Learning Flash 4

Create a movie clip

• Open your Flash file from last time, or download LearningFlash4.fla with Maisy playing on painted equipment
• Go to frame 4 (The slide)
• Click the padlock at the top to Lock all layers, then unlock the padlocks on layers 'maisy' & 'behind'
• Click on Maisy on the slide with the selection tool
• 'Cut' Maisy to the clipboard Edit > Cut (ctrl-x). The current frame should now show an empty dot to indicate this frame is empty (on the maisy layer)
• Click the slide symbol once to select it
• Modify > Convert to Symbol. Name: 'm_slide', Type: 'Movie clip'

Animate the movie clip

• Double-click the new m_slide symbol (or Edit > Edit in Place). Above the timeline you should see: Scene 1 m_slide
• The new movie clip, m_slide, contain its own timeline & layers. Currently it has one layer (Layer 1) and one frame containing the symbol g_slide
• Rename 'Layer 1' to 'slide'
• Click into frame 20, then Insert > Timeline > Frame (F5)
• Create a new layer and call it 'maisy'
• Paste Maisy Edit > Paste (ctrl-v) into this new layer (or drag a copy from the Library). Put her at the bottom of the steps

Now we can move Maisy frame by frame: up the steps, down the slide and back to the bottom of the steps:

1. Click the second frame of the 'maisy' layer and Modify > Timeline > Convert to Keyframe (F6)
2. Move this g_maisy up the steps slightly

Repeat steps 1 & 2, duplicating the previous frame then moving Maisy slightly until she has climbed the steps, gone down the slide and walked back to the bottom of the steps. Press 'enter' to preview your movie. Click 'Scene 1' in the timeline and test your movie (ctrl-enter). It should look like this (go forward to the 'slide' page).

• LearningFlash4-1.swf - see Maisy sliding
• LearningFlash4-1.fla - see how it's done

Now repeat for the bars. If you're feeling adventurous, try to think how you could animate the swings & the roundabout (hint - you may have to move the equipment layer as well as the maisy layer)

Category: ICT

Author: Mr Kershaw