In the Flash MX: Level 1 course, you learned the introductory skills to create basic animations and simple navigation buttons. In this course, you will work with symbols and instances, create extensive Timelines with independent animations, build more complex navigation controls, work with sound, and optimize your movies for viewing by your intended audience.

Prerequisites:

To ensure your success, you should have familiarity with the Windows operating system. We also recommend you first take the following Element K course or have equivalent knowledge:

• Flash MX: Level 1

After completing this course, students will know how to incorporate symbols and instances into their Flash projects. They will learn to better organize their larger projects through the use of scenes and frame labels. In addition, students will add interactivity and sound elements to their Flash animations. Finally, they will learn how to test and publish their Flash movies.

Target Student:

This course is intended for students with some experience creating Flash animations, who want to build more efficient, optimized animations that allow for greater user interactivity.

What's Next:

Flash MX: Level 2 is the final course in Flash MX training series. Students wishing to work more with Macromedia's multimedia software may consider taking a course in Director.

Certification:

Flash MX: Level 2 is one of three courseware titles that address the Macromedia Certified Professional Program objectives for the Certified Macromedia Flash MX Designer exam. This exam is intended to cover the most critical job activities of a Flash designer. Macromedia provides a comprehensive list of pre-requisite skills, knowledge, and experience that candidates should possess prior to taking the exam.

Delivery Method:

Instructor-led, group-paced, classroom-delivery learning model with structured hands-on activities.

Course duration:

1 Day.

Hardware/Software Requirements:

You will need:

• Mac OS 9.1 (or higher) or OS X 10.1 (or higher).
• At least 64 MB of free available system RAM (128 MB recommended).
• At least 85 MB of available disk space to install the software, and an additional 10 MB for the course data.
• 1024 x 768, 16-bit (thousands of colors) color display or better.
• Either Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 and/or Netscape Navigator 4.0 (or later version).
• Macromedia Flash MX.
• A CD-ROM drive.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify the advantages that symbol use has in building a Flash movie, identify and create the three types of symbols, and manage symbols within a movie using the Library palette.
• Use scenes to organize content in large complex Timelines, and create frame labels to mark critical points in your Timeline.
• Add advanced playback controls and interactive elements to a Flash movie (including remote rollovers and expanding menus), and create preloaders to ensure smooth playback of larger movie files over slow connections.
• Import sounds into a project, work with sound properties, and edit sounds.
• Test a movie while simulating a slow connection, identify factors that increase a movie's size and download time, and publish a movie using many of Flash's numerous publishing options.