Flash CS4 Professional - Level 1

Overview
An introductory course for designers and budding developers new to the Flash environment, or those that have not had formal training. Students will produce an engaging Flash interface using text, graphics, animations, video, and sound. User interactions are added using built in Flash ActionScript behaviors and Script Assist. Students will leave this class with the ability to create web animations.

Comments
Basic PC skills: a basic understanding of a computer operating system, launching an application, creating and saving files, and copying files from CDs and other media.

Next Step: Flash CS4 - Level 2

Lesson 1: Working in Flash CS4

• Getting to know the Flash CS4 interface and working with panels and panel layouts
• Setting stage dimensions within Flash CS4
• Creating Flash CS4 animations and setting up properties
• How the Flash CS4 interface compares to interfaces in the rest of the suite
• Setting Flash CS4 preferences
• Using preferences to set up a customized workspace within Flash CS4

Lesson 2: Flash CS4 Layers and Layer Folders

• Working with multiple layers
• Adding Flash layers to the timeline
• Create a mask layer
• Aligning objects in Flash CS4

Lesson 3: Creating and Importing Graphic Assets

• Working with different graphic formats within Flash CS4
• Using the Flash CS4 drawing tools to create shapes and gradients
• Animating Flash-generated objects and converting shapes to symbols
• Importing vector graphics from Illustrator  with the native Illustrator format
• Importing bitmap graphics into Flash CS4 from Photoshop and Fireworks
• Copying directly from Photoshop, Illustrator or Fireworks  into Flash CS4
• Converting bitmaps to vectors

Lesson 4: Managing Symbols and Instances

• Creating, adding and modifying button symbols in Flash CS4
• Manage symbols
• How symbols differ from instances
• Convert an object to a graphic symbol
• Create a movie clip symbol

Lesson 5: Using Text Effectively

• Using the text tool
• Adding and formatting static text within Flash CS4
• Using imported text for your Flash movie
• Converting text to symbols when you need to use the same text multiple times
• Changing font rendering methods, organizing text layers in a timeline, adding input text fields
• Embedding Fonts in Input Text Fields
• Animating Flash  CS4 text within masks to hide parts of your text
• Applying onion skinning to see multiple frames on the stage at once
• Using font best practices for Flash CS4

Lesson 6: Flash CS4 Animations

• Working with the Flash CS4 timeline to create complex animations
• Using keyframes, blank keyframes, and frames
• Automatically transform objects into motion tweens without using keyframes
• Creating Flash CS4 motion tweens and shape tweens
• Creating transition effects within Flash CS4
• Nesting movie clip symbols within each other for greater flexibility

Lesson 7: Publishing a Flash CS4 Movie

• Select the Publish Settings
• Publish a Flash file

Flash CS4 Professional - Level 2

Overview
In this course, you will explore the advanced features of Flash 8, such as working with ActionScript, creating simple and complex interactive movies using ActionScript; and also create and customize components.

Comments
Basic PC skills: a basic understanding of a computer operating system, launching an application, creating and saving files, and copying files from CDs and other media.

Prerequisite: Flash CS4 - Level 1

Lesson 1: Behaviors, ActionScript with Script Assist

• Creating Flash CS4 files that change based on the viewer's actions
• Introduction to Actionscript 3.0
• Using Actionscript to load the initial movie and generate interactivity
• Using  Actionscript to attach behaviors to buttons, load text files from a URL, and stop a preloader
• Using Script Assist
• Adding actions to a frame
• Assigning variables to assign a data type
• Using proper Actionscript syntax, or the proper "Grammar" of Actionscript
• Working with conditional statements to act upon determinations
• Creating and using button symbols within Flash CS4
• Adding behaviors to a button
• Loading external SWF's into the Flash CS4 movie

Lesson 2: Flash CS4 Animations

• Using shape tweens to transform objects
• How motion tweens differ from shape tweens
• Editing symbols and adding layers and keyframes to its timeline
• Adding sound to your animations
• Fading objects in and out using transparency options
• Animating on a motion path
• Previewing your SWF Flash movie to ensure proper animation

Lesson 3: Using Movie Clips

• Creating and using movie clip symbols
• Organizing a Movie Clip Timeline
• Using actions to control a timeline
• Using frame labels for Flash CS4
• Responding to user interactions

Lesson 4: Adding Sound and Video

• Importing Sound into Flash CS4
• Changing Sound Properties
• Adding Sound to a Flash CS4 Timeline
• Embedding Video in a timeline
• Using the FLV Playback Component

Lesson 5: Publishing Flash CS4 Documents

• Using Different Flash CS4 publishing formats
• Using publishing profiles
• Adding Flash CS4 player detection

Flash CS4 Professional - Level 3

Overview
In this course, you will explore the advanced techniques for the creation and manipulation of Flash-based content. Level 1 and Level 2 lessons will be utilized to complete an advanced Flash CS4 project.

Comments
Basic PC skills: a basic understanding of a computer operating system, launching an application, creating and saving files, and copying files from CDs and other media.

Prerequisite: Flash CS4 - Level 1
Prerequisite: Flash CS4 - Level 2

Lesson 1: Organizing Projects

• Create a Scene
• Add Labels to a Timeline
• Compress an Image

Lesson 2: Planning Movies

• Creating a Storyboard
• Modularity in Flash CS4
• Compress an Image

Lesson 3: Creating Complex Interactivity in Flash

• Switch Scenes
• Build a Navigation Structure
• Create a Pre-loader
• Making movie clips draggable
• Specifying the drop target
• Mark targets using arrays
• Comparing arrays
• Create a loop
• Preventing overlaps
• Checking variable values

Lesson 4: Working with Form Components

• Create a Check Box
• Create a Radio Button
• Create a Combo Box

Lesson 5: Working with Video Objects

• Encode a Video Object
• Create a Video Object
• Apply a Skin to a Component

Lesson 6: Publishing a Flash Movie

• Explore the Testing Environment
• Customize the Publish Settings