The preloader gives you an indication about starting an application, event or action. With FlashMX 2004 you could create a simple preloader. This tutorial will help you to create a simple flash preloader animation using FlashMX 2004.Th user must have some basic understanding of working with FlashMX 2004 or else visit our FlashMX 2004 tutorials and tips>We also provides you with cool tips and tricks regarding Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Photoshop

For viewing the animations in this site you need to install Flash Player 7.0 or higher and for downloading the .fla files from this site FlashMX 2004 must be installed in your system.

Follow these steps to create a simple preloader animation

1. You need to create a movie clip first. We will now draw a borderless rectangle. Fill the rectangle using linear fill (from the drop down color mixture panel. Press Shift+F8 to open the color mixture panel.)with white on right end and the background color on the other end.

2. Select the rectangle and convert it into a graphic symbol by pressing F8 button. Name it as ‘bar’ and press OK.
   

 

 

3. For preloading effect you needs to create a new movie clip using the Ctrl+F8 and name it as ‘preloader_mc’ and click OK.

4. Draw a borderless zigzag as shown in the figure below on the first frame and with the frame 90 selected press F5.
   

    

   

    

5. Add a new layer, pull it down to Layer 1 and insert the bar graphic symbol into the new layer. While doing this, adjust the height of the ‘bar’ a little more than the zigzag height. Position the bar graphics as shown below.

   

    

6. Press F6 to add a new key frame and by selecting it and pull the bar graphic onto the other side of the zigzag, It is shown below.
   

    

   

    

7. Create motion tween between the key frames 1 and 35.Also add another key frame in frame 46.

8. By selecting the bar graphics on the frame 40 go to the main menu and press Modify>Transform>Flip Horizontal.

9. Insert another key frame in Frame 85.In that frame change the bar graphic symbol to its previous positions in frame 1.

10. Add motion tween between the frames 40 and 85.

11. Select frame 90 and press F5.

12. Next we have to add the preloader you created to your scene 1.For doing it follow the steps below.

13. Go to scene 1and insert 3 layers.

14. Drag and drop the “preloader_mc” from the library panel onto the stage and press F5 on the 2nd frame.

15. In the 1st frame of the 2nd layer type “LOADING”. Copy and paste the below action script on the action script panel of the 1st frame of the 1st layer.

 

ifFrameLoaded ("end")

{
gotoAndPlay ("start");


}

 

16. Select the s2nd frame of the 1st layer and press F6 and insert the code below into the action script panel of the 2nd Frame of the 1st layer.

 

gotoAndPlay (1);

17. Name the 1st and last frame of the main movie as ‘start’ and ‘end’. Start the main movie from the 3rd frame onwards.

18. Press Ctrl+Enter to view the preloader you created.