00 0672323125 FM 4/22/02 12:25 PM Page i Molly E. Holzschlag Teach Yourself Adobe ® LiveMotion 2 ™ 24 in Hours 800 East 96th St.,Indianapolis,Indiana,4624 0 USA 00 0672323125 FM 4/22/02 12:25 PM Page ii Sams Teach Yourself Adobe® ACQUISITIONSEDITORS Betsy Brown LiveMotion™ 2 in 24 Hours Jennifer Kost-Barker Copyright  2002 by Sams Publishing DEVELOPMENTEDITOR Heather Goodell All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted by any means,electronic,mechanical,photo- MANAGINGEDITOR copying,recording,or otherwise,without written permission from the pub- Charlotte Clapp lisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information PROJECTEDITOR contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation Anthony Lawrence Wesley of this book,the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or Reitz III omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of Elizabeth Finney the information contained herein. COPYEDITOR International Standard Book Number:2002100940 Cheri Clark Library of Congress Catalog Card Number:0-672-32312-5 INDEXER Printed in the United States of America Sandy Henselmeier First Printing:May 2002 TECHNICALEDITOR Craig Harris 05 04 03 02 4 3 2 1 TEAMCOORDINATOR Trademarks Amy Patton All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service INTERIORDESIGNER marks have been appropriately capitalized. Sams Publishing cannot attest to the Gary Adair accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded COVERDESIGNER as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. Aren Howell Adobe and LiveMotion are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. PAGELAYOUT Susan Geiselman Warning and Disclaimer Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible,but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an “as is”basis. The author and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages aris- ing from the information contained in this book. 00 0672323125 FM 4/22/02 12:25 PM Page iii Contents at a Glance Introduction 1 PART I Creating LiveMotion Objects 3 1 Creating Simple Objects 5 2 Importing Photos and Artwork as Objects 27 3 Setting Type with LiveMotion 47 PART II Modifying Objects 67 4 Combining,Grouping,and Editing Objects 69 5 Selecting and Transforming Objects 93 6 Working with Object Layers 109 PART III Color, Shape and Style 125 7 Using LiveMotion’s Color Tools 127 8 Working with the Library Palette 143 9 Applying LiveMotion Styles 159 10 Textures,Gradients,Distortion,and Effects 175 11 Matting and Masks 189 PART IV Creating Images for the Web 203 12 Designing Static Web Graphics 205 13 Image Mapping and Rollover Techniques 219 14 Creating Remote Rollovers 233 PART V Flash SWF Animation and Multimedia 245 15 Exploring the Timeline 247 16 Designing Animations 259 17 Working with Movie Clips 269 18 Adding LiveMotion Audio 283 19 Creating a Multimedia Presentation 293 00 0672323125 FM 4/22/02 12:25 PM Page iv PART VI Designing and Optimizing Advanced Web Presentations 305 20 Professional Applications of LiveMotion 307 21 Optimizing and Exporting LiveMotion Files 319 PART VII Advanced Techniques: Scripting 331 22 Scripting and LiveMotion 333 23 Adding Scripts 345 24 Scripting Project 359 Appendixes A Learning LiveMotion Features 369 B Setting Preferences and Working with the Composition Area 393 C Understanding Web Graphics 403 Index 421 00 0672323125 FM 4/22/02 12:25 PM Page v Contents Introduction 1 Who Should Read This Book ................................................................................1 Conventions Used in This Book ............................................................................2 Part I Creating LiveMotion Objects 3 Hour 1 Creating Simple Objects 5 Exploring Objects in LiveMotion ..........................................................................6 Drawing an Object—A Simple Rectangle ............................................................7 Deleting an Object ..................................................................................................9 Modifying an Object ..............................................................................................9 Changing Object Fill and Outline ....................................................................9 Making Object Transformations ......................................................................11 Changing the Object’s Color ..........................................................................16 Creating a Rounded Rectangle ............................................................................17 Using the Ellipse Tool ..........................................................................................19 Working with Polygons ........................................................................................20 Creating a Four-Sided Polygon Object ..........................................................21 Adding Sides to a Polygon Object ..................................................................22 Drawing Free-Form Objects Using the Pen Tool ................................................23 Summary ..............................................................................................................24 Q&A ......................................................................................................................25 Quiz ......................................................................................................................25 Quiz Answers ........................................................................................................25 Activities ..............................................................................................................25 Hour 2 Importing Photos and Artwork as Objects 27 Understanding Image Objects ..............................................................................28 Vector Objects in LiveMotion ........................................................................28 Raster Graphics as Objects ..............................................................................29 Getting the Graphic Goods ..................................................................................30 Finding Sources for Stock Art and Photos ......................................................31 Scanning Art,Photos,and Organic Objects ....................................................33 Importing Your Art ................................................................................................35 Placing Graphic Files ............................................................................................36 Working with Placed Vector Graphics ............................................................38 Working with Placed Raster Graphics ............................................................38 Pasting External Graphics ....................................................................................40 Dragging and Dropping Art ..................................................................................41 Summary ..............................................................................................................43 00 0672323125 FM 4/22/02 12:25 PM Page vi vi Sams Teach Yourself Adobe LiveMotion 2 in 24 Hours Q&A ......................................................................................................................44 Quiz ......................................................................................................................44 Quiz Answers ........................................................................................................45 Activities ..............................................................................................................45 Hour 3 Setting Type with LiveMotion 47 Basic Typographic Principles ..............................................................................48 Type Categories ..............................................................................................49 Type Width,Weight,Posture,Direction,and Alignment ................................53 Type Size,Tracking,and Leading ..................................................................55 Combining Type Styles and Faces ..................................................................55 Creating Text Objects ..........................................................................................56 Setting a Font ........................................................................................................57 Sizing Type ..........................................................................................................59 Tracking Type ......................................................................................................59 Controlling Leading ..............................................................................................60 Aligning Type ......................................................................................................61 Summary ..............................................................................................................63 Q&A ......................................................................................................................64 Quiz ......................................................................................................................65 Quiz Answers ........................................................................................................65 Activities ..............................................................................................................65 Part II Modifying Objects 67 Hour 4 Combining, Grouping, and Editing Objects 69 Understanding Group and Combine ....................................................................70 Grouping Objects ..................................................................................................71 Changing Stacking Order ................................................................................73 Combining Objects ..............................................................................................75 Uniting Objects ................................................................................................75 Uniting Objects with Color ............................................................................76 Creating Shapes Using the Minus Front Feature ............................................76 Working with the Intersect Command ..................................................................77 The Exclude Command ..................................................................................78 Editing Objects ....................................................................................................80 Duplicating Objects ........................................................................................81 Making an Alias ..............................................................................................82 Copying Objects ..............................................................................................83 Cutting Objects ................................................................................................83 Pasting to the Canvas ......................................................................................84 Pasting Special ................................................................................................85 Deleting Objects ..............................................................................................85 00 0672323125 FM 4/22/02 12:25 PM Page vii Contents vii Undoing What You’ve Done ................................................................................86 Alignment and Distribution ..................................................................................87 Aligning Objects ..............................................................................................88 Distributing Objects ........................................................................................89 Summary ..............................................................................................................90 Q&A ......................................................................................................................91 Quiz ......................................................................................................................91 Quiz Answers ........................................................................................................91 Activities ..............................................................................................................91 Hour 5 Selecting and Transforming Objects 93 Selecting and Deselecting Objects with LiveMotion Tools ................................94 Working with the Selection Tool ....................................................................94 Using the Subgroup Selection Tool ................................................................96 Working with the Drag Selection Tool ............................................................98 Deselecting Objects ........................................................................................99 Moving Objects ....................................................................................................99 Moving an Object with the Drag Method ......................................................99 Using the Arrow Keys ..................................................................................101 Object Positioning with the Transform Palette ............................................102 Resizing Objects ................................................................................................104 Resizing by Dragging ....................................................................................105 Summary ............................................................................................................106 Q&A ....................................................................................................................107 Quiz ....................................................................................................................107 Quiz Answers ......................................................................................................107 Activities ............................................................................................................108 Hour 6 Working with Object Layers 109 All About Layers ................................................................................................110 Using the Object Layers Palette ........................................................................111 Creating Object Layers ..................................................................................112 Selecting and Naming Layers ......................................................................113 Displaying and Hiding Layers ......................................................................115 Duplicating Layers ........................................................................................116 Deleting Layers ............................................................................................117 Arranging Layers ................................................................................................118 Modifying Object Layers with the Layer Palette ..............................................119 Creating Layer Fills ......................................................................................119 Offsetting Layers ..........................................................................................120 Modifying the Width of a Layer ..................................................................121 Adjusting Layer Softness ..............................................................................122 Summary ............................................................................................................123 00 0672323125 FM 4/22/02 12:25 PM Page viii viii Sams Teach Yourself Adobe LiveMotion 2 in 24 Hours Q&A ....................................................................................................................123 Quiz ....................................................................................................................124 Quiz Answers ......................................................................................................124 Activities ............................................................................................................124 Part III Color, Shape, and Style 125 Hour 7 Using LiveMotion’s Color Tools 127 All About Web Color ..........................................................................................128 General Color Tools and Techniques ..................................................................130 Choosing Foreground and Background Color ..............................................130 Working with the Eyedropper Tool ..............................................................131 Using the Paint Bucket ..................................................................................132 Working with the Color Palette ..........................................................................132 Color Views ..................................................................................................133 Coloring Compositions ..................................................................................134 Tapping into the Power of Color Schemes ........................................................138 Summary ............................................................................................................141 Q&A ....................................................................................................................141 Quiz ....................................................................................................................142 Quiz Answers ......................................................................................................142 Activities ............................................................................................................142 Hour 8 Working with the Library Palette 143 The Importance of Shape ....................................................................................144 Using LiveMotion’s Library Palette ..................................................................145 Applying a Preset Shape ..............................................................................146 Modifying Shapes ..........................................................................................147 Cropping and Replacing Objects with Shape ..............................................151 Adding Custom Shapes to the Library ..............................................................153 Adding an Object Using the New Object Icon ............................................154 Dragging and Dropping an Object to the Library ........................................154 Placing an Object into the Library Folder ....................................................155 Deleting LiveMotion Library Files ....................................................................155 Summary ............................................................................................................156 Q&A ....................................................................................................................157 Quiz ....................................................................................................................157 Quiz Answers ......................................................................................................157 Activities ............................................................................................................157 00 0672323125 FM 4/22/02 12:25 PM Page ix Contents ix Hour 9 Applying LiveMotion Styles 159 All About LiveMotion Styles ............................................................................160 Exploring the Styles Palette ................................................................................161 Applying Styles to Geometric Objects ..........................................................162 Applying Styles to Text Objects ....................................................................164 Adding Styles to an Image Object ................................................................166 Combining Library Objects and Style ..........................................................167 Combining Numerous Objects and Styles ....................................................167 Adding a Preset Animation ..........................................................................169 Customizing Preset Styles ..................................................................................169 Adding Styles to the Style Palette ......................................................................170 Removing Styles from the Palette ......................................................................172 Summary ............................................................................................................172 Q&A ....................................................................................................................172 Quiz ....................................................................................................................173 Quiz Answers ......................................................................................................173 Activities ............................................................................................................173 Hour 10 Textures, Gradients, Distortion, and Effects 175 Using the Textures Palette ..................................................................................176 Adding Preset Texture ..................................................................................176 Adding New Textures to the Library ............................................................178 Replacing and Deleting Textures ..................................................................179 Applying Gradients ............................................................................................180 Distorting Objects ..............................................................................................182 Working with 3D Effects ....................................................................................184 Using the Adjust Palette ....................................................................................185 Q&A ....................................................................................................................187 Quiz ....................................................................................................................187 Quiz Answers ......................................................................................................187 Activities ............................................................................................................187 Hour 11 Matting and Masks 189 Understanding Mattes ........................................................................................189 Channels and Masks ..........................................................................................190 Alpha Channels in LiveMotion ....................................................................191 Building and Designing with an Alpha Channel ..........................................193 Applying the Active Matte ............................................................................196 Cropping Images ................................................................................................198 Summary ............................................................................................................200 Q&A ....................................................................................................................200 Quiz ....................................................................................................................200