Macromedia Flash 8 Training DVD

These Macromedia Flash 8 training course represents a mile-stone in quality content delivery and affordability.

For an amazingly low price you can have immediate, unlimited access to not only this Macromedia Flash 8 training course, but also a fantastic array of other related titles, all in high definition video, and all for a unbelievable low price. All tutorials come with working files and are presented in a user friendly interface which allows you to search, book-mark and control the pace at which you learn.

Training Benefits - Learn from the Pros

Reduce learning time by 80%. Learn from a professional trainer from your own desk.
Visual training method, offering users increased retention and accelerated learning.
Breaks even the most complex applications down into simplistic steps, ideal for users who learn faster when shown.

Table of contents : see below. - Try a Free Demo

For evaluation purposes the links below offer an insight into the quality of these Macromedia Flash 8 tutorials. In order for the demo videos to play QuickTime needs to be installed.

Free Demo Tutorial 1

Quicktime »
Windows Media Player »

Free Demo Tutorial 2

Quicktime »

Try before you buy. We're so confident that you're going to love our online training courses, that we're giving you a FREE 7-day guest pass.

A QUICK FLASH DEMO

Introducing the Flash Interface
Adding Elements to the Stage
Duplicating Library Items
Introducing Keyframes, the Transform Tool & Tweening
Creating Animations
Adding Audio, Swapping Symbols & Testing a Movie
Using Graphic Symbols
Combining Animations into One Project
Creating & Arranging Buttons
Adding & Labeling Action Keyframes
Adding Behaviors to Buttons
Using the Publish Preview Command

MEET FLASH: FUNDAMENTALS

Navigating the Stage Area
Accessing & Organizing Panels
Saving, Exporting & Testing
Selecting a Flash Player Version for a New Project
Introducing Layers
Creating New Layers & Moving Items Between Layers
Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts & Locking Layers
Using Outline Mode, Layer Folders & Properties

DRAWING WITH VECTORS

Comparing Vectors & Bitmaps
Working with the Pen Tool
Drawing a Heart Shape with the Pen Tool
Where to Put Points & How Far to Drag Handles
Practicing Your Vector Drawing Skills

FLASH NATURAL DRAWING TOOLS

Setting Up the Drawing Preferences
Exploring the Pencil Tool Options
Using the Line & Paint Bucket Tools
Distinguishing Between Strokes & Fills
Modifying Vectors Using the Selection Tool
Snapping & Modifying Curves with the Selection Tool
Altering Drawings with the Selection Options
Using the Brush & Paint Bucket Tools to Fill
Painting Using the Various Brush Modes
Working with a Stylus & a Tablet
Drawing with the Rectangle Tool
Drawing with the Oval Tool
Drawing with the PolyStar Tool
Working with the Eye Dropper Tool
Working with the Ink Bottle Tool
Working with the Eraser Tool

ADVANCED VECTOR DRAWING

Intersecting Shapes within a Single Layer
Using the Selection Tool
Creating Complex Shapes with Intersecting Lines
Combining Tools to Create Detailed Curves
Vector Drawing Techniques
Grouping Vector Shapes
Editing the Contents of a Group
Creating & Arranging Groups
Object-Based Drawing

SETTING COLORS IN FLASH

Introducing Advanced Color Selection
Working with the Color Mixer
Creating Transparency & Sampling Colors
Using the Color Swatches Palette
Applying & Stylizing Strokes
Adjusting Cap, Join & Other Stroke Properties
Applying & Transforming Gradients
Saving & Locking Gradients
Choosing a Gradient Overflow
Adding Transparency to a Gradient

BITMAPS IN FLASH

Importing Files to the Stage & Library
File Compression Settings, Size Report & Use Count
Compressing Individual Files
Importing an Image with a Transparent Background
Using Trace Bitmap to Change a Background to Vectors
Changing a Foreground Item to Vectors
Using the Optimize Curves Command
Grouping an Image & Using the Transform Tools
Performing Transformations Numerically
Working with the Free Transform Options
Working with Bitmap Fills inside a Vector Shape
Using the Break Apart Command & the Magic Wand Tool

USING TEXT IN FLASH

Auto-Sizing, Auto-Wrapping & Selecting Text
Changing a Font, Picking a Color & Checking Spelling
Using Rulers, Guides, Grids & Snapping
Aligning, Distributing & Spacing Text
Working with Device Fonts
Editing Files with Missing Fonts
Anti-Aliasing Text for Better Quality & Readability
Paragraph & Character Formatting
Using Text as a Design Element
Text on a Path, Guide Layers & the Transform Panel

SYMBOLS

Introducing Symbols
Creating & Reusing a Symbol
Editing a Symbol in Place
Editing a Symbol in the Library
Modifying an Instance of a Symbol
Nesting Elements inside a Symbol
Adjusting the Color & Opacity of a Symbol
Deconstructing & Reordering Symbol Parts
Taking Advantage of Logically Ordered Layers
Organizing the Library
Looking at Symbols as a Movie inside of a Movie

SYMBOL EFFECTS: FILTERS & BLENDS

Applying Fader Gradients
Adding Text & Graphics to a Background
Converting Text to Symbols
Using Drop Shadows with Text
Using Drop Shadows with Symbols
Applying the Blur Filter to Text & Symbols
Customizing Glow & Bevel
Disabling Filters & Using the Gradient Bevel Filter
Stacking Order & Other Filters & Settings
Saving & Using Filter Presets
Understanding Blend Modes
Using the Normal, Darken & Multiply Blend Modes
Using the Lighten & Screen Blend Modes
Using the Overlay & Hard Light Blend Modes
Using the Add, Subtract, Difference & Invert Blends
Building a Mask without Blend Modes
Building a Mask Using Alpha, Blend & Layer Modes

INTRODUCTION TO THE TIMELINE

Introducing Frame-Based Animation
The Timeline Window
Understanding Keyframes
Animating Your Elements Using Keyframes
Practicing Your Animation Techniques
Using Onion Skin View
Facial Animation
Replacement Animation
Rotoscoping

SHAPE TWEENING

Doing a Simple Shape Tween
Getting Your Tween to Behave Properly
Distributive & Angular Blending
Working with Shape Hints
Modifying a Graphic for a Better Tween
Choosing Shape Hint Location for a Complex Graphic
Segmenting a Graphic for Smoother Tweening
Tweening Facial Expressions
Using Shape Hints for Sophisticated Tweening
Fine-Tuning Facial Animation
Setting Up a Tween with Text
Adjusting a Text Tween & Making it Loop

MOTION TWEENING

Differences in Structure of Shape & Motion Tweens
Converting an Object to Symbol & Motion Tweening
Scaling & Rotating Motion Tweening
Adding a Background Color & Making a Cloud Layer
The Problems with Motion Tweening a Shape
Problems with Using the Create Motion Tween Option
Setting Up the Traveling Cloud Animation
Simulating the Camera Flying Down to the Ground
Animating the Airship Landing
Creating an Elastic Landing Effect
Replacing Grouped Ship with Ship & Canopy
Animating the Alien Hopping out of the Ship
Motion Tweening Individual Text Characters
Adding Randomness to Text Animations

ADVANCED ANIMATION TECHNIQUES

Fading In a Background
Animating a Banner with Filters & Text
Animating a Title with a Blur Effect
Animating Navigation Buttons into View
Fading In a Block of Text
Tweaking the Timing of Animations
Setting Up a Motion Guide Path
Orienting an Object to a Motion Guide Path
Controlling Speed, Snapping & Registration Point
Reconfiguring Your Workspace
Adding & Swapping Facial Expression Symbols
Modifying Elements to React with One Another
Creating a Stretch & Squash Effect
Tweening & Shifting Keyframes to Exaggerate Motion

SIMULATING SPEED IN YOUR ANIMATIONS

Understanding Speed in Flash
Introducing Ease
Easing In & Out of Motion Tweens
Improving Animations with Subtle Ease
Using the Custom Ease In / Ease Out Dialog Box
Easing within a Motion Guide Layer
Customizing Ease for Position
Customizing Ease for Rotation & Color
Using a Gradient to Simulate Speed
Applying a Motion Blur to Simulate Speed

NESTING SYMBOLS FOR COMPLEX ANIMATION

Introducing Timeline Effects
Reviewing & Preparing for Animation
Working with Groups & Symbols
Symbols, Nesting & Motion Tweening
Creating Nested Animations
Building Multi-Layered Animations
Creating Motion along a Path
Packaging Symbols
Understanding Graphic & Movie Clip Symbols
Creating Character Animations
Managing Character Animations with Nesting & Symbols

ANIMATED MASKS & FILTERS

Using Open External Library to Copy Assets
Animating a Mask Using a Shape Tween
Creating a Magnifying Glass Effect
Animating a Signature Using Stage Reveal
Working with Complex, Layered Vector Artwork
Reproducing an Adobe Illustrator Gradient
Animating a Gradient to Create a Shimmer Effect
Combining Filters, Blends & Motion Tweening
Creating a Kaleidoscope Effect
Creating a Realistic Drop Shadow
Using Blend Options to Create a Soft Mask

SOUND & VIDEO

Importing & Adding Sound to the Timeline
Working with Audio File Sizes
Adding Effects to Sound & Customizing Settings
Syncing Up the Sound with the Action
Working with Speech Compression
Streaming Audio
Working with Frame Labels
Adjusting the Animation to the Voice Over Track
Setting Up Audio for Lip Sync
Adding a Looping Mouth Movie
Fine-Tuning Specific Mouth Movements
Changing Facial Expressions to Match Words
Importing Video
Editing Video Prior to Bringing it into the Timeline
Selecting Video Compression Settings
Adding Effects & Motion Tweens to Video
Using Progressive Download & Selecting the Skin
Using the Flash 8 Video Encoder

FLASH BUTTONS

Making a Simple Button
Using a Hit State
Making Animated Buttons
Adding Sounds to Buttons
Applying a Drop Shadow
Making Buttons Using Bitmaps
Using Blend Effects to Spice Up Your Buttons
Adding a Message with the Status Bar Feature
Using Buttons from the Common Libraries
Using Rollovers to Display Images & Text

SCRIPTING BASICS

Setting Up to Use Action Script
Introducing the Actions Window & Script Assist
Creating Buttons to Activate Action Script
Labeling Buttons in the Properties Window
Assigning Play & Stop Actions to Buttons
Organizing & Arranging Buttons
Using the Behaviors Window to Stop All Sounds
Using the Goto and Play Behavior
Modifying a Behavior & Adding an Action Layer
Duplicating & Modifying Sequences in the Timeline
Using Advanced Goto Behavior Options
Linking a Button to a Website

BASIC NAVIGATION SYSTEMS

Dividing Movies into Scenes
Arranging & Adding Scenes in the Scene Panel
Creating a New Scene from a Copy
Adding Stop Action Scripts to Flash Scenes
Setting Up a Basic Navigation System
Using a Generic Action Script for More Flexible Navigation
Creating a Non-Linear Navigation System
Navigating with Keyframe Labels
Navigating with Separate Flash Files
Loading an External Movie inside of a Symbol
Loading External Images inside of a Symbol

FLASH SCREENS

Setting Up a Slide Presentation
Adding Content & Creating New Slides
Nesting, Navigating, Arranging & Naming Slides
Adding Filters & Text to Slides
Adding & Resizing Navigation Buttons from the Library
Assigning Behaviors to Screen Buttons
Exploring & Editing Button Layers
Using Transitions with Screens
Screens vs. Forms
Setting Form Parameters & Navigation
Introducing Templates
Using the Quiz Style Template

ADVANCED NAVIGATION SYSTEMS

Adding Slides & a Reference Guide Layer
Rebuilding the Home Page & Adding Placeholders
Setting Up a Movie Clip to Act Like a Button
Adding Rollover States
Using an Invisible Button
Duplicating & Modifying Button Properties
Adding Text & Navigation to Buttons
Creating a Sub-Navigation System
Looping, Adding Content & Using Scripts
Nesting a Sub-Navigation System
Setting Sub-Navigation System Links
Pasting Frames, Swapping Content & Transitioning

DATA ENTRY FORMS & COMPONENTS

Creating Input Text Fields
Creating Check Boxes
Introducing Components & Dynamic Text
Building a Form with Components
Adjusting the Parameters of Components
Adding Radio Buttons
Setting Alignment & Adding a Text Area
Adding Component Buttons & Themes
Changing Component Themes Using the Library Panel
Using Action Scripts to Send Information
Setting Up Trace Actions
Referencing Action Scripts
Setting Up & Reviewing a Completed Action Script
Using the Flash Exchange & Extension Manager

PUBLISHING YOUR MOVIES

Looking at the Generate Size Report Option
Exploring Test Movie Options
Adding a Preloader
Adding Animated Graphics to a Preloader
Looking at the Publish Settings Options
Viewing Published Files
Exploring HTML Settings
Centering an HTML Page Horizontally in Dreamweaver
Centering an HTML Page Vertically in Dreamweaver
Copying the Correct Files to a Server

DEVELOPING FOR MOBILE & PDA

Exploring Publish & Device Settings
Creating a Slideshow Document
Setting Up Action Scripts
Previewing with a Test Movie
Animating a Movie Clip
Creating a Navigation System with Action Scripts
Tips & Resources for Developing Mobile Content