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adobe flash cs3 professional ® ® user guide

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© 2007 adobe systems incorporated all rights reserved copyright using adobe® flash® cs3 professional for windows® and macintosh if this guide is distributed with software that includes an end user agreement this guide as well as the software described in it is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license except as permitted by any such license no part of this guide may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of adobe systems incorporated please note that the content in this guide is protected under copyright law even if it is not distributed with software that includes an end user license agreement the content of this guide is furnished for informational use only is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by adobe systems incorporated adobe systems incorporated assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in the informational content contained in this guide please remember that existing artwork or images that you may want to include in your project may be protected under copyright law the unauthorized incorporation of such material into your new work could be a violation of the rights of the copyright owner please be sure to obtain any permission required from the copyright owner any references to company names in sample templates are for demonstration purposes only and are not intended to refer to any actual organization adobe the adobe logo adobe premiere actionscript coldfusion director fireworks flash flash lite freehand illustrator and photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of adobe systems incorporated in the united states and/or other countries microsoft and windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of microsoft corporation in the united states and/or other countries macintosh is a trademark of apple inc registered in the u.s and other countries all other trademarks are the property of their respective owners this product includes software developed by the apache software foundation www.apache.org mpeg layer-3 audio compression technology licensed by fraunhofer iis and thomson multimedia http www.iis.fhg.de/amm you cannot use the mp3 compressed audio within the software for real time or live broadcasts if you require an mp3 decoder for real time or live broadcasts you are responsible for obtaining this mp3 technology license speech compression and decompression technology licensed from nellymoser inc www.nellymoser.com flash cs3 video is powered by on2 truemotion video technology © 1992-2005 on2 technologies inc all rights reserved http www.on2.com this product includes software developed by the opensymphony group http www.opensymphony.com sorenson sparktm video compression and decompression technology licensed from sorenson media inc adobe systems incorporated 345 park avenue san jose california 95110 usa notice to u.s government end users the software and documentation are commercial items as that term is defined at 48 c.f.r §2.101 consisting of commercial computer software and commercial computer software documentation as such terms are used in 48 c.f.r §12.212 or 48 c.f.r §227.7202 as applicable consistent with 48 c.f.r §12.212 or 48 c.f.r §§227.7202-1 through 227.7202-4 as applicable the commercial computer software and commercial computer software documentation are being licensed to u.s government end users a only as commercial items and b with only those rights as are granted to all other end users pursuant to the terms and conditions herein unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright laws of the united states adobe agrees to comply with all applicable equal opportunity laws including if appropriate the provisions of executive order 11246 as amended section 402 of the vietnam era veterans readjustment assistance act of 1974 38 usc 4212 and section 503 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 as amended and the regulations at 41 cfr parts 60-1 through 60-60 60-250 and 60-741 the affirmative action clause and regulations contained in the preceding sentence shall be incorporated by reference.

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iii contents chapter 1 getting started installation 1 using help resources what s new 2 6 12 chapter 2 workspace flash workflow and workspace using the stage and tools panel the timeline using flash authoring panels undo redo and history 15 23 33 40 44 49 accessibility in the flash workspace 47 automating tasks with the commands menu chapter 3 creating and managing documents working with flash documents 51 creating and previewing mobile content with adobe device central working with projects working with timelines working with scenes find and replace templates adding media to the library 55 60 64 68 74 76 79 chapter 4 adobe version cue working with adobe version cue working with version cue projects working with files in version cue version cue versions 82 89 94 100 111 working with the version cue server 108 113 editing and synchronizing offline files version cue server administration version cue pdf reviews 124 chapter 5 using imported artwork placing artwork into flash 132 working with illustrator ai files imported bitmaps 139 147 working with photoshop psd files 155

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iv chapter 6 drawing drawing basics 159 using flash drawing and painting tools drawing with the pen tool snapping reshaping lines and shape outlines 164 172 177 180 chapter 7 working with color strokes and fills working with color 183 modifying color palettes strokes fills and gradients 185 186 chapter 8 working with graphic objects about graphic objects 195 selecting objects arranging objects 196 198 200 202 moving copying and deleting objects transforming objects chapter 9 using symbols instances and library assets working with symbols 207 working with symbol instances library assets using shared library assets scaling and caching symbols symbols and actionscript 212 216 218 220 222 working with button symbols 224 chapter 10 creating animation animation basics 228 using timeline effects tweened animation 236 239 chapter 11 special effects about filters 249 about blend modes 256 chapter 12 working with text text and fonts in flash 260 creating text 264 271 setting text attributes chapter 13 creating multilanguage text creating multilanguage text 275 encoding text formats xml file format 279 281 288 authoring multilanguage text 285 multilanguage text and actionscript

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v chapter 14 working with sound using sounds in flash 291 exporting sounds 295 298 sound and actionscript chapter 15 working with video creating and publishing flash video about digital video and flash encoding video 300 301 importing and modifying flash video files 309 316 320 312 working with premier pro and after effects using actionscript to play external flash video chapter 16 creating e-learning content getting started with flash e-learning 325 including a flash learning interaction in a document adding naming and registering assets configuring learning interactions 326 334 345 347 337 changing the appearance of a learning interaction extending learning interaction scripts tracking to aicc or scorm-compliant learning management systems 349 chapter 17 creating accessible content about accessible content 352 using flash to enter accessibility information for screen readers specifying advanced accessibility options for screen readers creating accessibility with actionscript 355 360 362 chapter 18 working with screens screen-based documents and the screen authoring environment working with screens adding content to screens chapter 19 actionscript working with actionscript writing and managing scripts debugging actionscript 3.0 actionscript publish settings 366 368 373 380 386 400 389 410 413 script assist mode and behaviors debugging actionscript 1.0 and 2.0 chapter 20 publishing flash content publishing flash documents 418 using flash player 419 431 432 developing applications for mobile devices configuring a web server for flash flash security features using publish profiles 433 434

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vi html publishing templates editing flash html settings 435 439 chapter 21 exporting from flash about exporting from flash 447 exporting flash content images and video chapter 22 printing with flash printing from the flash authoring tool 447 455 chapter 23 best practices structuring fla files 464 organizing actionscript in an application behaviors conventions video conventions 466 467 472 473 469 projects and version control guidelines flash application authoring guidelines accessibility guidelines advertising with flash 478 482 484 493 optimizing fla files for swf output tips for creating content for mobile devices index 501

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1 chapter 1 getting started if you haven t installed your new software begin by reading some information on installation and other preliminaries before you begin working with your software take a few moments to read an overview of adobe® help and of the many resources available to users you have access to instructional videos plug-ins templates user communities seminars tutorials rss feeds and much more installation requirements to review complete system requirements and recommendations for your adobe® software see the read me file on the installation dvd install the software 1 close any other adobe applications open on your computer 2 insert the installation disc into your dvd drive and follow the on-screen instructions note for more information see the read me file on the installation dvd activate the software if you have a single-user retail license for your adobe software you will be asked to activate your software this is a simple anonymous process that you must complete within 30 days of starting the software for more information on product activation see the read me file on your installation dvd or visit the adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/activation 1 if the activation dialog box isn t already open choose help activate 2 follow the on-screen instructions note if you want to install the software on a different computer you must first deactivate it on your computer choose help deactivate register register your product to receive complimentary installation support notifications of updates and other services to register follow the on-screen instructions in the registration dialog box which appears after you install and activate the software if you postpone registration you can register at any time by choosing help registration change or reinstall flash player 1 close your browser 2 remove any currently installed version of the player.

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flash cs3 2 user guide for instructions see technote 14157 on the adobe® flash® support center at www.adobe.com/go/tn_14157 3 to begin installation run one of the following in your players folder · for the activex control for windows® internet explorer or aol run the install flash player 9 ax.exe file · for the plug-in for windows compuserve firefox mozilla netscape or opera run the install flash player 9.exe file · for the plug-in for macintosh® aol compuserve firefox internet explorer for macintosh netscape opera or safari run install flash player 9 mac os 9.x or install flash player 9 os x mac os x.x note to verify installation in netscape select help about plug-ins from within the browser using help about flash help the flash help panel help flash help contains the full set of user-assistance information provided with flash to view a help topic click its title in the table of contents above the topic you can see its relative location in the hierarchy of topics you can hide the table of contents to display it again click the table of contents button when you search help the returned topics take the place of the table of contents to redisplay the table of contents click clear the help panel also displays context-sensitive reference information that you access from the actions panel adobe help resources documentation for your adobe software is available in a variety of formats in-product and livedocs help in-product help provides access to all documentation and instructional content available at the time the software ships it is available through the help menu in your adobe software.

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flash cs3 3 user guide livedocs help includes all the content from in-product help plus updates and links to additional instructional content available on the web for some products you can also add comments to the topics in livedocs help find livedocs help for your product in the adobe help resource center at www.adobe.com/go/documentation most versions of in-product and livedocs help let you search across the help systems of multiple products topics may also contain links to relevant content on the web or to topics in the help of another product think of help both in the product and on the web as a hub for accessing additional content and communities of users the most complete and up-to-date version of help is always on the web pdf documentation the in-product help is also available as a pdf that is optimized for printing other documents such as installation guides and white papers may also be provided as pdfs all pdf documentation is available through the adobe help resource center at www.adobe.com/go/documentation to see the pdf documentation included with your software look in the documents folder on the installation or content dvd printed documentation printed editions of the in-product help are available for purchase in the adobe store at www.adobe.com/go/store you can also find books published by adobe publishing partners in the adobe store a printed workflow guide is included with all adobe creative suite® 3 products and stand-alone adobe products may include a printed getting started guide searching flash help flash can search all flash help systems or a single help system such as using flash you can also search the text of a single topic click in the topic to give it focus and press ctrl+f windows or command+f macintosh

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flash cs3 4 user guide you can search flash help for a combination of words and phrases single-word searches return a list of help pages that contain the specified word for example if you type timeline in the search text field flash returns a list of help pages that contain the word timeline or timeline multiple-word searches return a list of help pages that each contain all of the search terms you enter in this case the word and is implicit in the search for example if you type movie clip in the search text field flash returns a list of pages that contain both movie and clip that is clip movie movie clip,movie clip and so on explicit and/or searches use the words and or or to refine the search results for example if you type timeline and keyframe or tween in the search text field flash returns a list of help pages that contain timeline and keyframe and help pages that contain timeline and tween exact phrase searches use quotation marks to return only pages that contain the specific phrase you enter for example if you type motion tween in the search text field flash returns a list of help pages that contain the phrase motion tween but not pages that contain separate instances of motion and tween exact phrase with explicit and/or searches use a combination of quotation marks and the words and or or to further refine your searches for example if you type motion tween and actionscript in the search field flash returns a list of pages that contain both the phrase motion tween and the word actionscript access context-sensitive help from the actions panel 1 to select an item for reference do any of the following · select an item in the actions panel toolbox pane on the left side of the actions panel · select an actionscript term in the actions panel in the script pane · place the insertion point before an actionscript term in the actions panel in the script pane 2 to open the help panel reference page for the selected item do one of the following · press f1 · right-click the item and select view help · click help above the script pane choosing the right help documents flash help contains many documents the following list describes each document s purpose and contents · using flash contains an introduction to what flash is what you can do with it and how the flash user interface works it also contains detailed information about using all of the tools and features in the flash authoring tool · programming actionscript 3.0 provides a detailed description of the actionscript 3.0 language intended for beginning and experienced scripters programming actionscript 3.0 explains the basic concepts of writing code including how to use logic to write code that makes decisions how to make your flash projects respond to user actions and how to write code to perform the most common tasks in flash actionscript 3.0 is faster and more appropriate for computationally intensive applications than actionscript 2.0 and is somewhat more complex than actionscript 2.0 · the actionscript 3.0 language and components reference includes dictionary-style entries for all of the actions methods and properties in the actionscript 3.0 application programming interface api as well as the apis for the actionscript 3.0 components included with flash this reference is a fast way to find specific actionscript terms to accomplish specific tasks each entry includes details of the term s syntax and functionality and code examples.

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flash cs3 5 user guide · using actionscript 3.0 components contains information on using and configuring actionscript 3.0 components in a flash document components are reusable user interface elements such as buttons menus and so on that you can use in your own projects without having to create and script them yourself some components do not have a visual presence but instead help you store and manage data for your application this document also contains information about creating your own reusable components with actionscript 3.0 · learning actionscript 2.0 in adobe flash provides a detailed description of the actionscript 2.0 language intended for both new and more experienced scripters learning actionscript 2.0 in adobe flash describes the basic concepts of writing code including which scripts you can use in flash when to use each type how to use logic to write code that makes decisions how to make your flash projects respond to user actions and how to write specific code to perform the most common tasks in flash · the actionscript 2.0 language reference includes dictionary-style entries for all of the actions methods and properties in the actionscript 2.0 application programming interface api this reference is a fast way to find specific actionscript terms to accomplish specific tasks each entry includes details of the term s syntax and functionality as well as code examples · using actionscript 2.0 components contains information on using and configuring components in a flash document components are reusable user interface elements such as buttons menus and so on that you can use in your own projects without having to create and script them yourself some components do not have a visual presence but instead help you store and manage data for your application these documents also contain information about creating your own reusable components with actionscript · actionscript 2.0 components language reference includes dictionary-style entries for all of the methods and properties that are available to each component included with flash you control the behavior of components with these apis after you understand the basics of how to use components this reference is a fast way to find specific apis that can help you accomplish specific tasks · extending flash describes how to add functionality and automation to the flash authoring tool with custom javascript apis created for that purpose · getting started with flash lite 2.x provides an introduction to the process of developing content with adobe® flash® litetm 2.x for delivery on mobile phones and devices flash lite 2.x supports a subset of actionscript 2.0 · developing flash lite 2.x applications provides techniques and guidelines for creating content and applications for flash lite 2.x the most current version of adobe® flash® player designed for mobile phones and other devices because flash lite 2.x supports different features than the desktop version of flash player techniques for creating content for flash lite are different from techniques for creating flash desktop content · introduction to flash lite 2.x actionscript describes in detail the actionscript features available in flash lite 2.x and explains how to accomplish common scripting tasks when using flash lite 2.x · flash lite 2.x actionscript language reference provides dictionary-style entries for all of the actions methods and properties available in flash lite 2.x each entry includes the details of the term s syntax and functionality as well as sample code · getting started with flash lite 1.x provides an introduction to the process of developing content with flash lite 1.x for delivery on mobile phones and devices flash lite 1.x supports a subset of actionscript 1.0 · developing flash lite 1.x applications provides techniques and guidelines for creating content and applications for flash lite 1.x the first version of flash player designed for mobile phones and other devices because flash lite 1.x supports different features than the desktop version of flash player techniques for creating content for flash lite 1.x are different from techniques for creating flash desktop content · learning flash lite 1.x actionscript describes in detail the actionscript features available in flash lite 1.0 and 1.1 and explains how to perform common scripting tasks when using flash lite 1.x.

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flash cs3 6 user guide · flash lite 1.x actionscript language reference provides dictionary-style entries for all of the actions methods and properties available in flash lite 1.0 and 1.1 each entry includes the details of the term s syntax and functionality as well as sample code resources adobe video workshop the adobe creative suite 3 video workshop offers over 200 training videos covering a wide range of subjects for print web and video professionals you can use the adobe video workshop to learn about any creative suite 3 product many videos show you how to use adobe applications together.

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flash cs3 7 user guide when you start the adobe video workshop you choose the products you want to learn and the subjects you want to view you can see details about each video to focus and direct your learning community of presenters with this release adobe systems invited the community of its users to share their expertise and insights adobe and lynda.com present tutorials tips and tricks from leading designers and developers such as joseph lowery katrin eismann and chris georgenes you can see and hear adobe experts such as lynn grillo greg rewis and russell brown in all over 30 product experts share their knowledge tutorials and source files the adobe video workshop includes training for novices and experienced users you ll also find videos on new features and key techniques each video covers a single subject and typically runs about 3-5 minutes most videos come with an illustrated tutorial and source files so you can print detailed steps and try the tutorial on your own using adobe video workshop you can access adobe video workshop using the dvd included with your creative suite 3 product it s also available online at www.adobe.com/go/learn_videotutorials adobe will regularly add new videos to the online video workshop so check in to see what s new flash cs3 professional videos adobe video workshop covers a wide range of subjects for adobe flash® cs3 professional including these · drawing with the pen tool · creating animations using motion tweens · creating and animating masks · getting started with actionscript 3.0

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flash cs3 8 user guide · using the flash video encoder videos also show you how to use flash cs3 with other adobe components · using symbols effectively between illustrator® and flash · understanding the fireworks® and flash workflow · designing websites with flash and photoshop · creating mobile content in flash to access adobe creative suite 3 video tutorials visit adobe video workshop at www.adobe.com/go/learn_videotutorials extras you have access to a wide variety of resources that will help you make the most of your adobe software some of these resources are installed on your computer during the setup process additional helpful samples and documents are included on the installation or content dvd unique extras are also offered online by the adobe exchange community at www.adobe.com/go/exchange installed resources during software installation a number of resources are placed in your application folder to view those files navigate to the application folder on your computer · windows® [startup drive program files/adobe/adobe [application · mac os® [startup drive applications/adobe [application the application folder may contain the following resources plug-ins plug-in modules are small software programs that extend or add features to your software once installed plug-in modules appear as options in the import or export menu as file formats in the open save as and export original dialog boxes or as filters in the filter submenus for example a number of special effects plug-ins are automatically installed in the plug-ins folder inside the photoshop cs3 folder presets presets include a wide variety of useful tools preferences effects and images product presets include brushes swatches color groups symbols custom shapes graphic and layer styles patterns textures actions workspaces and more preset content can be found throughout the user interface some presets for example photoshop brush libraries become available only when you select the corresponding tool if you don t want to create an effect or image from scratch go to the preset libraries for inspiration templates template files can be opened and viewed from adobe bridge opened from the welcome screen or opened directly from the file menu depending on the product template files range from letterheads newsletters,

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flash cs3 9 user guide and websites to dvd menus and video buttons each template file is professionally constructed and represents a best-use example of product features templates can be a valuable resource when you need to jump-start a project are you leav ing mon ey on the tabl e yo ur inv est me nt gu ide typi non habe nt claritatem insitam est claritatem investigationes usus legen tis in iis qui demonstra legunt saepi facit eorum verunt lecto us claritas res legere me est etiam proce lius quod ii ssus core inve stme nt spec trum vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla et iusto odio facilisis at vero dignissim qui eros et accum san retir emen t savi ng plan vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla et iusto odio facilisis at vero dignissim qui eros et accum san vel ad vulputate travel earth best 100 places to see on the planet in your lifetime 01 01 pelletir inc et et duo cose vero et justo kasd et accusam clita eos stet rebum et ea tetu r sadi psci ng dolores ca si sp opia a vero lc h nulch dio e agiam e eum sum et ad $45 a lorp erit agiam vero et nulch dio ad atin agaim e su eum utet nu et ma $25 llam ad eu m lorp er agiam it vero et sum eum dio ad lo a rper $35 nulla it m sucic c iv vero vero er o nulch dio dio s e su eum ma volute ipsummy commy re eugiarud tem eraesexer n ullutet nu sur vic e me nu $15 eum vero nulla nulch dio m agaim e su eum nu et ma $35 llam ad eu m su eum $35 nulla m sucic c iv vero vero er o nu dio dio s $15 lche su eum ma eum vero nulla nulch dio m agaim e su eum nu et ma $35 llam ad eu m n c su c samples sample files include more complicated designs and are a great way to see new features in action these files demonstrate the range of creative possibilities available to you fonts several opentype® fonts and font families are included with your creative suite product fonts are copied to your computer during installation · windows [startup drive program files/common files/adobe/fonts · mac os x [startup drive library/application support/adobe/fonts for information about installing fonts see the read me file on the installation dvd dvd content the installation or content dvd included with your product contains additional resources for use with your software the goodies folder contains product-specific files such as templates images presets actions plug-ins and effects along with subfolders for fonts and stock photography the documentation folder contains a pdf version of the help technical information and other documents such as specimen sheets reference guides and specialized feature information adobe exchange for more free content visit www.adobe.com/go/exchange an online community where users download and share thousands of free actions extensions plug-ins and other content for use with adobe products bridge home bridge home a new destination in adobe bridge cs3 provides up-to-date information on all your adobe creative suite 3 software in one convenient location start adobe bridge then click the bridge home icon at the top of the favorites panel to access the latest tips news and resources for your creative suite tools.

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