It’s been a while since I’ve done any flash design. Every time I’m tasked with doing something in Flash I feel like I’m relearning what I’ve forgotten. Things that should be easy are a pain in the ass. Here’s a fine example, and maybe it will save you a headache if you get lucky and google sends you to this page.

Have you ever created a button in flash and you wanted the over state to activate an animation that occurs somewhere else on the stage other than the location of the button? If you answered no, I can guarantee the first time you try it you’re in for a surprise.

So you make a button. When you roll over it displays short animation or some text… not directly on the button, but off to the side somewhere else on the stage.

Simple enough right? Just ad a movie clip containing your animation to the onRollover frame of the button.

Uh oh… something isn’t right. If you happen to roll over where the animation shows up on the stage, it springs to life, even though you didn’t roll over the button! WTF!?

The problem is incredibly simple to fix. Click your way in to edit the movie clip containing your animation for the onRollover state. Like any logical human you probably started your animation on frame 1. WRONG! BAD! Your animation needs to begin on FRAME 2 and then everything works just how you’d like! Just remember, any animation on an over state of a button needs to start on frame 2, otherwise the animation starts if it is rolled over, and not the button

Classic Stuff…

Ah… mid July. While the population at large is busy sunning themselves on a beach, (or in the case of Boulder, Colorado) next to a creek, I find myself sitting in a super-refrigerated office trying to assemble nearly 400 ski related products and reviews into a coherent buyer’s guide for FREESKIER Magazine. While I toil with ski test intro spreads (and updating this blog), Harvey and Shay do stupid stuff like jogging in 90 degree heat.

It’s been a long time coming… a month or so to be exact. Nimbusindependent.com is live. I started the design phase for this website in conjunction with BNQT.com while in japan, traveling and shooting photos with the Nimbus Crew for their first webisode of the season En Route: Japan. And its the main reason why I haven’t been updating my own blog recently.

Nimbusindependent.com has come along way in a short time since then, thanks in no small part to the tireless efforts of their brilliant and dedicated programmers Derek and Alan. Check out the fruits of everyone’s labor, En Route Japan, shown here in three chunks. if you head to the site you can download the webisode in its entirty in full 1280 x 720 High Definition or iPod versions.

En Route: Japan (Part 1)

En Route: Japan (Part 2)

En Route: Japan (Part 3)

Go to Nimbus Independent for more videos.

So last night after The Sounds concert in Denver, which Intern Becca bailed on, we made our way back to Boulder and ended up at The Downer for a few more drinks. While we were sitting there a group of guys walked in and sat down. Matt, in a state of near belligerence yelled at them “Crispen Porter!”
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