Gives you some
options that can help make your movies more accessible,
so that they can be seen and heard by people with
disabilities.
Actions Panel
(Flash)
Allows you to
add and modify actions for a frame, button, or
Movie Clip
Add Motion Guide (Flash)
This button adds a
Guide Layer on top of the currently selected layer.
Adobe Acrobat
Programs
by Adobe for creating and distributing electronic
documents. A user can create and distribue the PDF
document electronically in its exact layout.
Adobe Photoshop
A leading graphic program used
by desktop publishers, Web designers, graphic designers.
Align Panel (Flash)
Gives you access to several different
alignment and distribution options.
Animated GIF
A type of GIF image that can
be animated by combining several images into a single
GIF file.
Antialiasing
In graphic progarms, a technique
for diminishing jagged edges by surrounding the satirsteps
with intermediate shades of gray.
Application
A program or group of programs
designed for end users. Application software includes
database programs, word processors, and spreadsheets.
Attachment
A file attached to an e-mail
message.
Authoring
Tool
A program used to write hypertex
or multimedia applications. Authoring toolsusually
enable the author to create a final application by
linking objects, such as paragraph of text and an
illustration.
B
Bandwidth
Amount of data that can be transmitted
in a fixed amount ot time: expressed in bits per
second (bps) or bytes per second for digital devices.
Bitmap (see jpg, gif, png)
A representation, consisting
of rows and columns of dots, of a graphics image
in computer memory. The density of the dots, known
as the resolution, determines how sharply the image
is represented. The computer translates the bit map
into pixels to display it on a monitor or ink dots
to print it.
Bookmark
To mark (a document, a place
in a document, or the address of a Web page) for
later retrieval.
Broadband Transmision
A
type of data transmission in which a single medium
(wire) can carry several channels at once.
Browser
Web browser: a software application
used to locate and display Web pages (Netscape/Explorer).
C
Canvas
The full area of where an image
is editable
Color Mixer Panel (Flash)
Allows you to create new colors in
one of three different modes-RGB (red, green, blue),
HSB (hue, saturation, brightness), or HEX (hexadecimal).
The Color Mixer panel also lets you add alpha and work
with different types of gradients.
Color Swatches Panewl (Flash)
Displays the default 216 Web-sage colors
and lets you select, add, sort, replace, save, and
clear colors.
Commom Libraries Panel(s) (Flash)
Provides access to sample libraries
included with the program. These libraries contain
premade buttons, learning interactions, and sounds,
which you can use in your movies.
Component Parameters (Flash)
Allows you to set the parameters (attributes)
of a component after you have added an instance of
that component to your movie.
Components Panel (Flash)
Gives you access to the seven default
user interface (UI) components. These components are
essentially Movie Clips that contain complex ActionScript
elements.
Concept Map
A concept map is a graphical technique
for taking notes and presenting information.
Controller (Flash)
Provides one way to preview your movie
right inside the authoring environment. Although there
are several ways to test your movie, the Controller
panel contains features similar to those on a remote
control, allowing you to stop, rewind, fast-forward,
and play your movie using one panel.
Crop
To trim or cut away part(s) of an image
Current Scene (Flash)
The Current Scene readout on the
left side of the Information Bar displays the name
of the scene that is currently open on the Stage.
D
Debugger (Flash)
Provides a way to check
your movie for errors while it is playing in the
Mocromedia Flash Player.
Delete Layer
(Flash)
Clicking this button deletes
the layer that is currently selected.
Document Window (Flash)A document in Macromedia Flash
Contains: Timeline, Stage, Work Area,Information
Bar, Toolbox, Panels, and Property Inspector
E
Edit Scene menu (Flash)
If your movie contains more than
one scene, this deop-down menu displays a list of
all the scenes in your project file.
Edit Symbol menu
This drop-down menu displays all of
the symbols in your project.
F
Frame View (Flash)
This not-so-obvious drop-down
menu lets you control the appearance of your
Timeline. You can change the appearance of the
individual frames and the entire size of the
Timeline itself.
G
Grid
A set of crisscrossingn vertical
and horizontal linnes that acts as a guide for drawing
and positioning elements, the way that graph paper
functions in the nondigital world.
H
I
Info Panel (Flash)
Contains numerical
information about the size, position, and color
of the selected object. This panel is very helpful
when you need pixel-specific positions and measurements.
Information Bar (Flash)
The Information Bar displays your current
location inside the project file such as the name of
the current scene, a number of buttons that let you
edit scenes and symbols, and the Zoom box. This bar
may change location based on whether your Timeline
is docked or not. The Infomrmation Bar is very useful
for quick visual feedback as to where you are located
in your movie. It contains buttons and a drop-down
menu that give you quick access to the scenes and available
zoom levels.
Insert layer (Flash)
Adding new layers to your projects
is as easy as clicking this button. Each time you click,
a new layer is added on top of the one that is currently
selected.
Insert Layer Folder (Flash)
This button is a new feature in Macromedia
Flash MX. It adds a special Layer Folder that can hold
other layers. This is helpful in organizing your layers
into groups that can be easily expanded and collapsed.
J
JPEG
(Joint Photographic Experts Group)
Compression method that shirnks a file's storage
size, but which can also cause image degradation
as a result of data loss.
K
L
Layer controls (Flash)
This region lets you control
the features of the layers, including adding, organizing,
hiding, and locking layers, as well as displaying
the content of layers as outlines.
Layer name (Flash)
The default layer names are Layer 1,
Layer 2, and so on. Double-click a name to chage it.
Library Panel (Flash)
Provides a location for you to store
and organize specific assets within your project, including
symbols, imported artwork, sound files, and video files.
Lock / Unlock All Layers (Flash)
Clicking the Padlock icon to lock the
layer makes it impossible to edit anything on this
layer. This control can be useful when you start working
with multiple layers, especially ones with overlapping
content.
M
Movie Explorer (Flash)
Displays the contents
of your movie, organized in a hierarchical tree.
You can use the Movie Explorer panel to search for
specific elements within your project file so that
you can quickly select and edit them with a few clicks
of your mouse.
N
O
Opacity (Flash)
The density of a color or shade,
ranging from transparet ot opaque.
Outline View (Flash)
Clicking this icon displays all of
the contents of all of the layers in the Timeline in
Outline view, in which solid shapes are represented
as outlined shapes with no solid fill. This feature
can be very helpful when you are working with multiple
layers with overlapping content.
Output (Flash)
Provides assistance during troubleshooting
by displaying feedback information after your test
your movie.
P
Panels (Flash)
Panels are windows
that contain tools and information to help you
work in your project file more efficiently. Each
of the panels can be used to view and modify elements
within your project file. For example, the Property
Inspector panel changes depending on what is selected,
and it allows you to make changes to the current
selection quickly, right inside the panel.
Pixels
Dots that are
ised tp display an image on a computer.
Playhead (Flash)
The Playhead indicates
which Timeline frame is currently displyed on the
Stage. Once you have artwork on the Stage and have
created different frames, you can click and drag
the Playhead to move it to a specific frame. Many
people also scan through the Timeline (a process
called scrubbing) to quickly preview animations.
Plug-In
Hardware or software module that adds
a specific feature or service to a larger system.
Property Inspector (Flash)
Acts as a one-stop shop for displaying
and changing all of your most commonly used attributes
of the current selection in one panel. This context-sensitive
panel allows you to modify the current selection using
only one panel, rather than having to open several
panels.
Q
R
Reference (Flash)
Displays detailed information
about ActionScripting usage and syntax. This panel
is an essential tool for learning ActionScripting.
Resolution
Refers to the number of small
squares known as pixels that describe an image and
establish its detail. Resolution is determined by
pixel dimensions or the number of pixels along the
width and height of an image.
S
Scenes
Displays
a list of all the scenes within your movie. This panel
lets you quickly add, duplicate, delete, name, or rename
scenes. The Scene panel also provides a way to jump to
different scenes in your document.
Show / Hide All Layers
(Flash)
Clicking the Eye icon will temporarily
hide the artwork on the Stage and Work Area on all
layers in the Timeline. Note: This will not hide
your artwork in the published movie.
Sitespring (Flash)
Provides a link to Macromedia Sitespring
and allows your Sitespring task list. To use this panel,
you need a Sitespring user account and access to a
Stespring server.
Snap (Flash)
Snap feature helps you align
objects as you position them on the Stage in Flash.
With Snap turned on, Flash forces the edge or center
of an object to sit directly on top of a grid or
guidde line as soon as you positioon the object wihing
a user-speciffieed distance from that linne.
Stage (Flash)
The stage is where your animation and
images appear. It represents the visible area of your
project.
Status Bar (Flash)
The Status Bar gives you feedback about
the current frame, the number of frames per second
(fps), and the elapsed time of your movie. It also
controls some animation tools, such as onion skinning.
T
Timeline (Flash)
The Timeline controls and displays
all of the static and moving elements of your project
over time, using frames and layers.
Toolbox (Flash)
The Toolbox contains tools that are
necessary when creating and editing artwork. This long
vertical bar gives you access to just about every tool
you will need to create and modify the objects in your
Macromedia Flash MX projects. Toolbox contains Flash's
drawing tools and other tools you'll need to create
and manipulate graphiccs for animation.
Transform (Flash)
Allows you to numerically transform
(rotate, scale, and skew) an object. This panel also
lets you create a transformed copy of an object.
U
V
W
Work Area (Flash)
The light gray
are around the Stage is regerred to as the Work
Area. Nothing in the Work Area will be visible
to the end user after you publish your movie. You
can place objects here until you want them to appear
on the Stage. For example, if you want to animate
a bird flying in from offstage, you can place the
bird artwork offscreen in the Work Area so it appears
to fly in from outside the Stage Area.
X
Y
Z
Zoom box
Zoom box is a drop-down menu
that lets you quickly zoom into and out of the contents
of your Stage.