FlashTips

Here are some tips from **Quarter 1**:

Know your tools Save ALL THE TIME Keep it simple Plan a project you know you can complete in 4 lessons Manage your time wisely Be realistic – don’t try to create something similar to the professional animations you watched in the investigate (don’t be too ambitious) Your animation doesn’t need to be too complex (you should not need to stay after school to finish) A good, simple, detailed plan helps make the project easier Keep everything on a different layer from the BEGINNING Don’t rush – take your time
 * How to make your life in IT8 easier:**

Original SIMPLE Easy to understand Based on a topic you know something about On topic – not switching from one idea to another in the middle Not too long
 * Your animation should be:**

Know your audience – make the animation appropriate for your audience Focus your topic when planning Limit the number of keyframes to keep your animation simple
 * Things to keep in mind:**

Layers are essential – each part of animation needs to be on a separate layer Layers need to be highlighted in black to add a motion tween Keyframes are a copy of the original frame Layers need to be labeled accurately so you can tell which layer is which Each layer is part of one animation so if one layer has a problem, delete that one and start it over Each keyframe needs to be designed before adding animation so that it looks the way you want To publish your animation, use .gif settings OR to incorporate interactive settings (like play, pause, etc) use .swf settings Every time you make a change to the final product you need to publish it again Motion tweens only work when they show up as a straight line (not dotted) The last keyframe should be almost the same (as close as possible) to the first so it looks correct when you loop it Layers are super duper important The timeline is just like the timeline in iMovie, except you have different layers The shortcut for creating a keyframe is F6
 * What Q1 learned about Flash after the Investigate:**