Hour 1. Basics

What You'll Learn in This Hour:

• How easily and quickly you can draw and make an animation

• How to use Flash's workspace

• How to organize and use panels

• How the Properties panel constantly changes to show you important information

• The common file types related to Flash

The Flash environment is deceptively simple. With it, you can get started drawing and animating right away. However, Flash might not act the way you expect it to.

To make sure you get off on the right foot, it pays to first cover some basics. Although Flash is consistent with other types of software in several ways, there are many more ways in which Flash is different. Experienced users and novices alike should understand the basics covered this hour.

Panels are special tools in Flash that give you access to see and change most any setting while editing a file. The Properties panel is the most useful panel because it automatically changes as needed. For example, when you select text, the Properties panel allows you to change the font style and size.