The stage, the blank white window, or canvas that appears when you start a new flash project, is used to draw and add drawings or pictures for use in an animation. When you play a completed flash movie, the viewer sees what you drew or placed on the stage. Resize the stage to give yourself more space to draw pictures and animate movies on. Use drawing tools, like the pencil and paintbrush, to create freehand illustrations on the stage.
The timeline represents segments of time in which individual frames (snapshots) of an animation are placed. The timeline is used to add drawings at specific points in time to your animation. Click a frame on the timeline to view the object that is displayed on the stage at that specific point in time (or frame number). Control the rate at which frames are displayed on the stage with a value set in the frames-per-second text box beneath the timeline. Watch the timelime's play head move from left to right as you play the animation in test mode.
Layers are the virtual equivalent of transparencies (clear plastic surfaces that you can draw or print on). When you open a new file, one layer is displayed beneath the timeline. Add different layers beneath the default layer. Place different objects on different layers to make objects appear in front or in back of another. Use the top layer to place images that must appear above other images. Use lower layers for images that must appear behind images on upper layers. Add layers to organize images, sounds, code and text within your animation. Place images, sound, code and text on different layers to develop applications more effficiently.
The properties panel is used to set properties of different tools and objects that you create. Select the "Properties" option from the Window menu to display the Properties panel. Change text characteristics such as font size, font color and font type after you place and select a text box on the stage. Set the dimensions of the stage using the height and width parameters.