspector again to set the following values for the Text Tool. Once you have the text the way you want, hit the Enter key on your computer keyboard. Now use the Selection Tool to drag the text to the bottom center of the stage. Of course, you can change any of the settings below to fit your needs.
Text Type: Static Text
Color: CCCCCC (Gray)
Step 4. Timeline Effect. Now the fun begins. We will use the Blur effect to make the text fade away like a ghost in the night. Use the Selection Tool to RIGHT click on the text box and choose Timeline Effects > Effects > Blur. Set the following values in the Blur dialog box.
Effect Duration - 40 Frames
Resolution - 15
Scale - .25
Allow Horizontal Blur - Checked
Allow Vertical Blur - Checked
Direction of Movement - Up (top row, click the arrow pointing up)
You may also wish to try changing these setting in the dialog box to see what other results you can get. Just change a setting and click the Update Preview button to see the results. When you have the results you like, click OK to close the dialog box and finalize the effect. You will notice that the Timeline has changed. There are now 40 frames in the Timeline for the Blur effect. Also you will see that a Blur symbol and an Effects Folder has been added to the Library Panel.
You still need to change one last setting for the Blur effect to be complete. Go to the Property Inspector and change the drop-down list from Loop to Play Once.
Insert Layer Button
Step 5. Add A Scary Sound. If you are using a sound with your animation, you will need another layer in the Timeline. Click on the Insert Layer button and name this new layer Sound. Now we will import your sound file into the Library Panel. Click File > Import to Library. Click on Frame 1 on the Sound layer and then drag an instance of the sound file from the Library Panel to the Stage. You will notice the sound has been added to the Timeline.
Step 6. Preview Animation. You may need to adjust the duration of the animation to match the duration of your sound file. You don't want the animation to stop before the sound stops. Let's preview the animation and make that decision. On the Menubar click Control > Enable Live Preview to allow Flash to play the animation and then click the Enter key on your computer keyboard to preview the animation. If you need to adjust the duration of the animation, click on Frame 1 on the Blur layer in the Timeline. Now click on the text box and click on the Effect/Edit button in the Property Inspector to reopen the Blur dialog box. Change the number of frames for the Effect Duration setting to shorten or lengthen the animation as needed. Once you get the animation and sound to match, you are ready to save your Flash file.
Step 7. Save .fla File. Before you publish your animation, let's save it in the default Flash .fla file format. Click File > Save As and give your animation file a descriptive name.
Step 8. Publish. In the Publish Settings dialog box, we need to change the setting to tell Flash to play the animation only once (by default the setting is Loop). Click File > Publish Settings to open the dialog box. On the HTML tab, uncheck the Loop for the Playback setting and click OK to close the dialog box. Now you are ready to publish your animation for the web. Click File > Publish and Flash will create a .swf file and the matching HTML webpage file.
Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Workspace
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