Flash CS4 - Online Course

Adobe Flash CS4 Professional is the leading software application for creating and delivering interaction. The advanced authoring environment of Flash CS4 provides a faster approach to animation. Flash CS4 lets you develop rich, stimulating, and informative content for digital, Web, and mobile platforms. The procedures and techniques you see in this course were developed on and for a Windows PC.

This series is for anyone who wants to learn about Adobe Flash CS4 Professional, and see procedures and techniques developed on and for a Windows PC. This online course contains 15 lessons and should take approximately 29 hours to complete.

Lesson 1: Getting Started with Flash CS4 (4.0) hours

Getting Started with Flash CS4 teaches you how to describe what the Flash program lets you do, create, save, and open Flash documents, use the Flash workspace and the Property Inspector, use panels and the Timeline, and use the basic tools to create animations. This course helps you quickly get up to speed with the tools and features of Adobe Flash CS4 Professional. Topics include What Flash Can Do, Creating and Setting Up a New Document, Saving and Opening Documents, Flash Workspace Tools, Panels and the Timeline, Using the Flash Tools, Adding Gradient Color, and Creating Animation.

Lesson 2: Using the Drawing Tools (3.0) hours

Using the Drawing Tools teaches you how to create artwork in both Merge Drawing and Object Drawing modes, draw and modify lines, create lines and curves between points, add, manipulate, and delete anchor points, convert mergeable shapes to drawing objects, use the primitive tools, and add text to images in Flash. This course explains the use of the Flash Tools panel, which assists you in creating and manipulating artwork. This course also discusses various tools used to create lines and shapes on the Flash Stage. Topics include Using Merged Drawing Mode, Using Object Drawing Mode, Putting It All Together, Using the Line Tool, Using the Pen Tool, Adding and Deleting Anchor Points, Combining Objects, Building with Primitives, Adding Text, and Adding Filters.

Lesson 3: Working with Colors (3.0) hours

Working with Colors teaches you how to create custom colors and gradient fills, distribute drawn objects to separate layers, lock layers and change their visibility, and apply transformations to objects. This course explains how to work with colors, layers, and transformations in Adobe Flash CS4 Professional. Topics include Setting Up Colors and Creating Gradients, Using Opacity with Gradient Colors, Creating Custom Colors, Working with Layers, Arranging, Locking, and Hiding Layers, Creating Layer Folders, Transforming Graphics, Using the Transform Panel, and Transforming Gradients.

Lesson 4: Using Symbols and the Library (3.0) hours

Using Symbols and the Library teaches you how to create symbols, use symbols to manage artwork, modify individual instances of a symbol, swap symbols, and organize symbols in the Library panel. This course explains how to use symbols to create reusable graphics and other elements in your Flash documents and how to organize symbols in the library. Topics include Creating Blank Symbols, Positioning Symbol Instances, Editing Symbols, Fine-Tuning and Duplicating Symbols, Adding to Symbols, Swapping Symbols, and Managing the Library.

Lesson 5: Using Advanced Tools (2.0) hours

Using Advanced Tools teaches you how to apply gradient fills and customize them, use the Spray Brush and Deco tools, add masks to define the visible area of the Stage, and create a skeletal structure for an image. This course introduces advanced drawing techniques such as gradients, masks, and the Spray Brush, Deco, and Bone tools. Topics include Spraying and Masking, The Deco Tool, Advanced Deco Techniques, and Working with Inverse Kinesmatics.

Lesson 6: Creating Basic Animation (3.0) hours

Creating Basic Animation teaches you how to describe the elements of the Timeline panel, create motion tweens, adjust motion tweens using the Motion Editor, add rotations to objects, adjust motion guides, create shape tweens, and view animations using onion skins. This course explains the basics of animation in Flash CS4, including motion tweens and shape tweens. Topics include Tweening, Tweening Tips, Adjusting Color and Scale, Using the Motion Editor, Tweening Rotation, Controlling Animation Paths, Using Shape Tweens, and Onion Skinning.

Lesson 7: Working with Advanced Animation (3.0) hours

Working with Advanced Animation teaches you how to use the Copy Motion and Paste Motion features, mask animation layers, sequence animations, create 3D animations, and create and fine-tune shape tweens. This course shows you how to create more elaborate animation sequences and effects using the advanced animation features in Flash CS4. Topics include Creating Motion Presets, Applying Advanced Easing Behaviors, Animating Masks, Animating with Inverse Kinematics, Sequencing Animation, Animating in 3D, Fine-Tuning Tweens, and Adding Shape Hints.

Lesson 8: Customizing the Workflow (1.0) hour

Customizing the Workflow teaches you how to arrange panels in your workspace, save panel layouts as a custom workspace, view and customize keyboard shortcuts, add rulers, guides, and guide layers, and apply advanced alignment techniques. This course explains how to use visual aids and customize your workspace in Flash CS4 Professional. Topics include Managing Panels, Managing Workspaces, Defining Keyboard Shortcuts, Setting Rulers and Guides, Establishing Guide Layers, and Using Advanced Alignment Options.

Lesson 9: Working with Imported Files (1.0) hour

Working with Imported Files teaches you how to import a variety of file formats, import files from an external library, swap one image for another, modify artwork in an external editor, and import Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files. This course explains how to import a wide variety of file formats into Flash documents. Topics include Importing Bitmaps into Flash, Importing Files from an External Library, Modifying Imported Artwork, Importing Photoshop Files, and Importing Illustrator Artwork.

Lesson 10: Using ActionScript (1.0) hour

Using ActionScript teaches you how to explain the role of ActionScript in Flash development, use the Actions panel to compose scripts, add p() and gotoAndStop() actions, and define and call functions in ActionScript. This course explains how to use Flash\'s\built-in scripting language, ActionScript, to exert control over your movies. Topics include Working with ActionScript, Adding Actions, Controlling Timelines, and Using ActionScript Functions.

Lesson 11: Creating Button Symbols (1.0) hour

Creating Button Symbols teaches you how to create buttons that change during user interaction, use buttons to navigate between frames, use buttons to control the movie playback, and link to an external Web site. This course explains the process of creating buttons for users to interact with while watching Flash movies. Buttons are designed specifically to react to the user's mouse and keyboard actions. Topics include Creating Button Symbols.

Lesson 12: Adding Sound to Movies (1.0) hour

Adding Sound to Movies teaches you how to prepare and import sound files, place sounds on the Timeline, edit sounds and create effects, and control sound behavior and performance. This course explains ways to import and manipulate sound files in Flash. The use of sound in Flash offers many creative and practical possibilities for creating immersive experiences, and adds a level of accessibility for users with visual impairment. Topics include Getting Started with Audio.

Lesson 13: Working with Movie Clips (1.0) hour

Working with Movie Clips teaches you how to create movie clips, nest movie clips, add ActionScript to movie clip timelines, tween movie clips, combine movie clips, and add filter effects to movie clips. This course explains how to create and use movie clips. Topics include Creating Movie Clips.

Lesson 14: Working with Video (1.0) hour

Working with Video teaches you how to describe the principles of working with video in Flash, use the Video Import wizard to import and convert video files, control the playback of video on the Timeline, and use Adobe Media Encoder. This course explains how to import video into Adobe Flash CS4 Professional and the various methods by which it can be integrated into Flash movies. Topics include Working with Video.

Lesson 15: Delivering a Completed Movie (1.0) hour

Delivering a Completed Movie teaches you how to publish Flash movies to the Web, create a projector for playing Flash movies from CD, export Flash movies and use FTP to publish movies, and use Adobe Device Central to simulate Flash Lite on mobile devices. This course explains how to use Flash CS4 Professional to publish content for distribution to the Web, CDs, DVDs, and video. Topics include Publishing Flash Movies.