macromedia flash sitedesign: I am stumped. I've read through the help files, searched the forums but I can't
find find out how to animate color change of a "home made" button.

I have made an image in Photoshop, saved it as a gif and imported it into
Flash MX.

The help session explains the animation steps with a pre-built button but its
attributes seems to differ from the gif I've made.

Bascially I want to know how to make one gif "morph" into another (color
change) or maybe there is an easier way?

If youve got 2 gifs that are the exactly the same but of different colour then
do the following:

place each gif in its own timeline. Create a second keyframe at the point in
the time line you want the morph to finish. Then select the gif with the
original colour in its last keyframe and in the properties change the alpha to
0. Then select the gif with the final colour and do the same to it but in the
first keyframe.

Hope thats what you wanted

Thank you for your swift reply!

I've figured out the first step (Pardon my lack of understanding for the
terminology) after watching an interesting media tutorial made by one of the
macromedia flash staff...

I've managed to achieve the effect I wanted but not WHEN I want it to happen.

I converted the gif to a symbol (button) and placed it within the first
keyframe. Used the same symbol in the last keyframe (but this time with an
applied tint color effect). As I mentioned above, the effect I wanted is
achieved.

Now, how do I make this effect happen only when the mouse pointer hover (over)
the button?

In danger of solving this before someone get a chance to answer I'll just go
to bed... (My first day with flash - about 14 hours straight now - might as
well clear my head a bit ;)).

Thanks in advance!

There are a number of ways to do it but if this is your first day with flash
lets make it easy.
1.Import and Convert the gif again but this time to a graphic.
2. Click on it again and convert the graphic to a movie.
3. Go into (edit) the movie. The button will be a graphic in the movie.
4. Apply the tint effect as before.
5. Create a new layer.
6. Draw a shape in the new layer that matches the gif. Doesnt matter what
colour it is.
7. Convert the shape into a button.
8. Right click the shape and click edit in place.
9 In the button timeline drag the keyframe from up to hit.
10. go back to ur movie and select the button.
11. go to the actions and type:

on (rollOver) {
gotoAndPlay(2);}

12. Finally, in the first keyframe of the movie insert a stop() action.

"1.Import and Convert the gif again but this time to a graphic.
2. Click on it again and convert the graphic to a movie."

Why not directly convert it to movie? sorry for this very beginner question it
might be an advanced technic i don't know. Thanks

Originally posted by: mballom3
"1.Import and Convert the gif again but this time to a graphic.
2. Click on it again and convert the graphic to a movie."

Why not directly convert it to movie? sorry for this very beginner question it
might be an advanced technic i don't know. Thanks

Not advanced at all. The reason is that he wants to change the tint of the
gif. By converting to a graphic first he can change the tint in the movieclip.
If you just convert the gif to a movie you would have to then put that in
another movie to change the tint or change it on the main timeline which isnt
good practice.

At 12 I encountered a problem "Actions not allowd".

Imported and Converted the gif again but this time to a button. Edited the
button, dragged the keyframe to "HIT", then moved it back to "UP" (now I got
the bitmap on all the frames, from "UP" to "HIT". Selected "OVER" and changed
the bitmap to a graphic and applied tint.

Works :)