Flash Basics > Creating a new movie and setting its properties

Each time you open Flash, the application creates a new file, with the FLA extension. You can create additional new movies as you work. To set the size, frame rate, background color, and other properties of a new movie, you use the Movie Properties dialog box.

To create a new movie and set its properties:

1	Choose File > New.
2	Choose Modify > Movie. The Movie Properties dialog box appears.
3	For Frame Rate, enter the number of animation frames to be displayed every second. For most computer-displayed animations, especially those playing from a Web site, 8 fps (frames per second) to 12 fps is sufficient. (12 fps is the default frame rate.)
4	For Dimensions, choose one of the following options:
	To specify the Stage size in pixels, enter values for Width and Height. The default movie size is 550 x 400 pixels. The minimum size is 18 pixels by 18 pixels; the maximum is 2880 x 2880 pixels.
	To set the Stage size so that there is equal space around the content on all sides, click Match Contents. To minimize movie size, align all elements to the upper left corner of the Stage before using Match Contents.
	To set the Stage size to the maximum available print area, click Match Printer. This area is determined by the paper size minus the current margin selected in the Margins area of the Page Setup dialog box (Windows) or the Print Margins dialog box (Macintosh).
5	To set the background color of your movie, choose a color from the Background color swatch.
6	Select the unit of measure from the Ruler Units pop-up menu for rulers that you can display along the top and side of the application window. See Using the grid, guides, and rulers. (The Ruler Units option also determines the units used in the Info panel.)
7	Click OK.