Drawing API enhancements part 2

Enhanced Drawing Features in Flash 8 - part 2

Flash 8 contains many new features within ActionScript that you can use when publishing to Flash Player 8. The Drawing API contains enhancements and, in this article, I’m going to look at the following areas.

This article is part of the new interactive e-book; Out of my mind: Flash 8 Power

• Additional options when creating a gradient
• A new method to create a line with a gradient
• A new method that allows you fill a movie clip with a bitmap

We’ll work through a series of examples so you can see how these new features work. In the first article, I looked at the changes that have been made to the lineStyle method. You don’t need to have completed that article before reading this one.

You’ll need a copy of Flash 8 to see the features covered in this article. You can download a trial copy from the Macromedia Web site. You should also install Flash Player 8 so you can publish these features. Because they include changes to ActionScript, you can’t publish to Flash Player 7 and earlier. Note that the code samples within this article all use AS2.0.

You can download the sample files for the tutorial from the blue Properties box that contains the article PDF. There's a heading titled Code Download and you can click the Details link next to it to get the zip file. The download includes the starter files you'll need as well as the completed files.

We’ll start by looking at how you can work with gradients.

Creating a tool tip with AS2.0 classes

Creating a tool tip with AS2.0 classes

You see tool tips in most software packages. For example, in Flash you’ll see a tool tip when you move your mouse over an icon in the Toolbox. If you read the last tutorial, you’ll have discovered how to create a tool tip movie clip that you can reuse in your Flash applications using ActionScript 1.0. We used ActionScript to attach a movie clip that we’d created in the Library. To reuse the tool tip, you needed to add the movie clip to the Library of the Flash movie and add ActionScript.

In this tutorial, I’m going to create the same tool tip using AS2.0 classes. The tool tip is created entirely through code with no movie clip to install. The advantage is that all you have to do is place the ActionScript class file within the same folder as the Flash movie. You can also add it with the other classes and refer to it using the package name.

Enhanced Drawing Features in Flash 8 - part 1

Flash 8 includes a number of enhancements to the ActionScript language. There are a range of new classes and enhanced functionality for existing features. When you use these new features, you’ll need to publish to Flash Player 8.

Animating in Flash Professional 8

Flash Professional 8 is a great new tool for working with animations. It includes some extra features that you don’t get with the Basic edition of Flash 8. One of those features is custom easing. In earlier versions of Flash, you could add ease in and ease out effects to your animations. In Flash Professional 8, you get much more precise control over the way easing is applied.

This article is part of the new interactive e-book; Out of my mind: Flash 8 Power

Creating a Tool tip Movie Clip

Tool tips are a useful feature of most software applications. They display messages to users for navigation purposes or to indicate functionality. Whenever you use Flash, you’ll see a tool tip when you point at an icon in the Toolbox.

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to make a tool tip movie clip that you can reuse in your Flash applications. You’ll be able to change the text and the tool tip background colour. The tool tip will appear when you move your mouse over an instance on the Stage. It will follow the position of the mouse and will disappear when you remove the mouse. You’ll be able to have different tool tips for each instance and the tool tips will automatically resize themselves depending on the text that you assign.

I’ve used ActionScript 1.0 for the code in this tutorial so you’ll need at least Flash MX to complete it. I’ve assumed that you’ve got some experience at working with ActionScript and that you know how to add code in the Actions panel. I’ll cover how you might achieve the same functionality with AS 2.0 classes in a later article.

You can download the resource files from the blue Properties box that contains the article PDF. There's a heading titled Code Download and you can click the Details link next to it to get the zip file.

We’ll need to create a symbol in the Library and write some ActionScript to generate the tool tip. We’ll get started by creating the Library symbol. It will be a movie clip that includes a text field for the tool tip text.

What is New in ActionScript in Flash 8

What’s New in ActionScript in Flash 8

If you’ve been reading through the first two articles in this series, you’ll have seen the new features and changes to Flash Basic 8 and Flash Professional 8. In this article, I want to show you some of the changes to ActionScript in Flash 8. These include changes to the editor as well as changes to the language itself.

I’m going to cover the following areas:

• Changes to the ActionScript editor
• Changes to the Actions panel
• Changes to the ActionScript language
• Miscellaneous changes

This article doesn’t include example files but you may want to read it with Flash 8 open so you can familiarise yourself with the new features. If you haven’t yet bought Flash 8, you can download a trial version from the Macromedia web site.

We’ll start by looking at changes to the ActionScript editor panel.

This article is part of the new interactive e-book; Out of my mind: Flash 8 Power

An Online Presentation Application With Flash Communication Server MX part 1

Introduction:

I believe most of you guys have attended online presentations with Macromedia Breeze or at least you have heard of Macromedia Breeze earlier and you may have thought, “What an outstanding application! I want to deliver my presentations, but I can’t afford it, what should I do? Can I make an application like this?”  The answer is yes! After reading this article you can make something like macromedia breeze. In this first part of this series, we will learn how to create such an application that lets you deliver your presentations online to your customers/visitors/clients and employees with features like slide-by-slide presentation, voice-over by the presenter, and chat facility b/w presenter and attendees of this presentation. So let’s move forward.

New in Flash Professional 8

What’s New in Flash Professional 8

Welcome to the second article about the new release, Flash 8. In the first article, I showed you the new features available in all editions of Flash 8. This article will cover at the new features that are only available within the Professional edition of Flash 8.  Flash Professional 8 is aimed at advanced web designers and web developers.  Macromedia recommends that it should be used by people who work with Flash on a regular basis. People who use Flash 8 infrequently should use Flash Basic 8.

This article is part of the new interactive e-book; Out of my mind: Flash 8 Power

Working with Masks in Flash

Masks allow you to show and hide elements within a Flash movie. You use a shape to determine which parts of the image to show and place it on a mask layer above the layer you want to cover. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how you can create a simple mask using the Flash interface. We’ll then add animation to the mask. I’ll show you how you can use ActionScript to set the mask and make it follow the movement of the mouse. We’ll also draw a shape in ActionScript with the Drawing API and use it to mask a photo. Finally, we’ll create a simple example where you can gradually reveal an image a mask and the mouse – kind of an instant lottery scratch effect.

I’ve used ActionScript 1.0 for the examples in the tutorial so you’ll need at least Flash MX to complete the exercises here. I’ve assumed that you’ve got some experience at working with ActionScript and that you know how to add code in the Actions panel.

You can download the resource files from the blue Properties box that contains the article PDF. There's a heading titled Code Download and you can click the Details link next to it to get the zip file.

Free! - What’s new in Flash 8

This article is a sneak preview of the new Flash 8 e-book that will be released this month.

Welcome to the first in a series of articles about the new release, Flash 8. Like Flash MX 2004, Flash 8 comes in two versions - Basic and Professional.  Flash Professional 8 is aimed at advanced web designers and application developers. It includes the same features as Flash 8 Basic but adds some extra tools to help with more complicated animations and video.

Free! - Active Slideshow, the movie!

DMXtutorials.com has done it again; here is a great movie that shows you how to create a Flash slideshow with the Active Slideshow extension for a PHP page.

About Active Slideshow
Bring your photos to life in an amazing Flash slideshow. This extension uses amazing effects from the famous director, Ken Burns. The slideshow slowly zooms in and pans across your photos, bringing your photos to life. Furthermore, you can add your favourite sound or music track, making it the most enjoyable slideshow ever!

The extension allows you to create and customize your slideshow within a few clicks in Dreamweaver. Fireworks is used to convert the images to the specified size. The Flash player is used for displaying the slideshow to the user.

 The slideshow generates an instant user experience by streaming the images and sounds directly. This way the user can enjoy your slideshow instantly even with a low bandwidth connection.

Note: You need Fireworks MX (2004) to use this extension

Get active slideshow>>

Free! - Integration of Active Slideshow and PowerPoint

Integration of Active Slideshow and PowerPoint

Consider being able to add any slideshow produced using Active Slideshow to a PowerPoint presentation. Is this something that appeals to you? Read on!
In this tutorial I will show you how to display an Active Slideshow in a PowerPoint presentation giving you the ability to add an animated slideshow in your presentation. I will talk you through adding the slideshow to the PowerPoint slide and enable you to produce stunning PowerPoint presentation using the Active Slideshow extension.

Why use Active Slideshow in PowerPoint?

You have produced a great slideshow using the fantastic Active Slideshow extension – Why leave it at that? The slideshow is on your website, attracting visitors and interest, why not also use it in a PowerPoint presentation? Whether your slideshow includes a product range, portfolio, latest project or your company image, it could be used in a PowerPoint presentation. We all now know how easy it is to produce great slideshows for the web using Active Slideshow but wouldn’t it be great to include them in PowerPoint presentations for those all important marketing pitches. Well now you can!