[CS3] Help With my code!

hi someone helped me out with this code and when i run it i get this error

1120: Access of undefined property circle_mc.
var blueTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.blue_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true );

im completley new to actionscript and was wondering if someone could tell me what the error means?

Thanks

Code:

---

import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
 
 
var yellowTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.yellow_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true );
// this tweens the yellow_mc inside of circle_mc.
 
yellowTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, startBlue);
// this listens for the yellowTween to finish its event and when its done it triggers startBlue function.
 
function startBlue(event:TweenEvent):void
{
var blueTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.blue_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true );
// in this function it starts the blue_mc to tween.
 
blueTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, startRed);
//also, it listens for the blueTween to finish its motion tween. now, i had to put this inside of this function rather than outside because i declared variable ofblueTween insie of this startBlue function. so in ordor to recognize the blueTween, it has to be within the same location.
 
}
function startRed(event:TweenEvent):void
{
var redTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.red_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true);
// so after blue is finished, it triggered red Tween and this is the red function.
 
}

---

it means that circle_mc does not exist as far as the code you are running is concerned. is there a clip on the stage with that instance name?

ahh i see now, got it working.

how do i make the actionscript code below loop?

thankyou

By loop, you mean make the tweens loop?

no as in make the whole thing start again, go back to the begining

Well here is what I would probably do. Tweens are weird in that they are in fact reusable, but I have not found a way to create them without passing the initial parameters, which in turn stars the tween. So basically what I normally end up doing with them is creating them and then immediately stopping them, or create them with a starting and ending value that is the same (I do this when I will be customizing the values later). So if I understand you correctly, you want that sequence of tween to loop. I did not actually test this, but you can give it a try and see how it works for you:

var yellowTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.yellow_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true );
yellowTween.stop();
yellowTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FIN ISH, startBlue);
var blueTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.blue_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true );
blueTween.stop();
blueTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINIS H, startRed);
var redTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.red_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true);
redTween.stop()
blueTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINIS H, startYellow);
yellowTween.start();

function startBlue(event:TweenEvent):void
{
blueTween.start();
}
function startRed(event:TweenEvent):void
{
redTween.start()
}
function startYellow(event:TweenEvent):void
{
yellowTween.start();
}

by doing it this way you are reusing the tween objects and only assigning the event listeners once instead of recreating them and assigning them each time the TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH is triggered. Since each TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH triggers the next tween to start, you basically just set the loop up and let it run.

right heres the code so far

import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;


var yellowTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.yellow_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true );
yellowTween.stop();
yellowTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FIN ISH, startBlue);

var blueTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.blue_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true );
blueTween.stop();
blueTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINIS H, startRed);

var redTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.red_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true);
redTween.stop()
redTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH , startYellow);

yellowTween.start();

function startBlue(event:TweenEvent):void
{
blueTween.start();
}
function startRed(event:TweenEvent):void
{
redTween.start()
}
function startYellow(event:TweenEvent):void
{
yellowTween.start();
}

the first time it goes it loops over each other giving a sorta cross fade effect the second time is different

id like each to fade in straight after each other, and how do i slow them down?

my fla is attached if it helps to use my example
and the swf to view it :)

Thankyou very much for your help so far :D

So the second set of rotations is what you want correct? You slow them down by making the tween take longer which is the number value before the last parameter true.

yes the second is more right, but id like them to fade in and out if thats a simpel add on?

Again this has to do with the tweens starting. Since your circles are on top of each other, the first time through you see the colors mixing, but after the first pass, they are all hidden. Add the following:

import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
var yellowTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.yellow_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true );
yellowTween.stop();
circle_mc.yellow_mc.alpha=0;
yellowTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FIN ISH, startBlue);

var blueTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.blue_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true );
blueTween.stop();
circle_mc.blue_mc.alpha =0;
blueTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINIS H, startRed);

var redTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.red_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 1 , 0 , 1 , true);
redTween.stop()
circle_mc.red_mc.alpha =0;
redTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH , startYellow);

yellowTween.start();

function startBlue(event:TweenEvent):void
{
blueTween.start();
}
function startRed(event:TweenEvent):void
{
redTween.start()
}
function startYellow(event:TweenEvent):void
{
yellowTween.start();
}

super :)
how do i get them to fade in then wait for a given ammount of time then fade out?

Thankyou so much for your help
im learning :) hehe

Try this:

import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
var yellowTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.yellow_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
yellowTween.stop();
yellowTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FIN ISH, fadeOut);
var blueTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.blue_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
blueTween.stop();
var redTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.red_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true);
redTween.stop();
circle_mc.yellow_mc.nextTween = blueTween;
circle_mc.blue_mc.nextTween = redTween;
circle_mc.red_mc.nextTween = yellowTween;

yellowTween.start();

function fadeOut(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, fadeOut);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FI NISH, startNext);
event.target.begin = 1;
event.target.finish = 0;
event.target.start();
}
function startNext(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, startNext);
event.target.obj.nextTween.addEventListener(TweenE vent.MOTION_FINISH, fadeOut);
event.target.obj.nextTween.begin = 0;
event.target.obj.nextTween.finish = 1;
event.target.obj.nextTween.start();
}
a bit simpler than writing start and end function for each tween.

this is exactly what i wanted :)
do you think you could comment it for me to explain what each part does?

Thankyou for your help

hi ive been trying to duplicate your code for some text with static backgrounds

so there is a bakground colour and the text fades on top of it

i thought i changed all the names right but i must of missed of left something out

heres the code, it prioduces no errors, just doesnt work

Code:

---

import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
var text1Tween:Tween = new Tween (text_mc.text1_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
text1Tween.stop();
text1Tween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH,fadeOutText);
var text2Tween:Tween = new Tween (text_mc.text2_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
text2Tween.stop();
var text3Tween:Tween = new Tween (text_mc.text3_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true);
text3Tween.stop();

text_mc.text1_mc.nextTween = text2Tween;
text_mc.text2_mc.nextTween = text3Tween;
text_mc.text3_mc.nextTween = text1Tween;

text1Tween.start();

function fadeOutText(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, fadeOutText);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, startNextText);
event.target.begin = 1;
event.target.finish = 0;
event.target.start();
}
function startNextText(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, startNextText);
event.target.obj.nextTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, fadeOutText);
event.target.obj.nextTween.begin = 0;
event.target.obj.nextTween.finish = 1;
event.target.obj.nextTween.start();
}

---

and the fla so you can see what ive done easier :)

thanks for any help

Will start with the commented code:
import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
/*
Create tween objects and immediately stop them so that they can be re-used.
*/
var yellowTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.yellow_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
yellowTween.stop();
var blueTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.blue_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
blueTween.stop();
var redTween:Tween = new Tween (circle_mc.red_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true);
redTween.stop();
/*Add an event listener to the first tween to trigger the fade in the opposite
direction. Subsequent listeners will be assigned and removed in the event
handler functions.
*/
yellowTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FIN ISH, fadeOut);
/*
Since movie clips allow for the creation of dynamic properties (aka variables), simply create a
reference to the next tween that should be triggered directly on the clip. With
this system you could easily add additional clips by creating a new tween and adding
another reference on the new clip to be tweened.
*/
circle_mc.yellow_mc.nextTween = blueTween;
circle_mc.blue_mc.nextTween = redTween;
circle_mc.red_mc.nextTween = yellowTween;
/*
Start the first tween to kick off the sequence. This should be the tween that you
added the event listener to in the previous code.
*/
yellowTween.start();

/*
Create a generic handler for the end of the fade in event. Since the TweenEvent object
holds a reference to the tween that caused the even, we can reference that tween via
the event.target property.
*/
function fadeOut(event:TweenEvent) {
/*remove the event listener that triggers this function from the tween since we have
gotten past the point of needed it and we don't want it to complete with the next part
of the sequence.
*/
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, fadeOut);
/*Add a new event listener that will trigger the next part of the sequence*/
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FI NISH, startNext);
/*Set the begin and finish properties of the tween object to the opposites
of those we used to create the fade in effect. I had originally tried to do
this with the built in yoyo function, but it produced unexpected results.
*/
event.target.begin = 1;
event.target.finish = 0;
/*Restart the tween with the new properties, when this tween is finished,
it will trigger the new event handler we assigned in this function and
continue the sequence.
*/
event.target.start();
}
/*Now that the tween has faded in and out, start the next tween. Again since TweenEvent
holds a reference to the tween that triggered the event, we can reference that tween.
Additionally, since the tween object holds a reference to the clip being tweened,
we can reference the properties of that clip. In this case we are interested in the
nextTween property we assigned in the previous code as this is what we will use
to start the next tween.
*/
function startNext(event:TweenEvent) {
/*Removed the event listener that triggered this function.*/
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, startNext);
/*
event.target is the tween that triggered the function. obj is the property on
the tween object that holds a reference to the clip being tweened. hence, we can
reference the next tween to be triggered by accessing the nextTween property we created.
*/
/*
add a listener to trigger the fade out function completing the logical loop.
*/
event.target.obj.nextTween.addEventListener(TweenE vent.MOTION_FINISH, fadeOut);
/*Reset the values of the tween so that the effect is to fade in.*/
event.target.obj.nextTween.begin = 0;
event.target.obj.nextTween.finish = 1;
/*start the tween and the cycle repeat itself.*/
event.target.obj.nextTween.start();
}

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by awilderbeast

hi ive been trying to duplicate your code for some text with static backgrounds

so there is a bakground colour and the text fades on top of it

i thought i changed all the names right but i must of missed of left something out

heres the code, it prioduces no errors, just doesnt work

Code:

---

import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
var text1Tween:Tween = new Tween (text_mc.text1_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
text1Tween.stop();
text1Tween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH,fadeOutText);
var text2Tween:Tween = new Tween (text_mc.text2_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
text2Tween.stop();
var text3Tween:Tween = new Tween (text_mc.text3_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true);
text3Tween.stop();

text_mc.text1_mc.nextTween = text2Tween;
text_mc.text2_mc.nextTween = text3Tween;
text_mc.text3_mc.nextTween = text1Tween;

text1Tween.start();

function fadeOutText(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, fadeOutText);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, startNextText);
event.target.begin = 1;
event.target.finish = 0;
event.target.start();
}
function startNextText(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, startNextText);
event.target.obj.nextTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, fadeOutText);
event.target.obj.nextTween.begin = 0;
event.target.obj.nextTween.finish = 1;
event.target.obj.nextTween.start();
}

---

and the fla so you can see what ive done easier :)

thanks for any help

---

Tweening text is always a pain in the ***. Most of the time you have to embed your fonts. I would try that first.

that worked :)

now i have a problem with my backgrounds

what i was doing was

background 1 in the text1mc does not fade
then text1 fades in and out
then i want background 2 to appaer
then text2 fades and so on if you get me

if you see my fla you will be able to tell what i mean

thanks for your help ,really appreciate it :)

Was able to simplify this even further. It will depend a bit on the order of the clips in the FLA, but this is even more flexible. Take a look at what I did in the fla with text_mc

import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
var text1Tween:Tween = new Tween (text_mc.text_1, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
text1Tween.stop();
text1Tween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINI SH,fadeOutText);
if (text_mc.numChildren > 1) {
for (var c:int = text_mc.numChildren-1; c>=0; c--) {
var clip:Object = text_mc.getChildAt(c);
clip.alpha = 0;
if (c > 0){
clip.nextClip = text_mc.getChildAt(c-1);
}else{
clip.nextClip = text_mc.getChildAt(text_mc.numChildren-1);
}
}
}
text1Tween.start();

function fadeOutText(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, fadeOutText);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FI NISH, startNextText);
event.target.begin = 1;
event.target.finish = 0;
event.target.start();
}
function startNextText(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, startNextText);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FI NISH, fadeOutText);
event.target.obj = event.target.obj.nextClip;
event.target.begin = 0;
event.target.finish = 1;
event.target.start();
}

Will also work for your other clips. As long as they are all going to use the same timings, then this should be fine:
import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
var yellowTween:Tween = new Tween (pics_mc.yellow_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
yellowTween.stop();
yellowTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FIN ISH,fadeOut);

if (pics_mc.numChildren > 1) {
for (var c:int = pics_mc.numChildren-1; c>=0; c--) {
var clip:Object = pics_mc.getChildAt(c);
clip.alpha = 0;
if (c > 0) {
clip.nextClip = pics_mc.getChildAt(c-1);
} else {
clip.nextClip = pics_mc.getChildAt(pics_mc.numChildren-1);
}
trace (pics_mc.getChildAt(c).name)
trace (clip.nextClip.name)
}
}


yellowTween.start();

function fadeOut(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, fadeOut);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FI NISH, startNext);
event.target.begin = 1;
event.target.finish = 0;
event.target.start();
}
function startNext(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, startNext);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FI NISH, fadeOut);
event.target.obj = event.target.obj.nextClip;
event.target.begin = 0;
event.target.finish = 1;
event.target.start();
}

how do i set the timings?

i dotn get some of the code, could you explain it to me please?

also with the text movie clips i with the backgrounds (the big squares) i didnt want the squares to fade in, just to change colour then the text fades ontop of it

thankyou so much for your help though, youve been so helpful so far :D
Thanks! :D :D

As for timings, you change that here:
new Tween (pics_mc.yellow_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
Since the last parameter is true, you are measuring in seconds. so the 2 indicates the tween should take 2 seconds. However, the easing function None.easeInOut will make is slower at the beginning and end the way you have it set up.

As for the other part, I will see if I have time to explain this. It may have to be modified slighly based on what you are saying about the text. I am not entirely sure what you are trying to do with the background colors. I get that you want the color to change and then the text to fade in, but how should the color change? Is there any transition at all, or does it just jump from one color to the next?

hey again, adn thanks for the response

what do the other numbers stand for?
how do i start the texts 1 second after the pictures?

yes no transation for the background colours
the squares behind the text just change then text fades ontop

Thankyou again for helping me :)

Basic tween structure is:
new Tween (object being tweened, property being tweened, easing function, start value for property being tweened, end value for property being tweened, how long the tween should take in frames or seconds based on the final parameter, whether to use seconds or frames as the unit of measure true means use seconds false means use frames)

This is starting to be a little more dependent upon movie structure, than I like, but if you replace the text code with:

import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
var text1Tween:Tween = new Tween (text_mc.text_1.text_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
text1Tween.stop();
text1Tween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINI SH,fadeOutText);
if (text_mc.numChildren > 1) {
for (var t:int = text_mc.numChildren-1; t>=0; t--) {
var tclip:Object = text_mc.getChildAt(t);
tclip.alpha = 0;
if (t > 0){
tclip.nextClip = text_mc.getChildAt(t-1);
}else{
tclip.nextClip = text_mc.getChildAt(text_mc.numChildren-1);
}
}
text_mc.getChildAt(text_mc.numChildren-1).alpha = 1;
}
text1Tween.start();

function fadeOutText(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, fadeOutText);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FI NISH, startNextText);
event.target.begin = 1;
event.target.finish = 0;
event.target.start();
}
function startNextText(event:TweenEvent) {

event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, startNextText);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FI NISH, fadeOutText);
event.target.obj.parent.alpha = 0
event.target.obj = event.target.obj.parent.nextClip.text_mc;
event.target.obj.parent.alpha = 1
event.target.begin = 0;
event.target.finish = 1;
event.target.start();
}

it gives me this error

TypeError: Error #1010: A term is undefined and has no properties.
at test_fla::MainTimeline/frame1()

Are you using the fla I posted?

Absoultley super! :D
thankyou so much

all i need to know now is how to make the clips pause for a given ammount of time before continuing onto the next fade

could you show me how?

thanks for everything :D

Hi
i found this script and am having trouble as where to put it in the code we already have

Code:

---

var timelinePause:Timer = new Timer(3000, 1);
timelinePause.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, timerHandler);timelinePause.start();
function timerHandler(evt:Object):void {this.play();}

---

can no one except kortex tell me where to put

this

Code:

---

var timelinePause:Timer = new Timer(3000, 1);
timelinePause.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, timerHandler);timelinePause.start();
function timerHandler(evt:Object):void {this.play();}

---

in here

Code:

---

import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
var Pic1Tween:Tween = new Tween (pics_mc.pic1_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
Pic1Tween.stop();
Pic1Tween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH,fadeOut);
var Pic2Tween:Tween = new Tween (pics_mc.pic2_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true );
Pic2Tween.stop();
var Pic3Tween:Tween = new Tween (pics_mc.pic3_mc, "alpha", None.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 2 , true);
Pic3Tween.stop();

pics_mc.pic1_mc.nextTween = Pic2Tween;
pics_mc.pic2_mc.nextTween = Pic3Tween;
pics_mc.pic3_mc.nextTween = Pic1Tween;

Pic1Tween.start();
function fadeOut(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, fadeOut);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, startNext);
event.target.begin = 1;
event.target.finish = 0;
event.target.start();
}
function startNext(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, startNext);
event.target.obj.nextTween.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FINISH, fadeOut);
event.target.obj.nextTween.begin = 0;
event.target.obj.nextTween.finish = 1;
event.target.obj.nextTween.start();
}

---

so the pics will pause for a bit before fading out?

THankyou

help me? anyone? :(

Would you be ok with using a custom class I created?

Actually this may work for you and is simpler.

function fadeOut(event:TweenEvent) {
event.target.removeEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION _FINISH, fadeOut);
event.target.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_FI NISH, startNext);
event.target.begin = 1;
event.target.finish = 0;
setTimeout (event.target.start, 3000);
}

hi and thanks for come back to help me, really apprecitate it

what it does now is the first pic it fades in fades out waits 3 seconds then fades out again then no others fade in

Thanks

Is working on mine. All three fade in and out as expected.

oops i edited the wrong bit, it does work, it works perfectly

i cant begin to thankyou enough for all your patience and help

thankyou so much

:D

oo one more thing, how can i do it so there is pause time before the fade in starts

i figured that one out :D

really, thankyou so much :D

Well if you are just trying to add some time at the beginning and end of the animation, you can do all that with the easing function. I would try playing with the easing function and the duration of the tween:
var yellowTween:Tween = new Tween (pics_mc.yellow_mc, "alpha", Strong.easeInOut, 0 , 1 , 5 , true );

An easing function slows the transition. since you have it set to easeInOut, it will be applied to the beginning and the end of the tween which is directly related to its length.

so remove the time out thing from the last post and change the easing to what I have in bold above and then play with the length value until you get the effect you are looking for.

ooo again one more lol

just wondering if you knew how to cross fade?
i need to do another thing amlost the same with a crossfade on teh backgrounds

Thankyou

google is so sparse on actionscript 3 help, theres practically nothing anywhere, googling actionscript 3 crossfade brings up absolutley nothing

is crossfading harder on as3? no one done it yet?