How to prevent flash animation distraction on web pages

In this article I will show you how you can ensure your page visitors focus on just what you want them to, your website content. Are you not skilled when it comes to creating flash animations for ads using applications like Adobe Flash Professional CS5? You are about to read through an article that will offer you an alternative.

As one learning web design on my own I found it difficult to build flash animations like banners and adverts using Adobe Flash Professional CS5. Though am still figuring it out I later stumbled on a wonderful alternative application called “Motion Artist.” Though automated you can create just about any swf file you want provided you have the required files you need handy. Motion Artist is also Macromedia Flash enabled and this allows you to preview and create quality flash files.

 

However still basking in the euphoria of the fact that I found motion artist I still had a problem, a limitation – of not being able to prevent my finished files from playing (looping) forever once someone views my page. One of the tips for building a great website is that you should minimise motion on screen, which some viewers might find very annoying. In trying to figure out how to beat this challenge as I intend running flash ads on my page and not having any options that will give my visitors the control over such displays I discovered just how to solve it.

As you open motion artist and create your pages to be included in the finished flash animation your screen should look as shown below

Motion Artist workspace

 When you are done with adding all you want included in the swf for your website don’t create the final file just yet. Because you want to prevent continuous loop ad infinitum, this is what you should do. Look closely at the point where see a read rectangle in the next picture.

Time-line Grid

Those figures represent the time frame or timeline (and the length of time the file animation should last before looping). Just below it you will find a cylinder-like object with blue and grey colours on each end. It is used to control transitions from one motion aspect and image to another. Adjusting any of the sliders – grey for how your images come on stage or into view and blue for how they exit (from the above picture) – controls the speed of the effects and duration you want.

To increase the duration of the motion I created as shown in the picture all I need do is to move the timeline from Point A to B as you will see in the next picture

Extending Time-line duration

Thus if I want the loop for my flash animation to stay a while before starting afresh all I have to do is to move point B farther away from point A to the desired timeline I want. That’s all. When you do this your audience or visitor won’t help but notice that the flash animation stops and resumes motion after a long while. Isn't this cool?

 

I guess you are thinking of quitting hitting your head against the wall for not being able to manipulate the Adobe Flash app. While you learn how to use it – as it is a good product – you can go get yourself motion artist. It’s what I use and I must tell you I really like it. Go buy yours now. Good luck with your website development.

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