This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
About the Motion Editor
You don’t have to use the Motion Editor at all to create your animations. However, if you’re dealing with a motion tween that contains multiple properties that change at different times through the animation (for example, a rocket that fades and rotates as it moves across the Stage), or if you’re handling animation that mimics real-world physics (like bounces and springs), then the Motion Editor can make your task much simpler.
The Motion Editor is an advanced panel that is integrated into the timeline and accessible only when editing a motion tween. The panel shows you how the properties of your animation change over the course of the tween as lines on a graph. It takes some time to become familiar with the meaning of the lines and how the curves translate to visual changes on the Stage. But once you recognize how the curves reflect changes in your animation, you have a powerful tool at your disposal. You can modify the curves on the graph, called property curves, by adding or deleting anchor points, and change their curvature with Bezier precision. You can copy property curves and apply them to other properties or other motion tweens.
The Motion Editor also allows you to apply sophisticated eases to your animation. Although you can apply eases through the Properties panel, the Motion Editor provides a wider range of ease types, with options to customize any ease. The Motion Editor also visually shows you how your ease affects a property curve. You can even apply different eases to the curves for each of the properties of a tween.