Rising above its humble beginnings, Adobe Flash is now acknowledged as the premier application for building digital animation. Part of the Against The Clock Professional Portfolio Series, this book on Adobe Flash CS4 prepares readers for a career in the animation and motion art professions. From basic drawing to simple frame animations to complex video-enhanced materials, this book helps readers build requisite skills while allowing creative talent to emerge.

As you work through the projects in this book, you will:

• Learn to draw primitive shapes — the foundational components of all vector-based artwork — as well draw more complex shapes with the Pen tool
• Apply advanced drawing skills — such as control fills and strokes, as well as combine and manage shapes, while learning the importance of layers
• Add motion to your artwork — using frame animation, motion tweens, shape tweens, and other building blocks for cartooning and animation production
• Use interactive elements — including symbols, libraries, movie clips, and more
• Discover how to make a permanent connection between the mathematics of animation and the end result — for example, apply formulae to match distance, speed, and rotation in a realistic and meaningful way
• Develop workflows that rely on external documents — such as those created by a client
• Apply the full range of Flash capabilities — including HTML, links, and XML — during the design and development of dynamic Web-based components
• Integrate sound, movie clips, and interactive/responsive controls — necessary skills for developing computer games
• Build a pre-loader — a common Web component that displays “loading time remaining” graphics in fun and (hopefully) entertaining ways

 

Completing the eight step-by-step projects and eight Portfolio Builders in this book will ensure readers are ready to meet the demands of today’s fast-paced workplaces. By combining assigned, hands-on exercises with self-paced, self-directed projects, readers learn the necessary skills for pursuing a career in graphics design — while developing a robust portfolio that’s certain to impress potential employers.