Flash is Macromedia's standard for interactive vector graphics and animation on the Web -- and Flash 4 is the most powerful version yet! Now, learn Flash 4 in a flash from professional Web designers who teach through real-world projects you can actually view live on a linked Web site! Start with the Flash basics: drawing and modifying text and shapes; using texture fills, transparency, and imported graphics. Discover how to animate pages using timelines, frames, tweening and fading; then add interactivity with symbols, buttons, actions, and sound effects. Walk through the process of publishing to the Web, including pre-loading, detecting the Flash plug-in, and controlling server settings. Fine-tune your graphics with reshaping, intersections, and brush effects; build animated opening sequences; use transitions, forms, and more. Best of all, the book's projects are linked with a live Web site where you can see (and download) the same Flash effects in various stages of completion.

Table of Contents:
1. The Basics. Introduction. Drawing Toolbar. Movie Properties. Work Area and Zoom. Drawing Simple Shapes and Text. Undo Levels. Selecting Graphics. Drawing and Modifying Text. Creating the Text Layer. Setting Text Properties. Creating Title Text. Creating Shadow Text. Linking Text. Moving Text. Drawing and Modifying Shapes. Creating Circles. Duplicating the Circle and Moving the Duplicates. Connecting Circles with Lines. Creating the Background Curve. Creating the Background Fill. Texture Fills and Transparency. Creating New Fill for Circles. Changing Fill of Circles. Creating and Modifying the Transparent Circle. Importing Graphics. Importing an Image. Changing the Photo Settings. 2. Animating the Page. Timelines and Frames. Creating the Link Text Symbol. Creating the Logo Layer. Adding an Additional Background Layer. Creating Some Layers for the Circles. Frames and Animation. Tweening and Keyframes. Adding Keyframes to the Shelley Biotech Page. Movement Tweening. Animating the Tan Background Curve. A Quick Word about Onion-Skinning. Animating the Link Spheres. Animating the Address Text. Animating the Text Links. Animating the Header Text. Shape Tweening. Creating the Beginning S Shape. Applying Shape Tweening to the S. Adding Shape Hints. Fading. Fading in the White Background. Fading in the Office Photo. Fading in the Logo Lines. Changing the Color of the Text Links. Fading in the Link Spheres. Changing the Color of the Address Text. 3. Making the Page Interactive. Symbols. Creating Symbols. Using the Library to Access Your Symbols. Editing Symbols. Changing Symbol Types. Creating Buttons. Changing the Link Circle SymbolA A*s Properties. Changing the Instance Properties for the Link Spheres. Adding the Web Links to the Buttons. Testing the Links. Button Actions. Opening the Button Frame Action Window. Adding the Keyframes for Button Actions. Creating the Hit Frame. Creating the Over Frame. Creating the Down Frame. Testing the Button Actions. Sound Effects. Adding a Sound to the Library. Using the Macromedia Sound Library. Adding Sound to the Buttons. Testing the Sound Effect. 4. Publishing to the Web. Finishing Touches. Deciding What Resolution to Use. Deciding Which Platforms to Use. Deciding Which Flash Version or File Type to Use. Publishing. Choosing Format Settings. Choosing Flash Settings. Choosing HTML Settings. Publishing the Movie. Viewing the Size Report. Optimizing the Movie. Writing the HTML for the .swf File. Creating a Non-Flash Version of the Page. A Few Final Web Publishing Issues. Preloading. Adding a Scene to the Current Movie. Modifying the Preload Scene. Creating the Preloading Animation. Adding the Action Code. Putting in a Stop Action. Detecting the Plug-In. Modifying the Movie for Flash Detection. Creating the HTML Page for This Movie. Web Server Settings. Configuring Apache. Configuring IIS 4.0. 5. Fine-Tuning Graphics. Reshaping. Getting Started. Drawing the Needle Graphic. Filling in Needle Texture. Tilting the Needle. Drawing the Thread. Intersections. Creating the Button Texture. Creating the Buttonholes. Adding the Thread Fill to the Buttonholes. Creating the Text. Coloring the Text. Adding the Photographic Image. Brush Effects. Creating the Shadow for the Button and Photo. Creating Gradient for Shadows. Modifying the Shadow Gradient. 6. Advanced Animation. Animating Symbols. Creating the Button Symbol. Animating the Button. Creating Other Symbols. Opening Sequence. Getting Started. Moving the Button Image. Fading in the Thread Image. Stitch Text Animation and Fading. Fashion Text Animation and Fading. Blues Text with Motion Layer. Needle Rotation, Fading, and Movement. Text Shadow Movement, Shape, and Tint. Photograph Fade-in. Background Music. Creating the New Movie. Creating the First Button. Creating the Second Button. Creating the Movie Clip. Inserting the Buttons in the Movie. Modifying the Action Layer. Adding the Music Layer. Adding the Clip to the Movie. Adding the Clip to the Splash Screen. 7. Advanced Effects. Animated Buttons. Creating the Parent Button. Creating the Movie Clip. Adding the Movie Clip to the Button Over State. Transitions. Creating a New Scene. Copying Frames. Fading Out Images. Moving and Resizing the Other Images. Adding More Motion to the Button Symbol. Putting in the Link Buttons. Adding the Articles and Photos. Lengthening the Thread. Stopping the Action at the End of the Menu Scene Animation. Forms. Creating the Form. Setting the Variables. Creating a New Scene. Adding the Actions. Interactive Activity. Getting Started. Adding the Static Elements. Creating a Movie Clip. Adding the Colored Buttons. Adding Some Text Labels. Applying the Action to the First Button. Applying the Action to the Second Button. Applying Actions to the Third and Fourth Buttons. Setting Actions for the First Keyframe. Creating the Movie Clip for the Second Keyframe. Applying the Action to the First Button. Setting Actions for the Second Keyframe. Adding Next and Previous Buttons. Final Production: Publishing. Appendix A: Flash 4 Reference. Index.