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USING FLASH CS4 PROFESSIONAL
Timelines and Animation
Edit the shape of property curves
The Motion Editor allows you to precisely control the shape of each property curve of a tween, except for X, Y, and Z.
For all other properties, you can edit the curve of each graph with standard Bezier controls. Using these controls is
similar to how you edit strokes with the Selection tool or the Pen tool. Move a curve segment or control point upward
to increase the property value, move it downward to decrease the value.
By working with property curves directly, you can:
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Create complex curves for complex tweened effects.
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Adjust property values at property keyframes.
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Increase or decrease property values along the entire property curve.
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Add additional property keyframes to a tween.
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Set individual property keyframes to roving or non-roving.
In the Motion Editor, the basic motion properties X, Y, and Z are different from other properties. These three
properties are linked together. A frame in a tween span that is a property keyframe for one of these properties must be
a property keyframe for all three of them. In addition, control points on the X, Y, and Z property curves cannot be
edited with Bezier controls.
Control points of property curves can be either smooth points or corner points. When a property curve passes through
a corner point, it forms an angle. When a property curve passes through a smooth point, it forms a smooth curve. For
X, Y, and Z, the type of a control point in the property curve depends on the type of the corresponding control point
in the motion path on the Stage.
In general it is best to edit the X, Y, and Z properties of a tween by editing the motion path on the Stage. Use the Motion
Editor for minor adjustments to the property values or to move their property keyframes to different frames of the
tween span.
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To change the shape of a curve segment between two control points, drag the segment. When you drag a curve
segment, the control points at each end of the segment become selected. If the selected control points are smooth
points, their Bezier handles appear.
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To reset a property curve to a static, non-tweened property value, right-click (Windows) or Command-click
(Macintosh) the property graph area and choose Reset Property.
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To reset an entire category of properties to static, non-tweened values, click the Reset Values button for the
category.
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To reverse the direction of a property tween, right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) the property
graph area and choose Reverse Keyframes.
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To copy a property curve from one property to another, right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) the
graph area of the curve and choose Copy Curve. To paste the curve to another property, the graph area of the
property and choose Paste Curve. You can also copy curves between custom eases and between custom eases and
properties.
Updated 5 March 2009
