Foreword

Over ten years ago in a dimly lit basement, I started using the Flash authoring tool to create unpalatable, short, frame-by-frame animations - and discovered it was much easier than other tools I had been using to do the same thing. It’s hard to believe what Flash has become over the years, and how many more people are out there using it to create content and share their work. One of the nice and inspiring things about Flash is that it attracts so many different users, from creative animators to hardcore programmers, and all sorts of people in-between.

I was assigned to work on testing a new type of motion tween for Flash a few years ago. Because the feature was already developed (but at the time untested), I needed to learn how everything worked from the ground up. Similar to other migrating Flash users, I have experienced and understand the learning curve between new and classic motion tweens! The new motion tweens are a different way of thinking about animation in Flash, however they do offer many advantages such as fewer “broken” tweens, attached motion paths, independent tweenable properties, tween presets, and preset eases. Some animations I’ve created in the past were faster or easier to accomplish after a bit of time spent with the new model. What about using “classic” motion tweens? Yes, there are some workflows where classic tweens are necessary and a couple cases where they’re faster to use. However, the goal is to enhance and improve new motion tweens and the Motion Editor so using them is always possible and preferred.

You certainly don’t need to learn everything there is to know about Flash and ActionScript to master the tool – you can choose to focus your talents on design or development, or challenge yourself from time to time by crossing over between graphics and code. But now that Flash is full of features and capable of so much, the tools can seem rather daunting to learn. But if you have helpful resources at your side, like this book, learning Flash doesn’t need to be difficult. I believe the key to learning Flash is to keep it simple when you start out, take it slow, use the available resources (like books), and try to be patient. Also don’t be afraid to go online and ask for help, we’ve all been there! Learning Flash takes some time, but it is a lot of fun and very rewarding.

Flash is an incredible tool for expressing your creativity, style, and unique ideas. Whether you’re a new or existing Flash user, now is a great time to learn or use the software and get involved with the Flash community online. I hope that you use Flash with this book to get inspired, learn valuable new tricks and techniques, and create some wonderful animation. And of course, make sure to have fun with the software while you read and learn all about how to animate!

Jen deHaan
Sr. Software Quality Engineer, Flash Authoring
Adobe Systems Inc.