MACROMEDIA DIRECTOR MX-USING DIRECTOR MX, Use Manual

Page: 270 / 624

Chapter 9 270
Using transitions
Transitions create brief animations that play between frames to create a smooth flow as sprites
move, appear, or disappear or as the entire Stage changes. Director provides dozens of transitions
built into the application, and many third-party Xtra extensions also include transitions. For
example, you can dissolve from one scene to the next, display a new scene strip by strip, or switch
to a scene as though revealing it through venetian blinds. You can also use many of the transitions
to make individual elements appear or disappear from the screen.
After they are defined, transitions appear in the Cast window as cast members. You can place
them in the transition channel by dragging them from the cast to the Score.
Creating transitions
The same as tempos, palettes, sounds, and behaviors, transitions have a channel set aside for them
in the Score.
A transition always takes place between the end of the current frame and the beginning of the
frame where the transition is set. If you want to create a dissolve between two scenes, set the
transition in the first frame of the second scene, not in the last frame of the first scene.
To add a transition:
1
In the transition channel, select the frame in which you want the transition to occur.
2
Select Modify > Frame > Transition, or double-click the frame in the transition channel.
3
In the Frame Properties Transition dialog box, select a category if desired, and then select the
transition you want. You can quickly scroll through transitions by typing the first letter of the
transition’s name.
Many transitions have default settings for Duration and Smoothness. You can adjust the sliders
to change the settings.
For many transitions, you can also select whether the transition affects the entire Stage or only
the area that’s changing.
Xtra extension transitions might offer additional options provided by the developer. If the
Options button is available when you select an Xtra extension transition, click it to view and
change the transition options.
4
Click OK.
Director displays the cast member number that corresponds to the transition in the transition
channel. The transition also appears in the cast.
Transition channel
Transition