explore flash

At first glance the Flash interface can be overwhelming with its many panels and controls, but don't be concerned. As you progress through this project, you'll learn how to access the important stuff and how to harness all the power of Flash. When you finish the project, you'll have the knowledge and skills needed to create a professional-quality Web site to suit your business, organization, or personal needs.

Flash borrows many of its conventions and terms from film production. The presentation you create for viewers is a movie, the distinct parts of the movie are scenes, the players (your content) are on the Stage, and movement through time is accomplished via the Timeline. Thinking about the Flash interface in the context of this film metaphor will help you quickly grasp the way we work in Flash. We are producing a movie that features your content and tells the story you want Web viewers to see. (See extra bits on Page xx.)

In Flash, you'll often find yourself drilled down multiple levels within elements, such as editing text that is inside a button symbol inside a movie placed in a particular scene. The Edit bar at the top of the window displays those levels to help keep you oriented and to let you quickly backtrack when your edit is complete. Additionally, you can use it to navigate between scenes, to locate and modify symbols, and to change view magnification.

The Timeline controls the order, timing and flow of your movie. The panel contains three primary sections: frames, layers, and the Playhead.