November 24th, 2008
by Jen deHaan
That’s right – do you want to do more “stuff” with your tweens? Often you have to know what keyboard modifiers to use, because functionality is not revealed in any other way. These modifiers are all documented, but I thought I would put them down in a handy list you could reference or print out (or whatever you want to do).
MOTION EDITOR
- Add a control point: Ctrl-click (Windows) or Cmd-click (Mac) on the curve or dashed line on the graph.
- Remove a control point: Ctrl-click (Windows) or Cmd-click (Mac) a control point.
- Select multiple control points on a graph: Hold Shift and click each control point.
- Convert a control point between smooth and corner: Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the control point to extend or pull in the handles of a control point. This works on all control points except on the X, Y, and Z (spatial) properties.
- Move a curve up and down on a graph without changing the keyframes time values: Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) the curve between any two control points.
- Separate handles on a control point: Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) a handle. This makes the handle move independently. Release the Alt key and drag the opposite handle past 180 degrees to make both move together again.
- Move a control point to a different frame and retain its value: Make sure the control point is DESELECTED, and then hold Shift and drag it to a new frame. Or select the control point and don’t release the mouse button, then hold Shift and drag it to a new location.
- Change values by steps of 10: Hold Shift while scrolling the hot text.
- Change values by steps of 0.1: Hold Ctrl while scrolling the hot text.
(Also note that you can do basic math in the hot text as well – to enter 25, you can enter 20+5.)
TWEEN SPANS (in Timeline)
- Select a single frame in a tween span: Ctrl-click (Windows) or Cmd-click (Mac) a frame in the tween span.
- Select multiple frames in a tween span: Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Cmd-drag (Mac) frames in the tween span.
- Extend the length of a tween span without stretching the animation: Shift-drag the end of the tween span to the right.
- Make the tween span shorter without stretching the animation: Shift-drag the end of the tween span to the left (removes keyframes you drag over).
- Duplicate a span: Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) the span to a new location on a timeline.
- Duplicate tween frames: Select frame(s) within a span (Ctrl/Cmd-click or drag) and then Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) the frames to a new location on a timeline.
- Insert empty frames between two adjacent tween spans: Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while dragging the breakline between the spans.
Posted in Flash CS4, Flash CS4: motion, Flash CS4: new features, Motion Editor, animation, motion tween, new stuff, tweens | 13 Comments »
November 21st, 2008
by Jen deHaan
Today the Text Layout Framework went live for Flash Player 10. This will help you layout your text in new and much better ways in your applications. You may have seen some demos at MAX (like the Herald Tribune demo) where the text flow, direction, etc was handled way better – now the functionality is on LABS. Check it out here:
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/textlayout/
Note that you can download FLA examples from the presentation at the top of the page, to help you understand how to use the component.
To quote the page,
“The Text Layout Framework is an extensible library, built on the new text engine in Adobe® Flash® Player 10, which delivers advanced, easy-to-integrate typographic and text layout features for rich, sophisticated and innovative typography on the web. The framework is designed to be used with Adobe Flash CS4 Professional or Adobe Flex®, and is already included in the next version of Flex, code named Gumbo. Developers can use or extend existing components, or use the framework to create their own text components.”
You can download and install the component in Flash CS4, try it out for yourself.
http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/textlayout.html
Posted in ActionScript 3.0, Flash CS4, General, symbols, text | 6 Comments »
November 20th, 2008
by Jen deHaan
In Flash CS3, you could set easing on each keyframe in your animation to apply easing between two instances. Because there is only one instance per tween span, you cannot ease the same way using the new motion model. In order to apply an easing effect to a motion tween, you need to use a custom ease or modify curves in property graphs using the Motion Editor. Keep reading to learn how to ease between keyframes using a custom ease.
read more »
Posted in Easing, Flash CS4, Flash CS4: motion, Flash CS4: new features, Migration, Motion Editor, motion tween, new stuff | 17 Comments »
November 20th, 2008
by Jen deHaan
You can then edit the custom ease using the standard bezier editing controls found in other property graphs in the Motion Editor.
To apply the custom ease to a property, you select the custom ease’s name from the Ease menu in the property you want to apply it to. The property graph updates with a dashed curve that displays the actual tweened values after the ease is applied, as it does for the preset eases you can apply using this Ease section of the Motion Editor. Keep reading to learn how to create custom eases.
read more »
Posted in Easing, Flash CS4, Flash CS4: motion, Flash CS4: new features, Migration, Motion Editor, motion tween, new stuff | 15 Comments »
November 20th, 2008
by Jen deHaan
If you think Flash CS4 is perfect, doesn’t need to change, or don’t care about Flash at all then you can quit reading this and go back to Flash and tween something.
If you don’t think it’s perfect then keep reading. Actually, even if Flash is perfect this post still applies… so please keep reading anyway :)
Adobe’s Product Improvement Program is what this post is on, because it might not be obvious from the option’s name but it’s a) not a survey, b) doesn’t require any work, and c) pretty darn important. Essentially you can opt into this program that sends anonymous information (the info it sends is pretty much like the list you see in the History panel) about what features you use in Flash. Big deal? Yup. It tells us what features you actually use. And that then helps us know what’s most important to you. Which is good. You help influence what gets attention in Flash. You, personally. You affect the future.
So your good deed of today is to go make sure this is turned on. Go to Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program in the main menu, and in the window that opens read the info and click Yes Participate if you agree with the stuff it says. And then create a whole lot of new motion tweens. Please. I’ll promise to upload more FLA files if you do!
Posted in Flash CS4, General, input wanted, new stuff | 6 Comments »
November 18th, 2008
by Jen deHaan
Another Liveblogging endeavor at MAX 2008. Here are the notes from the Day 1 General Session keynote. Here ensues notes from the sneak peeks and awards. If it’s Tuesday night between 6 and 7pm or so, PST, click refresh. Otherwise, click the link below (if applicable) to read more.
By the way, I’m drinking beer. So if there are typos, I’m blaming the beer. Let’s go with that.
read more »
Posted in Adobe MAX, General | No Comments »
November 18th, 2008
by Jen deHaan
This morning I presented about how you can use some of the preset eases in Flash to create animation really quickly. This post provides a real quick overview about how I built the files, and has the source FLAs for you to look at in Flash CS4.
read more »
Posted in Adobe MAX, Easing, FLA files, FLV, Flash CS4, Flash CS4: motion, Flash CS4: new features, Motion Editor, motion tween, presentations | 1 Comment »
November 17th, 2008
by Jen deHaan
So get ready for yet another liveblog, this year from Flashthusiast (as I can’t stick with the same blog it seems). I hope my battery lasts the morning.
The excitement is in the air. It’s palpable. We’re listening to Panic at the Disco of all things. People who are not me are taking pictures. Runes and MAX video stuffs are playing on giant monitors. Pretty – well, very – good setup, and us employees are allowed in the big room this year.
And it starts!
We have a turntable slideshow from some guy called Mike. A DJ guy in a suit.
We have videos playing — It’s Sean K and Tony D from the Flash team (whoo!) … and a bunch of other people on video… Grant Skinner and other Adobe enthusiasts I suppose. Duane N. Yep, Adobe enthusiasts.
And *now* it starts!
More after the jump!
read more »
Posted in Adobe MAX, Flash Platform, General, new stuff, presentations | 3 Comments »
November 17th, 2008
by Jen deHaan
That’s right, folks, you can actually go ahead and download a new version of AIR. Why? You can read about some of the new stuff here:
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/logged_in/rchristensen_lpolanco_air_1.5.html
The ever-awesome Developer Center has a bunch of new articles, in addition to the one above. Go read em here.
And then go download AIR 1.5: http://get.adobe.com/air/
Posted in General, downloads, new stuff | 1 Comment »
November 10th, 2008
by Jen deHaan
Hey there flashthusiasts – want to get your Flash trial on? Head over to the trial link (log in if need be):
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=flash
And you can choose your download.
Go tween something, and let us know what your thoughts are.
Posted in Flash CS4, General | 2 Comments »