Extending Still Images; Distributing Objects To Layers For Tweened Animation - MACROMEDIA FLASH MX 2004-USING FLASH Use Manual

Extending still images

When you create a background for animation, it's often necessary that a still image remain the
same for several frames. Adding a span of new frames (not keyframes) to a layer extends the
contents of the last keyframe in all the new frames.
To extend a still image through multiple frames:
Create an image in the first keyframe of the sequence.
1.
Select a frame to the right, marking the end of the span of frames that you want to add.
2.
Select Insert > Timeline > Frame.
3.
To use a shortcut to extend still images:
Create an image in the first keyframe.
1.
Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Macintosh) the keyframe to the right. This creates a span
2.
of new frames, but without a new keyframe at the end point.

Distributing objects to layers for tweened animation

You can quickly distribute selected objects in a frame to separate layers to apply tweened
animation to the objects. The objects can be on one or more layers initially. Flash distributes each
object to a new, separate layer. Any objects that you don't select (including objects in other
frames) are preserved in their original positions.
You can apply the Distribute to Layers command to any type of element on the Stage, including
graphic objects, instances, bitmaps, video clips, and broken-apart text blocks.
Applying the Distribute to Layers command to broken-apart text makes it easy to create animated
text. The characters in the text are placed in separate text blocks during the Break Apart
operation, and each text block is placed on a separate layer during the Distribute to Layers
process. For information on breaking text apart, see
New layers
New layers created during the Distribute to Layers operation are named according to the name of
the element that each contains:
•
A new layer containing a library asset (such as a symbol, bitmap, or video clip) is given the
same name as the asset.
•
A new layer containing a named instance is given the name of the instance.
•
A new layer containing a character from a broken-apart text block is named with the character.
•
A new layer containing a graphic object (which has no name) is named Layer1 (or Layer2, and
so on), because graphic objects do not have names.
164 Chapter 9: Creating Motion
"Breaking text apart" on page 120.