Saturday, February 4th, 2012
Introduction to Symbols
Published on July 21, 2009 by Chad Troftgruben · 61 CommentsSymbols allow the user to organize and animate the objects they draw or import into Flash. It is important to understand what symbols do and how to use them. This video tutorial goes over the three types of symbols: graphic, button and movie clip.
Tags: flash basics, symbols
Readers Comments (61)
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[..YouTube..] What if we don’t see any looping option when we click our movie clip symbols as you explain in 13:00.
[..YouTube..] I have tried to make a symbol but on my mac when a press command f8 I tunes pops up can anyone help me!!
[..YouTube..] @vltckboy agreed if you found an answer will you tell me?
[..YouTube..] how can i delete the symbol
[..YouTube..] 14:33 I’m not gonna let you forget.
[..YouTube..] it is nice and i like it
[..YouTube..] Oh wow thanks for this !
[..YouTube..] BLUE
[..YouTube..] purple? that was definitely blue lmao. but thank you so much for these tutorials. you are single-handedly teaching me flash.
[..YouTube..] Hey I think thousands of flash users would love to see a asdf movie tutorial of you, I think it’s not that difficult and it would be a great beginner tutorial. I know asdf clips are not rly your section (I think) but please make this tutorial =)
[..YouTube..] In CS5.5, you can’t double click the buttons like that
[..YouTube..] Thanks so much for posting this, soo helpful! Thanks again!
[..YouTube..] DUDE, THIS IS THE MOST USEFUL TUTORIAL I HAVE FOUND ON THE INTERNET. thanx a lot !!!
[..YouTube..] This guy can teach a 5 year old flash in 1 month
[..YouTube..] Purple? That’s blue!
[..YouTube..] @riztee same thing is happening to me. do u have CS5.5
[..YouTube..] So can i use scripting to change the number for the single frame mode in the properties for the graphic? I think it would be a cool way to do armor sets and stuff or facial expressions.
[..YouTube..] thanx you saved my ass XDi would never haved figured this out on my one untill tomorrow
[..YouTube..] I am following your tutorial however my flash is not having the same results . When I make my character a symbol i dont get access to the layers?!? I only get one later on the timeline. The body, arms. legs etc are gone ?! I cant figure out what I can do to fix this.. can anyone help please?
[..YouTube..] it aint purple its blue!
[..YouTube..] Your like Andrew Kramer in Adobe Flash! Crystal clear tutorial!
[..YouTube..] um im a extreem newbie when it come to flash..is there any way to draw over a symbol?
[..YouTube..] you rock
[..YouTube..] You take too long to speeeaacckk…….You make me go to sleep i cbf to watch ur other vidz now.Thanks alot
[..YouTube..] very nice and well done professional tutorials i didnt even think twice about subscribing but i hope you dont mind if i ask a question. I am curently using Macromedia flash 8 but for a while i have never been able to export a movie clip. the only way im able to view the movie clip in action is during the swf playback. for instence in your tutorial on your movie clip timeline on frame 50 it turned purple and also on the actual timeline. But not for me only when i preview it in swf
[..YouTube..] excellent tutorial man. i’ve been trying to figure out how to make flash movies easier for me and i figured it was related to symbols.
[..YouTube..] Its not purple…
[..YouTube..] thanks, this video is all that I have looking for year and a half
[..YouTube..] great tutorial. Loved the clarity, pace and articulation. I am learning a lot from your stuff. Grateful for your work and encourage you to keep going. Thanks a million.
[..YouTube..] Hi!I want to make a DVD Menu.When I will insert a DVD, one home page will come up with 6 different buttons to run Seven different file formats, 1) MP3, 2) Mov, 3) Doc, 4) Pdf, 5) JPEG, 6) link to webpage, 7) link to email. That’s I want to do with Adobe Flash CS3.It would be of real help if you make a tutorial on this. Please.Your tutorials are great. So keep the spirit up.Thanks
[..YouTube..] hey, I just followed the tutorial how I had to make a cartoon character, so I did and I actually succeeded (TY!!), but now I need to convert it to a symbol in order to make it move (as you say in another tutorial), but when I do so, some parts of the cartoon on different layers change places, like the arm goes under the body, so I can’t see it anymore, the neck pops up, so it’s above the head. How do I fix all this ? If I lock the layers of those parts, I can’t select them anymore. Please help!!
[..YouTube..] @SawyerCC *tool
[..YouTube..] @SawyerCC the bone cool is for cutout style animation and doesnt really allow for smooth animation, frame to frame animation will and the process for that hasnt really improved or changed much since macromedia owned flash.
[..YouTube..] “I’m going to go ahead and…” haha
nice tutorial. 
When adding a the text to the button: how do u come to the button time line again? I just see main time line.
[..YouTube..] its difficult
[..YouTube..] Thank you very much for this turotial! I really learned the basics, i hadn’t understand before.
[..YouTube..] i’m going to be honest, i love you.i had a workshop tutorial last year on this and had since completely forgotten how to do the symbol within a symbol technique. thank goodness i found you!
[..YouTube..] not purple and not a square but thanks man great tut
[..YouTube..] this guy is a born teacher, everything is quite clear. thanks.
[..YouTube..] That’s BLUE
[..YouTube..] how do you set up the symbols for lip synching and bring them onto the stage? something about selecting a number that corresponds with the graphic but ive seen it done but i havent seen it explained
[..YouTube..] Another excellent tutorial from lilredheadcomics
[..YouTube..] WOW that made me laugh so hard! HAHAHA-no.
[..YouTube..] I don’t have a square tool with my version.
[..YouTube..] You have to go back to the geometry class, it’s a rectangle not a square.Just a little joke to make you laugh *.-
[..YouTube..] invaluable tutorials man , I’m going trough all of them. can’t express how gratefull I am
[..YouTube..] lol you’re calling rectangles squares, and the blue rectangle purple–although we knew what you meant
Very nice and straight to the point. I would like to see a tutorial about Movie Clips in their entirety, because i read that they are lousy with sound streaming and i should use graphics for cartoons instead, so i’m just wondering which is really better for an actual DVD burnable movie. It’s nice how you’re actually teaching, as if you were standing behind us and guiding us through Flash
[..YouTube..] 21:35 spell error
[..YouTube..] This is indeed an incredible flash tutorial.Very well explained, good slow pace for beginners and also very good video resolution! Thanks for sharing!
[..YouTube..] Thanks Brother … Learned a lot .. Peace in the hood and Smoke Some Bud
[..YouTube..] Great tutorial. Its cleared stuff up that I have never been 100% sure about for years.
[..YouTube..] nice tut! but you do realize that what you keep calling a square is actually a RECTANGLE right?lol
[..YouTube..] Very helpful tutorial, rated 5 stars, would watch again
DD
[..YouTube..] looks like it
[..YouTube..] are you colorblind?
[..YouTube..] Also, Im sorry if you have answered this before but what program are you using to capture your screen? Thanks!
[..YouTube..] These videos are great, your voice isn’t awful like most of the users who post tutorials. To the point and helpful! You are definitely a good teacher. Thank you!
[..YouTube..] dude that really helped i had problem with flash cs4
[..YouTube..] how do you know where to position bone joints?
[..YouTube..] is mouse bubble comming up when you click or hold a effect you add or do you use a tablet?,Anyway’s really nice made tutorial’s didnt even know about the bonetool before i saw your tutorial ,but im a game devloper so i dont really use animation often….but still make more of those tutorial’s.