Navigating Frames In A Movie; Using The Cast Window - MACROMEDIA DIRECTOR MX 2004-GETTING STARTED WITH DIRECTOR Getting Started

Navigating frames in a movie

As you build a movie, you sometimes need to check individual frames or examine transitions
from one frame to the next. The Control panel allows you to check these details.
To step through a movie one frame at a time:
•
On the Control panel, click the Step Forward button.
To go to a specific frame in a movie:
•
Enter a frame number in the frame counter, and press Enter (Windows) or Return
(Macintosh).
Frame navigation options in the floating Control panel

Using the Cast window

The Cast window contains the cast members of your movie. You can use the Cast window to
create or import new cast members, to view existing cast members, and to control the properties
of each cast member.
As you work in Director, you can expect to use two types of cast members:
•
Cast members can be the media elements of your movie, such as sounds, text, graphics,
animation, and video. These cast members are placed on the Stage as sprites.
•
Some cast members may appear in the Score but not on the Stage. These cast members include
scripts, palettes, fonts, and transitions, which you can use in the effects channels on the Score.
In the Cast window, you can create or import new cast members to appear as sprites on the Stage.
Creating a Director movie consists largely of defining sprites' properties, where they appear, when
they appear in the movie, and how they behave. Different sprites can be created from a single cast
member. Each sprite can have its own values for different properties, and most changes to these
properties do not affect the cast member. Most changes to a cast member, however, will change
the sprites created from that cast member.
The Cast window filled with cast members
26 Chapter 3: Getting to Know the Workspace
Frame counter
Step Forward button