Using Symbols, Instances, and Library Assets > Creating symbols > Converting animation on the Stage into a movie clip |  |

Converting animation on the Stage into a movie clip

If you've created an animated sequence on the Stage and want to reuse it elsewhere in the movie, or if you want to manipulate it as an instance, you can select it and save it as a movie clip symbol.

To convert animation on the Stage into a movie clip:

1 | On the main Timeline, select every frame in every layer of the animation on the Stage that you want to use.
| Note: For information on selecting frames, seeUsing the Timeline.
2 | Do one of the following to copy the frames:
| Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) any selected frame and choose Copy Frames from the context menu. Choose Cut if you want to delete the sequence after converting it to a movie clip.
| Choose Edit > Copy Frames. Choose Cut Frames if you want to delete the sequence after converting it to a movie clip.
3 | Deselect your selection and make sure nothing on the Stage is selected. Choose Insert > New Symbol.
4 | In the Create New Symbol dialog box, name the symbol. For Behavior, choose Movie Clip, then click OK.
| Flash opens a new symbol for editing in symbol-editing mode.
5 | On the Timeline, click Frame 1 on Layer 1, and choose Edit > Paste Frames.
| This pastes the frames (and any layers and layer names) you copied from the main Timeline to the Timeline of this movie clip symbol. Any animation, buttons, or interactivity from the frames you copied now becomes an independent animation (a movie clip symbol) that you can reuse throughout your movie.
6 | When you have finished creating the symbol content, do one of the following to return to movie-editing mode:
| Click the Back button at the left side of the information bar above the Stage.
| Choose Edit > Edit Document.
| Click the scene name in the information bar above the Stage.