Explanation of how to use CoffeeCup Firestarter to create Adobe Flash movies or animations. Also refer to objects, text, sound, images, effects, actions, timeline, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions
Using Firestarter for Easy Flash Development
by Ron Kurtus (19 January 2002)
Firestarter from CoffeeCup Software is a low-cost clone of Adobe Flash that produces animations in the Flash SWF format. Firestarter is very easy to use and includes a number of built-in text and image effects, plus a collection of MP3 sounds.
Questions you may have include:
- How do add objects and special effects?
- How do you organize your animation?
- How does Firestarter compare with Flash?
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.
Getting started
When you open Firestarter or click on the New Movie button from the button bar, you see a dialog box allowing your to select the width, height, background and text color, background image and its opacity, and whether to loop the movie.
Adding objects
The Firestarter interface allows you to quickly and easily insert text, images, sound, links, shapes, and shapes. You can then add special effects to those objects. Firestarter also has features that allow you to view a movie in your browser, convert animated GIFs to Flash, and FTP your files. You can save a file as a Firestarter project or as a Adobe Flash file (SWF) along with an HTML file that includes the Flash code.
Firestarter button bar
Text
The strongest suit of Firestarter is its ability to animate text.
Insert and modify text
By clicking on the Add New Text button, you can insert a layer in your movie containing text. You can then drag the text object to any location on the screen.
Use Object Properties pane
By using the Object Properties pane for the text, you can easily enter words and change color, font and size. If you want to use a different format for any words, they would have to be a separate text object. You can also link the text to another site or page.
Object Properties pane for text
Add effects to text
Firestarter offers more than 50 pre-set motion effects, action effects and advanced effects.
Motion effects include sliding items in and out from various directions, and allowing those items fade in, fade out, grow, shrink, blink, or jiggle as they move. Users can also let the software apply the effects randomly.
Action effects include typewriter where text enters one letter at a time, jumble, jiggle, assemble, explode while shrinking or growing or both, zoom in and fade out, enter the screen as if target shooting, echo, and roll.
Example of built-in text effects in Firestarter
Advanced effects enable users to have items enter and exit from either absolute or preset locations--such as upper right off screen-- to other locations on or off screen and to change size while doing so.
Images
When you click the Add New Image button in Firestarter, you select an image to insert into your movie in a new layer. You can drag the image object to a different position on the screen. The Object Properties pane for the selected image allows you to insert a link, add an effect, modify the image colors, manipulate the image, adjust the transparency, edit the image, adjust the JPEG quality, and adjust the opacity of the image.
Effects are similar to most of the text effects.
The color, image, transparency and other image tools are easy to use and show before and after views of the image.
Selecting to edit the image opens your default image editing application.
Sounds
Clicking the Add New Sound button allows you to select a sound to add to your movie. You can add a Sound Clip, which is a short sound used as an effect and which can be repeated. Or you can add a Sound Track, which can be used as background music.
Shapes
Clicking the Add New Shape button inserts a default shape and color. The Object Properties pane allows you to change the shape, fill style, fill color, outline width and color, and opacity of the shape. You can also add effects to the shape.
The fill style can be non, solid color, gradient colors, or image. If you select gradient, you can then choose the colors for the gradient effect. If you choose image, you can then insert an image into the shape.
Only the Motion and Advanced effects apply to a shape.
Organizing animation
After the objects have been inserted in your movie and the effects have been added, you can organize your animation in the Timeline pane or the Cutting Room pane.
Firestarter Cutting Room and TimeLine
What is in front
Each object is in its own layer, as seen in the Cutting Room list. If an object is to be in front of another object, you can right click on it in the Cutting Room pane and select Forward (or Backward) One Layer.
When things start and end
You can drag an effect in the Timeline pane to where the effect should start. You can also drag its length. To hide the object before its effect starts, you can add blank spaces from the Cutting Room pane.
Adjustments
When you click on an effect in the Timeline pane, the Object Properties pane allows you to adjust the size of the movie screen, the frame rate, and background color. You can add a link that the movie will go to at its end, determine if the movie will loop, and add a message to display while the movie is loading on a slow Internet connection.
Publishing animation
Once you are through with your development, you can save the movie in the Flash format (SWF). An HTML file is also created, containing the Flash code.
There is also a button that allows you to view the code and paste it directly to your web page.
Comparison with Flash
Flash is more complete--and expensive--application that has a significant learning curve. Obviously, Flash has many more features and greater capabilities than the $49 Firestarter.
A major feature that Firestarter is missing is the ability to make buttons. Also, it seems that the movies are larger than a similar movie made with Flash.
On the other hand, the simple movies are much easier and quicker to make with Firestarter.
Summary
Firestarter is an easy-to-use, low-cost alternative to Flash. Its simple interface allow your to develop animations or Flash movies with may pre-set motions. Animating text is done much easier in Firestarter than Flash.
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Resources
Download trial version of
CoffeeCup Firestarter
Resources
The following are resources on this subject.
Websites
Books
Mini-quiz to check your understanding
1. What is the strongest suit of Firestarter?
2. What is an advantage of Firestarter?
3. What is a disadvantage of Firestarter compared with Flash?
If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Flash development. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.
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Using Firestarter for Easy Flash Development