How to Create Frame by Frame Animation in Flash?

To create frame by frame animation in Flash, you draw or modify the content of each individual frame sequentially on the timeline. This technique offers precise control over every moment of movement or change.

Frame by frame animation, also known as traditional animation, is a fundamental technique where each frame contains a slightly different image than the previous one, creating the illusion of motion when played back quickly. In Flash (now Adobe Animate), this involves using keyframes on the timeline to define the content of each frame you want to display.

Steps to Create Frame by Frame Animation

Creating frame by frame animation in Flash is a straightforward process that relies heavily on using the timeline and keyframes.

Here are the basic steps:

1. Create a New Flash Document: Start by opening Flash (or Adobe Animate) and creating a new document. This gives you a blank canvas and timeline to begin your work.
2. Prepare the Timeline: Frame by frame animation requires drawing or placing content on specific frames. You'll use the timeline to manage these frames.
3. Insert Keyframes: For each point in time where you want a distinct image or change, you need to create a keyframe.
   • You can create a blank keyframe easily by clicking a frame on the timeline and using the F7 shortcut key.
   • Alternatively, right-click the desired frame and select "Insert Blank Keyframe".
   • You can also insert a regular keyframe (which copies the content from the previous keyframe) by pressing F6 or selecting "Insert Keyframe".
4. Draw or Place Content: On each keyframe you create, draw or place the visual elements for that specific moment in your animation.
   • If you used F7 (Insert Blank Keyframe), the stage will be empty, and you'll draw the content from scratch.
   • If you used F6 (Insert Keyframe), the content from the previous keyframe is copied, allowing you to easily modify it slightly for the next frame.
5. Repeat for Each Frame: Continue inserting blank keyframes (F7) or regular keyframes (F6) and drawing/modifying the content for every frame you want included in the animation.
   • Frames don't have to be consecutive; you can leave space between keyframes to control the time that elapses between each one. Flash will simply hold the content of the last keyframe until it reaches the next keyframe. However, for smooth frame by frame animation, you typically place keyframes on consecutive frames.
6. Use Onion Skinning (Optional but Recommended): To help draw the content for the current frame in relation to the previous and next frames, enable onion skinning. This feature displays semi-transparent versions of neighboring frames on the stage.
7. Play and Refine: Once you have several frames, press Enter (or Control/Command + Enter to test the movie) to play your animation. Adjust the timing by adding or removing frames/keyframes, and refine your drawings as needed.

Understanding Keyframe Types

While creating frame by frame animation, you'll primarily use these keyframe types:

• Keyframe (F6): Indicates a point in time where the content on the stage is defined. It copies the content from the previous keyframe. Useful for slight modifications.
• Blank Keyframe (F7): Indicates a point in time where the content on the stage is defined, but it starts empty. Useful for drawing each frame from scratch or for adding new elements.
• Frame (F5): Extends the duration of the content from the previous keyframe. Does not define new content. Not typically used for traditional frame-by-frame where every frame is drawn uniquely, but useful for holding a pose.

Timeline View Example

Here's a simple representation of a timeline for frame by frame animation:

In this example, each frame (1, 2, 3, 4) contains unique artwork created on a blank keyframe (or modified from a keyframe copy).

By following these steps and leveraging keyframes and the timeline, you can build detailed frame by frame animations in Flash, controlling the visuals one moment at a time.