Its All About the Tween

We believe using Macromedia Flash to present content for the web is a wise choice. A lot of the Flash done at ProjectSkyLine involves time line control and motion tweening. One of the coolest functions of later versions of Flash is 'motion tweening'. Over the years, Flash has developed from a tool used to create lightweight animations for the Web to an authoring environment that is used to create animation, effects, applications, widgets, CD-ROMs, to display video, and more. However, a recent step-by-step tutorial on using tweening is hard to find. This is why I am writing this passage today.


Motion tween is nothing but tweening a symbol's movement from one position to another. To implement motion tween all that you have to do is, provide Flash with a symbol's initial position and the end position. The rest is taken care by Flash. Isn't it really pretty simple.

The Tween
Place a symbol in a keyframe on one layer. A keyframe is a frame that holds an object or symbol. In this case you will be using a symbol. Select 10 frames down and press F6 to insert a new keyframe. These will show as dots on each end of the tween.

Still keeping play head on the same frame, move your Symbol to any other position other than the present one further down the time line.

After you select any frame further down the time line, then select 'Motion' from the tween pop-up menu in the Property inspector. Now your layer will look something like the one shown on the left with the blueish rectangle area with the arrow that runs along


The blue boxes are motion tweens


Now, before you can notice your tween, you will have to change you symbol on one side of the blue box. Click on the keyframe (black circle) on one side of the tween and with the free transform tool change the shape of the symbol. Now slide your time line flag back and forth inside the motion tween and there you go. You have a tween.