< Back to Tutorials

Adobe Flash is an authoring environment used to build interactive games, activities, simulations and Web sites. It is an excellent platform for creating animated content, and Internet professionals use it extensively. As you develop your own interactive production skills, you'll want to know how to use Flash.

To get started, download a free trail version of the Flash CS3 Pro program from Adobe. Then try these beginner and intermediate level tutorials. Or check out the activities in PLAY, LEARN and EXPLORE, and try out the "Try This" challenges underneath each activity.

• Web browser with Flash plug-in version 8 or higher
• Flash 8

Getting Started

• Intro to Flash 8
• Drawing with Flash
• Working with Text
• Layers
• The Library
• Flash Objects: MovieClips, Graphic Symbols and Buttons

Animation

• Using the Timeline and Keyframes
• Shape Tweening
• Motion Tweening
• Motion Guides
• Simple Animations

Graphics and Media

• Editing Image Files
  
• Importing Media
• Masking
• Timeline Sounds

Publishing

• Embedding Flash in an HTML page
• File Optimization
• Adding Hyperlinks

Programming ActionScript

• Program Structure
• Working with Variables
• Elementary Programming
• Comments in Actionscript
• Scripted Animation
• Scripted Sound
• Scripted Drawing
• Interface Controls
• Scripted Color
• Collision Detection
• Drag and Drop
• Making a Timer

Intermediate ActionScript

• Classes
• Game Movement

Advanced ActionScript

• Complex Examples

Resources

• More Tutorials
  

• CS3
  • http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/flash/articles/flacs3it_firstflash_pt1_print.html
  • Video version http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0118
• Version 8
  • http://www.adobe.com/devnet/studio/articles/fl8_basics.html

• A Beginner's Introduction to the Flash MX 2004 Drawing Tools
• Designing and Animating Characters in Flash
• Adobe's online help on using Flash drawing tools
• A collection of short clips on the different Flash drawing tools

• Flash Tutorial on Text types, how to create & use them

• How To Make New Layers
• Introduction to Flash Layers

• http://www.entheosweb.com/Flash/layers.asp

• Flash Symbols
• Flash Video Tutorial - Buttons
• Basic Flash Movie Clips
• Movieclip Reference Page

• http://www.knowflash.com/content/view/16/27/

• http://www.entheosweb.com/Flash/shape_tween.asp
• http://www.w3schools.com/flash/flash_shapetween.as

• http://www.kirupa.com/developer/flash8/tween.htm
• http://www.w3schools.com/flash/flash_tweening.asp

• http://www.cbtcafe.com/flash/motionguide/motionguide.html

• http://www.kirupa.com/developer/flash8/simple_animation.htm
• http://www.w3schools.com/flash/flash_animation.asp

• http://livedocs.macromedia.com/flash/8/main/00000482.html

• Importing Graphics into Flash

• http://www.entheosweb.com/Flash/masking.asp

• Flash - Sound
• http://www.entheosweb.com/Flash/flash_sound_button.asp

• http://www.w3schools.com/flash/flash_inhtml.asp

• http://www.flashkit.com/tutorials/Optimization/_FLA_Opt-Eddie_Ca-36/index.php

• Add a hyperlink to your Flash project

• Actionscript Code Framework for a Flash Movie
• Use Comments in Actionscript

• ActionScript Declaration and Assignment Statements

• Conditional Statements
• Switch() and Case Statements
• Loops
• Introduction to Functions
• Introducing ActionScript Objects

• Create Animations with Action Script (Video)
• Using playhead commands to control objects in a movie
• Introduction to ActionScript Animation in Flash
• Flash Tips for Basic Motion

• Controlling Sound in a Movie

• The Basics of Drawing with ActionScript
• Dynamic Drawing with ActionScript
• Creating color Fills with ActionScript
• Creating Gradient fills with ActionScript
• Creating a Colored Gradient Background for Your Flash Movie via ActionScript
• Tool to get Gradient Fill Matrix Values

• Creating a Toggle Button with ActionScript
• Create Animated Buttons with Movie Clips and ActionScript Tutorial
• More Event Properties
• Movieclip Event Handlers (or "Look, ma -- no more buttons!")

• Changing Colors Using ActionScript
• Color Class

• http://www.kirupa.com/developer/actionscript/hittest.htm

• Dragging and Dropping Using Drop Targets

• http://www.flzone.net/showDetail.asp?TypeId=44&NewsId=11966

• What is Object Oriented Programming ? (Video)
• Some notes about ActionScript classes
• ActionScript Coding Conventions
• Tween Class

• Key Class
• Dart Shooter
<-->
• Game Movement [the basics] - Part 1

• Beat em up fighting tutorial
• Introduction to Particle Systems and Object Oriented Class Design

• Entheos — http://www.entheosweb.com/Flash/default.asp
• ActionScript.org — http://www.actionscript.org/tutorials.shtml
• FlashKit — http://www.flashkit.com/tutorials/index.php