The Bouncing Ball Animation

This is a classic exercise with which to begin our study of animation. Start yourself off with a new Flash file and then follow the steps below. There is also a class handout that gives illustrated directions.

1. Draw your ball.

2. Select your ball and convert it to a graphic symbol by clicking on Modify > Convert to Symbol (graphic).

3. Create blank keyframes as you did in the first assignment.Click on the top menu item, Insert > Timeline > Blank Keyframe.

4. Create as many blank keyframes as you might need to start by holding down the Apple key and tapping Y.

5. Turn on "onion skinning."

6. Drag the ball from the library into your new frame. Make the ball a little lower than the first to show that it is falling.

7. Keep repeating this process till your ball hits the ground, and bounces back to where it started.

8. Make the ball stretch and squash according to the handout (use Edit > Transform > Scale).

video example

a couple of Frey's students