Using Symbols and Instances > Using symbols and instances overview
Using symbols and instances overviewA symbol is a graphic, button, or movie clip that you create once and then can reuse throughout your movie or in other movies. Any symbol you create automatically becomes part of the library. An instance is a copy of a symbol located on the Stage or nested inside another symbol. An instance can be very different from its symbol in color, size, and function. Editing the symbol updates all of its instances. But editing an instance of a symbol updates only that instance.
Note: You can also create font symbols in Flash. See Creating font symbols.
Using symbols in your movies dramatically reduces file size; saving several instances of a symbol requires less storage space than saving a complete description of the element for each occurrence. For example, you can reduce the file size of your movies if you convert static graphics such as background images into symbols that you then reuse. Using symbols can also speed movie playback, because a symbol needs to be downloaded to a browser only once.
Using symbols also enables you to share images and other elements, such as movie clips or sounds, among Flash movies. You can include symbols in a shared library, and link to items in the shared library from any of your Flash movies, without importing the items into the movies. See Using shared libraries.
For an interactive introduction to using symbols and instances, choose Help > Lessons > Symbols.
A symbol in the library and two instances on the Stage