Basic Flash Help & Graphic Program Reccomendation

[Jaggz]

Hi,

I've just recently gotten into flash and am currently trying to work on a
signature banner for some forum use that I have with flash. It's going to
be around 550x150 and have contact information and a small lil movie to go
with the theme. However, I've been workin on it for a couple of days and
have run into some problems.

[url]http://www.geocities.com/dazed_jaggz/Jgz_Sig.swf[/url]
Here is a link to the actual work I was making, its nothing in depth like I
want at the moment, but I've got to start somewhere to learn.

List of Problems:
1) I specified the movie properties as 550x150 (might of been 110, I'll
update if I need to), but the movie still comes out as much larger than
those specs.

2) The animation of the blue panels coming up was off the movie screen and
then comes up to it using a basic motion tween, however, they show them off
the movie area as well. How do I make those not show up until on the actual
signature? A mask? If so can you help me with doing this...

3) To make the Menu move from horizontal to vertical I did a number of
layers (3) and created guides for each letter on their separate layer to
make them move. Is there any easier way? I feel like I basically rigged it
instead of doing it properly.



Also, the "skin" of the banner is something that I had trouble with. It
doesn't look appealing at all to me, and I know I can make a much better one
with the proper program. I have a couple of programs already for doing
graphical work, but I feel they're not correct for making a skin like this.
I have Adobe Photoshop 6.0, JASC Paintshop Pro 7 / Animation Shop 3, and
Metacreations Painter 3d. I want to make really nice textures and skins for
this banner and a site I'm going to start once I get the hang of Flash. Any
suggestions? Thanks in advance...

Jaggz

**Note: I am also postin this on the macromedia.flash NG in case of no
answer here**

[J-Dogg]

Jaggz,

1. Scaling
If you put the flash file in an html file, the scaling problem will go away.
Otherwise, use the fscommands

fscommand(fullscreen=false);
fscommand(allowscale=false);

.... to control the scaling effect. Check the actionscript dictionary,
they're in there.

2. Blue panels
I don't see anything on your page that looks like what you've described, so
I'm not sure what you mean. Sorry. :(

3. Menu
It looks like you want a popup menu. You can either use motion tweens,
actionscript, or a combination of the two. You can make a movie clip called
myMenu, with your menu graphic in it, and put a button in the first frame
with a play action, and a stop action in the frame. Like so:

button script:
on(rollOver){
play();
}

frame 1 script:
stop();

.... So the movie is stopped at frame 1, until someone mouses over the
button. Then it plays and opens the menu, which you have to do with a motion
tween. At the last frame of the tween, put the stop action again, and paste
a new instance of the button that returns to the first frame:

on(release){
gotoAndStop(1);
}

I prefer straight actionscript, in which a button changes the value of a
variable. For example, if the instance of your menu is called "myMenu" and
you set a variable to be the desired y-coordinate (_root.myYCoordinate),
then you can play with that. If you aren't familiar with (a) instances or
(b) variables, then you're better off with motion tweens for right now.

Check FlashKit. [url]www.flashkit.com[/url]
They have lots of movies and tutorials for every level.

J-Dogg

"Jaggz" <sgrantomNO@SPAM.swbell.net> wrote in message
news:l8jfb.270$bY1.133059740@newssvr11.news.prodig y.com...

> Hi,
>
> I've just recently gotten into flash and am currently trying to work on a
> signature banner for some forum use that I have with flash. It's going to
> be around 550x150 and have contact information and a small lil movie to go
> with the theme. However, I've been workin on it for a couple of days and
> have run into some problems.
>
> [url]http://www.geocities.com/dazed_jaggz/Jgz_Sig.swf[/url]
> Here is a link to the actual work I was making, its nothing in depth like

I

> want at the moment, but I've got to start somewhere to learn.
>
> List of Problems:
> 1) I specified the movie properties as 550x150 (might of been 110, I'll
> update if I need to), but the movie still comes out as much larger than
> those specs.
>
> 2) The animation of the blue panels coming up was off the movie screen and
> then comes up to it using a basic motion tween, however, they show them

off

> the movie area as well. How do I make those not show up until on the

actual

> signature? A mask? If so can you help me with doing this...
>
> 3) To make the Menu move from horizontal to vertical I did a number of
> layers (3) and created guides for each letter on their separate layer to
> make them move. Is there any easier way? I feel like I basically rigged

it

> instead of doing it properly.
>
>
>
> Also, the "skin" of the banner is something that I had trouble with. It
> doesn't look appealing at all to me, and I know I can make a much better

one

> with the proper program. I have a couple of programs already for doing
> graphical work, but I feel they're not correct for making a skin like

this.

> I have Adobe Photoshop 6.0, JASC Paintshop Pro 7 / Animation Shop 3, and
> Metacreations Painter 3d. I want to make really nice textures and skins

for

> this banner and a site I'm going to start once I get the hang of Flash.

Any

> suggestions? Thanks in advance...
>
> Jaggz
>
> **Note: I am also postin this on the macromedia.flash NG in case of no
> answer here**
>
>