About Easing Classes and Methods

In the previous example, you used the Bounce easing class to add a slight bouncing effect to the movie clip. In addition to Bounce, Flash offers five more easing classes:

• Back: Extends the animation beyond the transition range at one or both ends once to resemble an overflow effect.
• Bounce: Adds a bouncing effect within the transition range at one or both ends. The number of bounces relates to the duration—longer durations produce more bounces.
• Elastic: Adds an elastic effect that falls outside the transition range at one or both ends. The amount of elasticity is unaffected by the duration.
• Regular: Adds slower movement at one or both ends. This feature enables you to add a speeding-up effect, a slowing-down effect, or both.
• Strong: Adds slower movement at one or both ends. This effect is similar to Regular easing, but it’s more pronounced.
• None: Adds an equal movement from start to end without effects, slowing, or speeding up. This transition is also referred to as a linear transition.

The previous six easing classes each have three easing methods:

• easeIn: Provides the easing effect at the beginning of the transition.
• easeOut: Provides the easing effect at the end of the transition.
• easeInOut: Provides the easing effect at the beginning and end of the transition.

If you want to open these classes in Flash or your ActionScript editor, you can find the class files in C:Program FilesMacromediaFlash MX 2004<language>First RunClassesmx ransitionseasing folder on Windows (assuming a default installation), or the HD:Applications:Macromedia Flash MX 2004:First Run:Classes:mx:transitions:easing folder on the Macintosh.

In the previous example, you saw that the easing class/method used was mx.transitions.easing.Bounce.easeOut. When looking in the directories on your hard drive, notice that the ActionScript refers to the easeOut method within the Bounce.as class. You find this AS file in the easing directory.