and width.) By default, the object is scaled relative to the upper-left corner. If you press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), the object is scaled relative to its transformation point, represented by the circle icon. You can drag the transformation point anywhere in the object, or even outside of the object. Creating a Simple Animation Later lessons cover animation in greater detail, but for this project, you'll use a motion tween to create a simple frame-by-frame animation. You'll convert the bubble to a symbol, apply the motion tween, and then copy the layer to create additional animated bubbles. Converting a Shape to a Symbol A symbol is a graphic, button, or movie clip that you create once in Flash and then reuse as many times as you like, reducing the size of your movie file. Additionally, there are ways you can use symbols that you can't use other shapes. You'll learn more about symbols in Lesson 3. Now, you'll convert the bubble to a symbol so that you can animate it. 1. With the Selection tool, select the bubble. 2. Choose Modify > Convert to Symbol. 3. Name the symbol bubble, and select Graphic for the symbol type. Click OK to close the Convert to Symbol dialog box. [View full size image] Animating an Object The bubble should rise in the drink and change size over 20 frames. You'll specify the final bubble size and position at frame 20, and then apply a motion tween. A motion tween automatically creates the frames between the beginning and the end of the animation. 1. Select the bubble on the Stage and move it to the bottom half of the glass. 2. Select frame 20 in the Bubble layer, and press F6 to insert a keyframe. 3. Select the bubble on the Stage. 4. In the Property inspector, enter the following values: * Height: 12 pixels * Width: 12 pixels 5. Set the Y value to 90 pixels lower than its current value. For example, if the current Y value is 100, change it to 10. Press Enter or Return to apply the value. The larger bubble moves up to the top of the glass. [View full size image] 6. Select any frame between 1 and 20 on the Bubble layer. 7. In the Property inspector, select Motion from the Tween menu. [View full size image] 8. To see the bubble animation, choose Control > Test Movie. The bubble floats to the top of the glass and out of it, and then the animation repeats. Adding Animation Layers A drink needs more than one bubble, but you don't need to go through all the steps to create each one. Instead, you'll copy the Bubble layer to create