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Chapter 1 ✦ SWiSHmax QuickStart
Starting a SWiSHmax project
A SWiSHmax project contains all the objects used in the final movie, as well as actions,
scripts, effects, and other elements that together make up what you see in the final product.
To start, you create a new project using one of the SWiSHmax templates, define how it is
going to look, and set the speed at which the movie plays. To create a new project, follow
these steps:
1. Open SWiSHmax. Double-click the program icon in the Programs listing; the program
opens, and you are given a set of options for starting. You can choose from:
• Start a new empty movie
• Start a new movie from a template
• Work on an existing movie
• Reopen the last movie you worked on
2. Choose a start option. To work with the project files, choose the option Start a new
movie from a template. The list of templates opens.
3. Choose a template and click Open. For the project, choose Large Rectangle (336 x 280)
.swi and click Open. The dialog box closes, and you are in the program. You see a large
white rectangle (the stage) on the Layout panel’s workspace. The rectangle is the view-
able area of your movie. If you look at the Layout panel tab, the first horizontal row in
the Timeline, and the first heading in the Outline panel, you can see all three areas now
have a listing called Scene_1.
When SWiSHmax is installed on your computer a set of templates for common forms of
movies is installed automatically.
4. Save the movie. Click File ➪ Save to open the Save dialog box and name your movie. If
you have been following along with the sample project, type logo in the Save dialog box.
By default, the program saves your movies in a numbered sequence; you see the file is
named movie1.swi if you don’t choose a name for it.
5. Click the Save in dropdown arrow at the top of the dialog box and browse to the
location where you want to store your project files. Select your storage folder, and
click Save. The dialog box closes and you return to the program. The movie name
appears at the top of the program window.
A copy of the finished SWiSHmax file in this example is available from the book’s Web site. It
is in the chapter01 folder and named logo.swi.
To the right of the Layer panel, the Movie tab is displayed when you start a new project. You
can change the movie’s properties, such as its background color and frame rate, in the Movie
panel. To change a movie’s properties, follow these steps:
1. Change the Background Color on the Movie panel (Figure 1-3). Click the Background
Color swatch (it appears in white initially) to open the Color Selector.
Tip
Note
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