Flash animation is becoming extremely common on-line. The majority of animated banner ads, interactive presentations, and even games are based on Flash design, incorporating motion, audio, and interactivity that can't be accomplished otherwise. Incorporating Flash animation into a site is an extremely good idea from a promotional point of view - as long as you do it correctly.
Most of us have encountered Flash animation on the Internet in the past, from advertisements to embedded video, and we've seen how effective it can be when done right and how irritating it can be when done wrong. Good Flash design is extremely important for any page, which is why no one should try doing it without the correct training. Amateur sites can be garish, unpleasant to look at, or even just plain buggy.
This is why it's important for companies to look for a qualified person trained in Flash animation, and for people working in Flash design to stay on top of the current best practices. When used right, Flash has the ability to enhance your audience's viewing experience, to get attention fast, and create a rich, feature filled presentation that will help transmit a marketing message really effectively. It offers a wide variety of design options, too.
Flash animation lets you explain a much larger variety of concepts than conventional web design, since sound and video give you more options. Tutorials, instructional films and training courses are all easily created with good Flash design, as are entertainment videos, interactive features and more. Competent use of Flash will give a site a professional, state of the art look and feel.
Designers and artists can benefit from using Flash animation on their portfolio sites, presenting work samples interactively. Windows are re-sized so that they fit graphics. Photographers, interior design companies, architects, cake decorators, and just about anyone who needs to keep a visual portfolio of work should include this kind of element in their website.
Currently, about ninety-five percent of Internet users have a Flash plug-in of some kind on their browsers, leaving a small, but present, number of people who will not or cannot use it. This means that it's important to have an alternative way to get your message across, even if it's less effective than Flash animation. Users who have very slow connections or outdated hardware may also have trouble dealing with Flash design, even if they have the technical ability to use it.
You should also remember that Flash animation is complex, and that designing a site in Flash will take longer and require more planning than making a standard site. This means leaving plenty of time before the date of site launch to make certain that everything works correctly - without bugs or other problems. It also means that companies must understand that they'll pay more for Flash design than they will for a standard site.
When used with care, Flash animation is an excellent choice for many websites. The amount and scope of Flash design used in the site will depend on the intended audience and the message to be conveyed, but Flash animation remains one of the best ways to get some messages across. You should take the time to learn what it can do and consider it for your projects.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Flash Animation Actionscript - Top 10 Basic Codes Needed
Here's a list of the 10 most useful codes you can use in any Flash version. These are essential for creating Websites, Games, or interactive animations. Actionscript can go under multiple places. (T) means that this code would be put under the Actions of a frame in the Timeline. (M) means this code would go on the Actions of a MovieClip.
1. stop(); (T) Most useful code and most basic. It will stop an animation on whatever frame the code is put on. If I am making a game or opening screen to a movie, this is a must.
2. play(); (T) The opposite the the last code. Put under the timeline to start the animation back up.
3. gotoAndPlay(); (T) This code is much more useful and more common than the last and allows you to tell the animation to skip to a certain frame of the animation. Essential for games. The number of the frame you want to go to is put inside the parenthesis in it. For example gotoAndPlay(10);
4. gotoAndStop(); (T) This code skips to a certain frame of the animation, but then stops at that frame. Essential for games. The number of the frame you want to go to is put inside the parenthesis in it. For example gotoAndPlay(10);
5. on(Release){ } (M) This code turns any movieclip have the same functionality of a button, meaning that you don't ever have to worry about ever creating Buttons. Any actions you want the button to do after clicking on it is placed inside the brackets. I have this code on ever link or button on my website. Its helpful to make a box with 0 alpha inside the movieclip to serve as a hit area for the button.
6. on(rollOver){ } (M) Similar to the above code. Except instead of making an action happen once you click on a button, it happens when the mouse rolls over it. Its helpful to make a box with 0 alpha inside the movieclip to serve as a hit area for the button.
7. on(rollOut){ } (M) Same thing as above but this makes an action happen when you roll your mouse off the button.
8. ifFrameLoaded ("end") { (T) A little bit more complicated here. This code is all you need to make a gotoAndPlay ("start"); preloader work. You just name the last frame in an animation "end" and } the second frame "start". Put this code on the first frame with a little loading animation to make it more interesting. The code means that if the last frame has loaded (aka "end") then its ok to go to and play the first frame called "start".
9. if( ){ } (T) or (M) The if statement is essential for harder programming. It means that if "a" happens then make flash do "b". The "a" part goes in the parenthesis and the "b" part goes in the brackets. An example would be if(section == 1){ gotoAndPlay(10); } which means that the movie would go to frame 10 only if the variable section (defined earlier) was set equal to 1. It is important to note that doubls =s are needed instead of one = when used in the parenthesis of an if statement
10. _root. and this. (T) or (M) These two codes go in front of many other statements in certain important situations. _root. is needed if you're refering to the main movie timeline. And this. is needed if your reffering to the movieclip that you're putting the code on. So if you want the animation inside of a movieclip to go to a certain frame inside it then you would write this.gotoAndPlay(2); If you want the main movie to change alpha for example then you'd write _root.alpha = 50;
There you go. Those are the top 10 most essential codes for Flash Animation needed for interactivity.
1. stop(); (T) Most useful code and most basic. It will stop an animation on whatever frame the code is put on. If I am making a game or opening screen to a movie, this is a must.
2. play(); (T) The opposite the the last code. Put under the timeline to start the animation back up.
3. gotoAndPlay(); (T) This code is much more useful and more common than the last and allows you to tell the animation to skip to a certain frame of the animation. Essential for games. The number of the frame you want to go to is put inside the parenthesis in it. For example gotoAndPlay(10);
4. gotoAndStop(); (T) This code skips to a certain frame of the animation, but then stops at that frame. Essential for games. The number of the frame you want to go to is put inside the parenthesis in it. For example gotoAndPlay(10);
5. on(Release){ } (M) This code turns any movieclip have the same functionality of a button, meaning that you don't ever have to worry about ever creating Buttons. Any actions you want the button to do after clicking on it is placed inside the brackets. I have this code on ever link or button on my website. Its helpful to make a box with 0 alpha inside the movieclip to serve as a hit area for the button.
6. on(rollOver){ } (M) Similar to the above code. Except instead of making an action happen once you click on a button, it happens when the mouse rolls over it. Its helpful to make a box with 0 alpha inside the movieclip to serve as a hit area for the button.
7. on(rollOut){ } (M) Same thing as above but this makes an action happen when you roll your mouse off the button.
8. ifFrameLoaded ("end") { (T) A little bit more complicated here. This code is all you need to make a gotoAndPlay ("start"); preloader work. You just name the last frame in an animation "end" and } the second frame "start". Put this code on the first frame with a little loading animation to make it more interesting. The code means that if the last frame has loaded (aka "end") then its ok to go to and play the first frame called "start".
9. if( ){ } (T) or (M) The if statement is essential for harder programming. It means that if "a" happens then make flash do "b". The "a" part goes in the parenthesis and the "b" part goes in the brackets. An example would be if(section == 1){ gotoAndPlay(10); } which means that the movie would go to frame 10 only if the variable section (defined earlier) was set equal to 1. It is important to note that doubls =s are needed instead of one = when used in the parenthesis of an if statement
10. _root. and this. (T) or (M) These two codes go in front of many other statements in certain important situations. _root. is needed if you're refering to the main movie timeline. And this. is needed if your reffering to the movieclip that you're putting the code on. So if you want the animation inside of a movieclip to go to a certain frame inside it then you would write this.gotoAndPlay(2); If you want the main movie to change alpha for example then you'd write _root.alpha = 50;
There you go. Those are the top 10 most essential codes for Flash Animation needed for interactivity.
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