Creating Web Graphics and Animation > Animating objects and text

 

Animating objects and text

To animate objects for display in the Flash Player, you place the objects on layers using the Animate > Release to Layers Xtra. You can animate blends or groups, as well as objects attached to a path. To animate a text block, you first convert the text to paths.

The Release to Layers Xtra ungroups blends, groups, or objects attached to a path, creates a new layer for each object, and assigns each ungrouped object to a new layer in consecutive order (New Layer, New Layer-1, New Layer-2, and so on). The Xtra places the first object (or object in a group) on the current layer, and the last object on the top layer. Releasing text to layers converts each letter in the text block to paths and places each letter on a separate layer.

You will achieve the best results by designing the frames of your movie to animate upward from the bottom layer to the top layer.

You can preview or export your animation as a SWF file using commands in the Controller or the Control menu. For more information, see Using the Controller or Control menu with SWF files.

You can also create your animation by placing objects on separate pages and selecting Animate Pages or Animate Pages and Layers when you export the FreeHand document as a SWF.

To prepare a text block for animation:

1

Select the text block containing the text that you want to animate, and position the text block where you want the animation to begin.

2

Choose Text > Convert to Paths. For more information on converting text to paths, see Converting text to paths.

3

With the text block still selected, choose Modify > Join.

4

Choose Edit > Copy and Edit > Paste to create a copy of the converted text block.

5

Use the Pointer tool to drag the copy of the converted text block to the position where you want the animation to end.

6

With the Pointer tool, Shift-select the original and the copy of the converted text block.

7

Choose Xtras > Create > Blend.

For information on animating the blend, see the following procedure.

To animate objects:

1

Select the objects that you want to animate. A nested object included in a group behaves as a single object.

2

Choose Window > Panels > Layers to display the Layers panel.

The Layers panel will display new layers as you create them in the following steps.

3

Choose Xtras > Animate > Release to Layers.

4

For Animate, choose animation effects to determine how objects are released to layers:

Select Sequence to release objects in sequence to separate layers.

Select Build to create a stacking effect by copying objects in sequence to subsequent layers. For example, if you have a group of two objects, the first object is placed on Layer 1, and a copy of the first and second objects are placed on Layer 2.

Select Drop to copy objects to all layers but omit one object in sequence from each layer. For example, if you select a group of three objects, the second and third objects are placed on Layer 1, the first object and a copy of the third object are placed on Layer 2, and copies of the second and third objects are placed on Layer 3.

Select Trail to copy and release objects to the number of layers you specify. Objects are copied incrementally to the specified number of layers. Enter a number for Trail By to specify the number of layers on which objects will be copied. For example, enter 4 for Trail By to copy each object in the 4 layers following the layer that contains the object.

5

Select Reverse Direction to release the objects in reverse stacking order and animate the sequence in the opposite direction.

6

Select Use Existing Layers to release objects to existing layers, beginning with the current layer. Deselect the option to release objects to new layers created by the Xtra.

7

If you chose Use Existing Layers, select Send to Back to release the objects to the back of the stacking order.

8

Click OK.