About animation symbols

Animation symbols are the actors in your animation. An animation symbol can be any object you create or import, and you can have many symbols in one file. Each symbol has its own properties and behaves independently, so you can create symbols that move across the screen while others fade or shrink.

You do not need symbols for every aspect of your animation. However, using symbols and instances for graphics that appear in multiple states reduces file size.

You can change animation symbol properties at any time using the Animate dialog box or the Property inspector. You can also edit symbol artwork without affecting the rest of the document. You can also change the motion of a symbol by moving its motion path.

Because animation symbols are automatically placed in the library, you can reuse them to create other animations.

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