![]() All visible objects, except the stage, have Position properties: X and Y. Rectangles have Width and Height properties. ![]() For example, text has a Color and a Size property. As explained back on Setting the Stage, each element has a number of properties that you use to control it. Actually, even the stage itself is considered an element, as you can see in Figure 4-8. Elements are the objects displayed on the stage. The busiest part of the timeline is over on the left side, where the elements are listed. Understanding Elements’ Timeline Controls After you’ve watched your animation, click the return arrow next to the playback controls to move the playhead back to its previous position. The play button starts to play your animation from the playhead’s position. Sometimes, you’re just interested in a segment. You won’t always want to play your entire animation. If the animation is playing, the same button works as a pause button. The big triangle in the middle plays your animation in real time. The left button jumps to the beginning of your animation, and the right button jumps to the end, wherever that may be on the timeline. ![]() The three playback buttons in the upper-left corner of the timeline work just like the ones on your iPod or Blu-ray player. As you move the playhead, the time counter to the right of the playhead changes to display the selected time in numbers ( Figure 4-3). The playhead and its red marker line selects a point in the animation’s run time. ![]() To select a particular moment in time, drag the playhead along the timeline. As explained in the earlier chapters, elements’ position on the stage and their appearance is controlled by properties: Location properties, Color properties, Size properties, and so on. For example, drag it to 0:02 on the timeline, and the stage displays the elements as they appear 2 seconds into your animation. The playhead lets you select a certain moment in time. Think of the timeline simply as a ruler that measures time in your animation. Create a couple of transitions, and things don’t get any simpler down there in Animate south. When you first look at the timeline, it seems to be quite complicated with all its buttons and widgets. It’s no surprise that the timeline is the panel that’s devoted to working with time-selecting specific moments in your animation and making something happen. Usually you jump back and forth among them, using their features as necessary. When you work in Animate, you use three panels to create your animation: Elements, Properties, and the timeline. If you tackled any of the exercises in the earlier chapters, you’re not a complete stranger to the timeline. You’ll have a jump on the learning process if you’ve used a timeline in a video editor, Adobe After Effects, or Flash. ![]() Master the timeline, and you’ll be an Animate Jedi. When you’re through, you’ll know how to operate every button and widget the timeline has to offer. And of course you’ll explore transitions, learning how to tweak them to do your bidding. You’ll learn how to create timeline labels and how to set, move, and remove keyframes. This chapter provides more complete details on timeline basics and controls. The previous chapters involved some timeline manipulation. Those properties and their changes are tracked on the timeline through the use of keyframes-those little diamond-shaped markers. In Animate, that means that the properties that define an element change over the course of time. Elements move, change shape, and change color. It’s the same whether you’re creating a cartoon with a long-eared rabbit or you’re developing a presentation for the next quarterly sales meeting. The art of animation is all about images changing over the course of time in a natural, pleasing, and entertaining manner. Chapter 4. Learning Timeline and Transition Techniques ![]()
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