SOMETIMES YOU MAY need a blur effect that is more realistic than the linear gradient method. The Blur filter is perfect for creating realistic blurs – even animated ones. Filters were introduced in Flash 8 and to create the same blur effect in older versions, we had to export the object from Flash as a PNG file, open it in Photoshop (or any graphics editor of choice) and apply the motion blur. Then we would have to export from Photoshop as a PNG file and import back into Flash. Thankfully, those days are long gone with the ability to not only apply filters, but to animate them as well.
1 It is usually a good idea when creating animated effects to work backwards. Start with the final frame, insert frames to extend your entire timeline and then add keyframes to the last frame.
2 Go back to frame 1 and begin the animation process by positioning the objects that will animate into view off the stage. Hold down the 
key while pressing the arrow keys to maintain alignment and move the object incrementally ten frames.
3 In frame 1, select a Movie Clip symbol on the stage and apply a Blur filter from the Filters panel. Click on the small black magnet icon to unlock the blur constraint. Use the slider to adjust the amount of blur for the X-axis only.
4 Drag the keyframe in your last frame closer to the first keyframe and apply a motion tween. The symbol will animate from outside the stage into its original position. The Blur filter will also be motion tweened from the amount of blur in the first frame to no blur in the last frame.
5 For objects that fly in vertically, limit the amount of blur to the Y-axis. Remember to use your Shift and arrow keys to maintain alignment between keyframes – unless of course you want to have your object travel at an angle.
6 Objects that appear as if being focused from thin air use an equal amount of blurring for both the X and Y axes. Use the hot text sliders to blur both the X and Y axes to a value of 255 – the maximum allowed.
Hot Tip
Be careful about the number of filters you apply to objects. The playback performance of the Adobe Flash Player may be affected if too many calculations are needed to render each of the filtered effects. Each filter has a quality setting: Low, Medium and High. If you are unsure about the processor speed of your target audience, use the Low setting to insure maximum playback performance.
