PE7-Flash CS5

(A Rose by any other instance…is still a symbol)

At times to me Flash can be extremely frustrating and boring when the lessons deal with the essentials, probably because they sometimes tend to straddle between need to know info, I already know info, and I could have figured this out with a little time to play so this time out I played with some effects (That is what people us Flash for anyway)

This one way important to me to grasp because I am very graphic designer makes you kind of partial to pictures…The concept of Symbols as it relates to Flash:

My screen shots will give you a visual example.

1.   I opened up a Flash document and when to File » Import » Import image to Library. 

the picture I selected it the rose you see. Saving the image to the Library is a way of collecting you resources much like saving a file for research paper on the computer. This saves the picture in the working Flash file for continued use. 

 Next I dragged the file to the document (stage) and then convert it to a symbol by going to Modify » Convert to Symbol

Background Info: Flash streamlines image usage and keeps file size down by using Symbols. (A representation of a file that you can use repeatedly in the document instead of copying the image over and over again) Once you have a symbol in your library, you can use it over and over again and barely affect file size.


When you convert to symbol you need to name it and choose to convert it either to button, graphic or movie clip; which have characteristics specific to each. This graphic…. is converted as a “graphic”

 The next image shows the Rose being used repeatedly in the Flash file by dragging it from the library to the stage.

5.   Each Rose is call an instance. 4 separate elements on the stage. They can be individual altered and will not affect the Rose from the library UNLESS you specifically alter the Rose directly from the library.  (Think of it like altering an copy of a file sent to you. The original is unaffected unless you alter the original

6.   Using symbol instances can help you to show animation, movement by affecting each based on what you want to do (like frames in a movie…. which is the backbone of what flash does anyway…. it is called a Flash movie)

JCIII