Flash CS3 keyboard shortcuts

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This page contains a list of most important Flash CS3 keyboard shortcuts

Note:

• On a Mac replace "Control" by "Command"
• In this table, "+" means hold down both (usually I just use a "-" for this)

The useful list

(standard windows commands not shown here)

F5 - Add simple frame

F6 - Add new Keyframe

F7 - Add blank Keyframe

CTRL-Enter - Test a Movie

F9 - Action Panel

F4 - Show/Hide All Panels

The Big List

Tools Panel

While drawing on the stage you quickly can change tools that way.

V - Selection Tool

A - Sub Selection Tool

Q - Free Transform tool

F - Gradient Transform Tool

L - Lasso Tool

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P - Pen Tool

N - Line Tool

T - Text Tool

R - Rectangle Tool

O - Oval Tool

Y - Pencil Tool

B - Paint Brush

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S - Ink Bottle

K - Paint Bucket

I - EyeDropper

D - Dropper

E - Eraser

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H - Hand Tool

M,Z - Magnifier (Zoom)

Windows and Panels

Open/close various Panels

F1 - Help

F4 - Show/Hide Panels

CTRL+K - Align Panel

CTRL+T - Transform

SHIFT+F9 - Color Mixer

CTRL+F9 - Color Swatches

CTRL+L - Show/Hide Library

F9 - Actions

--- If your screen is big enough you won't need these a lot ...

CTRL+F3 - Properties Inspector

CTRL+F2 - Tools Panel

CTRL+ALT-T - Timeline

CTRL+M - Modify Movie Properties

CTRL+E - Toggle between Edit Movie& Edit Symbol Mode

CTRL+SHIFT+L - Show/Hide Timeline

CTRL+SHIFT+W - Show/Hide Work Area

Frames and Symbols

(most of the time, position first inside the timeline)

F5 - Add frame (extend the timeline)

SHIFT+F5 - Delete Frame

F6 - Add Key Frame (and copy over old contents)

SHFIT-F6 - Clear Key Frame

F7 - Add Blank Key Frame (and leave the stage empty)

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F8 - Make Symbol

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CLICK DRAG - Move keyframe (Select, release - then drag !)

CTRL-DRAG - Select several Frames

Timeline

Enter - Play Movie

CTRL+0 (zero) - Rewind Movie

< - Previous Frame

> - Next Frame

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CTRL-ENTER - Test Movie

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Home - Goto First Scene

End - Goto Last Scene

Page Up - Goto Previous Scene

Page Down - Goto Next Scene

File

CTRL+N - New File

CTRL+O - Open File

CTRL+S - Save File

CTRL+R - Import Image/Sound/etc...

CTRL+SHIFT+R - Export to .swf/.spl/.gif/etc...

CTRL+SHIFT+O - Open as Library

View

CTRL+1 - View movie at 100% size

CTRL+2 - Show Frame

CTRL+3 - Show All

Modifying and editing

CTRL+G - Group

CTRL+U - Ungroup

CTRL+B - Break Apart

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CTRL+A - Select All

CTRL+C - Copy

CTRL+V - Paste

CTRL+SHIFT+V - Paste in Place

CTRL+D - Duplicate

CTRL+SHIFT+A - Deselect All

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CTRL+SHIFT+O - Optimize Curves

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CTRL+ALT+1 - Left

CTRL+ALT+2 - Horizontal Center

CTRL+ALT+3 - Right

CTRL+ALT+4 - Top

CTRL+ALT+5 - Vertical Center

CTRL+ALT+6 - Bottom

CTRL+ALT+7 - Distribute Widths

CTRL+ALT+9 - Distribute Heights

CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+7 - Make Same Width

CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+9 - Make Same Height

CTRL+ALT+8 - Set "Align to stage"

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CTRL+SHIFT+S - Scale and Rotate

CTRL+SHIFT+Z - Remove Transform

CTRL+Up Arrow - Move Ahead

CTRL+Down Arrow - Move Behind

CTRL+SHIFT+Up Arrow - Bring to Front

CTRL+SHIFT+Down Arrow - Send to Back

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CTRL+T - Modify Font

CTRL+SHIFT+T - Modify Paragraph

CTRL+left Arrow - Narrower Letter Spacing (kerning)

CTRL+right Arrow - wider Letter Spacing (kerning)

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CTRL+SHIFT+9 - Rotate 90° Clockwise

CTRL+SHIFT+7 - Rotate 90° Counter clockwise

CTRL+SHIFT+Z - Remove Transform

Other tricks

(from Adobe, to sort out)

With the arrow cursor: Control + Click and Drag - Duplicates a shape By hitting the control key first (Macintosh & Windows) and THEN clicking and dragging on a selected shape or group of shapes, you will create a duplicate of those shapes at the spot where you release the mouse button.

CTRL+Clicking a keyframe to move frame: CTRL+clicking a frame in the timeline switches the cursor to a slider, and allows you to click and drag that frame to a new place in the timeline within that same layer. Useful if you want to stretch out tweens for example

With the magnifier tool:

Control + Click - Toggles to the opposite magnifier. If the + magnifier (zoom in) is active, and you hit Control while clicking, you will switch to the - magnifier and actually zoom OUT.

With the dropper tool:

Shift + Click - Select a color for both fill and outline tools Clicking a red fill will do the same, giving you the Bucket tool, and switching fill colors to red. But the outline tool colors are not changed. Clicking on text switches the text tool to that color, and gives you the text tool. Shift clicking with the dropper makes the color you click on active for ALL tools, and doesn't automatically switch you to any tool. It leaves the dropper active.

This is one of the least well known short cuts in Flash, and is the ONLY way to use the dropper on an outline for example, and then be able to switch to the fill tool and have that color automatically active already.

Generate the Adobe documentation

• Menu Edit->Keyboard shortcuts
• Click ont the little icon on top right (Export Set as HTML).

This will generate a single HTML file with several tables, showing all commands that can have a shortcuts plus the shortcuts currently defined.

Btw you also can create new ones with this panel, the export again.

Links

• What Are the Flash Shortcut Keys? by Adobe, a good short list.

• Most useful Flash 8 Shortcut Keys by Anders Bergmann.