Chapter - VIII

Layers and Frames

Assignment
 1. Very Short Answers:
a) Give three types of layers.
Ans: Normal Layer, Mask & Masked layer, Guide & Guided layer
b) Each image in animation in Flash .
Ans: Frame
c) The objects which are created by the user and stored in the library.
Ans: Symbols
d) The copy of a symbol.
Ans: Instance
e) Which frame indicates the change the image appearance or its position on
the screen.
Ans: Keyframe
2. Match the following :
a)Normal layer 1. Indication by red marker
b)Frame 2. animation
c)Key frame 3. shape defining visible /
non-visible portion of
the layer below it.
d)Mask layer 4. change in image appearance
or it position on the screen.
e)Cartoon movies contain 5. draw and animate objects.
f) Active / current frame 6. states in button behavior
g) hit 7. any image in flash
Ans:
a) - 5
b) - 7
c) - 4
d) - 3
e) - 2
f) - 1
g) - 6
 3. State True or False
a) A mask layer contains any shape that defines only the visible portion of the
layer below it.
Ans: False
b) Every fourth cell in the timeline is grey, rest are white.
Ans: False
c) The frame in which nothing appears is called a blank key frame.
Ans: True
d) The objects stored in the library to be used again and again are called symbols.
Ans: True
e) There are only two types of behaviors of symbol Graphic and Movie clips.
Ans: False
 4. Give difference between
a) Guide and Guided layer
Guide and Guided layer
This layer guides the path to other layer For eg. if a ball is shown to be
bouncing several times, then the path of the bounce can be created by the user
in the guide layer and the ball created in the other layer will follow it. This
layer that will follow the path provided by the guide layer will be called as
guided layer. The guided layer should always come below the guide layer. A
layer is made guided / guide layer by selecting the layer properties.
 b) Symbol and Instance
SYMBOLS
The objects created by the user and stored in the library are called
symbols.Thus, a symbol is reusable object used/created in Flash. A
Symbol can be reused throughout your movie or imported and used in other
movies. There are three types of symbols: Graphics, Buttons, and Movie clips.
Instance - A copy of a symbol used in the movie is called an Instance, which can
have its own independent properties (like color, size, function, etc.) different
from the original symbol. All symbols used in a flash movie are stored in the
Library from where you can drag-and-drop new instances of the symbols into
your movie. When a symbol is edited all of its instances get updated, but
changing the properties, effects or dimensions of an instance of a symbol does
not affect the original .
5. Explain the following terms:
I. Normal layer
Its the default layer in which you can draw and animate object.
FRAMES
Basically, animation consists of a number of still images at different locations.
The transition from one image to another is so fast that the images appear to be
moving.Cartoon movies etc. use flash animation techniques. Each image in
animation is called a frame. The frames are the small rectangular cells in the
timeline. These are numbered. Every fifth cell is gray and the rest are white with
gray outline. At one time, only one frame is active.

Key frames Keyframe helps in creating animation. A key frame is a frame that
indicates the change in the image appearance or its position on the screen. It
can contain a graphical image or it might just be a blank.
 d)Button symbols are used when some action is to be invoked and for timeline
navigation . They add interactivity to the movie and respond to mouse clicks,
key press or rollovers/rollout, and other actions. . They have 4 frames in their
timeline - one each for the up, over and down states, and one to define the hit
area of the button.

e) Blank key frame The frame in which nothing appears is a blank key frame.
 6. Answer the following questions.
a) What is the use mask/masked layers?

III. Mask and Masked Layers : A mask layer contains any shape or
symbol that defines the visible or non-visible portion of the masked layer .
A masked layers work jointly with the mask Layers.
b) What is the importance of using symbols in an animation?

IMPORTANCE OF USING FLASH SYMBOLS

Using flash symbols is very crucial to the file size of your Flash movie. The
Flash file size depends largely on the size of all the graphics and texts used in
the movie (both symbols and non-symbols) - here the major advantage of using
symbols is that a symbol’s size is taken into consideration only once even if it is
used a hundred times - this is the true power of Flash. Unused symbols in your
library are not counted in the size of your movie.
 7. Give the step to do the following:
a) Animation using Insertion of a key frame.
Step1-Select Oval tool from the tool box and draw a circle on the workstage.
Step 2-On the Timeline click in the second frame of Layer 1 and press F6 or go to Insert >
Keyframe. Key frames have a black dot. You need a new key frame each time you make some
change to the object on the Stage.
Step3-Erase it gradually one frame at a time, then reverse the action to give the impression of
drawing the shape.
Step 4-Select the Eraser and choose a small size from the Options menu below the toolbox.
Delete a small segment of the circle, then go to the Timeline, click in frame 3 and press F6
again to insert another key frame. Erase a little more of the circle and repeat this procedure,
taking about 10 key frames to completely delete the shape. Drag the red Playhead to and fro
over these frames to see the animation.
 b) Creation of symbol
Step 1 - Make your drawing on stage, eg a ball
Step 2 - Click on the arrow tool and drag a selection box over the ball, enclosing all
of it.Press F8 for the Convert to Symbol window or go to Insert >Convert to
Symbol
Step 3 - Type a name for the symbol e.g. red_ball, choose the option Graphic
Symbol and click OK

Symbols will have a fine blue box around it to show that it is selected and has been
converted successully.
c) Insertion of a symbol in the layer
1 Open the library (CTRL+L)
2 Select the layer where the symbol is required.
3 Double click the required symbol name from the library and drag it
to the workspace.
4. An instance of the symbol is created in the stage.
d)Deletion of a symbol from the library
Deletion of a symbol from the library
1. Open the library
2. Select the symbol name to be deleted
3. click on the right mouse button and choose delete.
e) Editing the existing symbol.
Making Changes in the existing symbol
1. Open the library (CTRL+L)
2. Double click the symbol name to be edited.
3. The workspace containing the image will be opened, make the changes and
then save.
Note that any changes in the symbol will affect all the instances of the symbol.
8. What is use of following function keys in Flash
a) F6 key
Make a new keyframe
b) F5 key
Make a new frame
c) F8 key
To create symbol
9. Which type of layers will be used in each of the
following cases:
a)To design a solar system, where planets are revolving in a fixed
path
Guide Guided layer
b)To show leaves falling from tree, following a zigzag path
Guide Guided layer
c)To show a ball bouncing across the screen
Normal layer
d) To show spot light effect
Mask masked layer
10. Identify the following symbols:
a) It has fours states like hit ,up, over etc
Button Symbol
b) It is a movie within a movie.
Movie clip
c)It has one frame in its timeline.
Graphic symbol
 MCQ
1. Which of the folllowing is not a type of layer
a)Normal layer
b)Guide/guided layer
c)Show/hide layer
d)Mask/masked layer
Ans: c)Show/hide layer
2. Objects & images created and stored in the library are
a) symbols b) instances
c) Frames d) layers
Ans: a) Symbols
3. Frame is
a) Each image in animation b) A layer is divided into
c) Numbered cells on the timeline d) all of the above
Ans: d) all of the above
4. Frame which indicates change in the image appearance
a) Keyframe c) Active Frame
b) blank keyframe d) first Frame
Ans: a) Keyframe