Working With Animation Symbols - MACROMEDIA FIREWORKS MX 2004-USING FIREWORKS Use Manual

Use the Frame Delay controls in the Frames panel to set the speed of the animated motion. For
3
more information, see
Optimize the document as an animated GIF. For more information, see
4
animation" on page
Export the document as an Animated GIF or SWF, or save it as a Fireworks PNG and import
5
it into Macromedia Flash for further editing. For more information, see
formats" on page

Working with animation symbols

Animation symbols perform the action in your Fireworks file like actors in a movie. For example,
in an animation of three geese flying across the sky, each goose is a cast member.
An animation symbol can be any object you create or import, and you can have many symbols in
one file. Each symbol has its own properties and animates independently. So you can create
symbols that move across the screen while others fade or shrink.
You do not need to use symbols for every aspect of your animation. However, using symbols and
instances for graphics that appear in multiple frames keeps your animation file size smaller, in
addition to the other advantages discussed in this chapter.
You can change animation symbol properties at any time using the Animate dialog box or the
Property inspector. You can also edit symbol artwork in the Symbol Editor. The Symbol Editor
lets you edit your symbol without affecting the rest of the document. You can also change a
symbol's motion by moving its motion path.
Because animation symbols are automatically placed in the library, you can reuse them to create
other animations.
Creating animation symbols
After you create an animation symbol, you can set properties that determine the number of
frames in the animation and the type of action, such as scaling or rotation. By default, a new
animation symbol has five frames, each with a delay time of 0.07 seconds.
To create an animation symbol:
Choose Edit > Insert > New Symbol.
1
In the Symbol Properties dialog box, enter a name for the new symbol.
2
Choose Animation and click OK.
3
In the Symbol Editor, use the drawing or text tools to create a new object.
4
You can draw either vector or bitmap objects.
Close the Symbol Editor window.
5
Fireworks places the symbol in the library and a copy in the center of the document.
You can add new frames to the symbol using the Frames slider in the Property inspector.
Choose Window > Properties to open the Property inspector, if it's not already open.
212 Chapter 11: Creating Animation
"Setting the frame delay" on page
222.
223.
216.
"Optimizing an
"Animation export