- What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
- The Five Objective Areas at a Glance
- Domain 1: Working in the Animation Industry
- Domain 2: Project Setup and Interface
- Domain 3: Organizing Documents
- Domain 4: Create and Modify Multimedia Elements
- Domain 5: Publishing Digital Media
- AS3 vs. HTML5 Canvas: The Qualifier Traps
- Confusable Pairs Worth Memorizing
- Scheduling the Review by Domain
- Booking and Version Notes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Adobe publishes five objective areas for Multiplatform Animation Using Adobe Animate; official percentage weights are not published on this guide.
- Adobe's objectives page states it is based on the 2021 version, and its listed key items are examples, not a complete list.
- Several features carry explicit qualifiers: "ActionScript 3.0 only" for 3D tools and camera tint, "HTML5 Canvas only" for web fonts.
- Know the three symbol types (Graphic, Button, Movie Clip) and how each one's internal timeline relates to the parent timeline.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
This page condenses the published exam objectives for Multiplatform Animation Using Adobe Animate, the Adobe Certified Professional credential governed by Adobe Systems Incorporated. It is built directly from the objective areas Adobe lists on its Animate certification page, so every fact here maps to something a candidate is expected to recognize.
Two cautions shape how you should use it. First, Adobe states that its objectives guide is based on the 2021 version, and that the key items listed under each objective are examples rather than a comprehensive list. Treat this sheet as a map of the territory, not a guarantee of every question. Second, no official percentage weights are published for the five areas, so any source claiming exact domain percentages is guessing. For a deeper walk through each area, see the MAUAA exam domains guide, and for a full preparation plan, the MAUAA study guide.
The Five Objective Areas at a Glance
| Domain | Core Focus | Typical Question Territory |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Working in the Animation Industry | Audience, communication, copyright, terminology, design and animation principles | Vocabulary, scenarios, concept recognition |
| 2. Project Setup and Interface | Document settings, workspace, assets, color and brushes | Panels, presets, Library, Color panel |
| 3. Organizing Documents | Timeline, layers, masks, transparency | Layer types, frame spans, mask behavior |
| 4. Create and Modify Multimedia Elements | Vector tools, text, selections, tweens, symbols, interactivity, audio and video | Tool choice, tween types, code placement |
| 5. Publishing Digital Media | Testing, saving, exporting, publish settings | File formats, platform targets, profiles |
Domain 4 is by far the longest in published objectives (4.1 through 4.8), which makes it the natural center of gravity for hands-on practice, even though official weights are not stated.
Domain 1: Working in the Animation Industry
This is the vocabulary-and-judgment domain. You are not clicking through Animate here; you are showing professional literacy.
1.1 and 1.2: Audience and Communication
Know how to judge whether content fits its purpose, audience, and target device, and how designers communicate plans.
- Audience terms: client goals, target audience, demographics, accessibility
- Communication artifacts: thumbnail sketches, storyboards, specifications, wireframes, mockups, prototypes, drafts, feedback loop
- Project management: project scope, scope creep, cloud utilization, file management
1.3: Copyright, Permissions, and Licensing
Expect scenario-style recognition of which permission applies.
- Terms: Creative Commons, public domain, intellectual property, derivative work, commercial use, attribution, work for hire, fair use/fair dealing, stock images
- Releases: model release and location release
- Key concept: permission to use a photo is separate from permission to use a person's face or a restricted location
1.4: Terminology
This objective has three strands: animation terms, interactive-media terms, and multiplatform terms.
- Animation: frame rate, resolution, aspect ratio, audio sampling rates, vector vs. bitmap, keyframes, tweens, frame-by-frame, easing, guides, masks, symbols
- Interactive: events, listeners, variables, dynamic text, JavaScript, ActionScript, methods, functions, classes
- Multiplatform: Apple iOS, Google Android, Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, HTML5 Canvas, Adobe AIR, VR, WebGL, animated GIF, video, sprite sheets
1.5 and 1.6: Design and Animation Principles
Memorize the twelve basic principles of animation by name: squash and stretch, anticipation, staging, straight ahead action and pose to pose, follow through and overlapping action, slow in and slow out, arc, secondary action, timing, exaggeration, solid drawing, and appeal.
- Design elements: space, line, shape, form, color, texture, emphasis, unity, variety, balance, alignment, proximity, repetition, rhythm, scale, negative space, gestalt, contrast
- Typography: kerning, tracking, leading, horizontal and vertical scale, line length
- Interactive principles: UX, UI, hierarchy, consistency, accessibility, discoverability
Domain 2: Project Setup and Interface
Document Creation (2.1)
Know document type, presets, width, height, and frame rate. The conceptual point worth remembering is that frame rate directly affects timing and pacing, and that documents should be prepared at the proper size for their intended use. Note that the accessibility document property is listed as ActionScript 3.0 only.
Workspace and Navigation (2.2)
- Stage vs. Pasteboard
- Switching, saving, customizing, and resetting workspaces; grouping and docking panels
- Preferences categories: General, Sync Settings, Drawing
- Navigation: pan, zoom, spacebar, Rotation tool, Time Scrub tool
- Rulers, guides, and grids: add, remove, lock, unlock, set color, snap and align options
Assets and Library (2.3)
Know how to import from .psd and .ai files, images, audio, video, and CC Libraries, by menu or drag and drop. In the Library panel, you should be able to rename, delete, move, duplicate, search, and preview assets, select unused items, and work with multiple libraries. Distinguish Graphic, Button, and Movie Clip symbols from other library assets such as fonts, bitmaps, and sounds. Loading external media (audio, video, images) is also in scope.
Color, Swatches, Gradients, and Brushes (2.4)
- Fill and stroke: color picker, Color panel, eyedropper, hexadecimal, alpha, bitmap fill
- Gradients: radial vs. linear, color and transparency stops, Gradient Transform tool
- Swatches: tagged, solid, bitmap, and gradient types; color sets
- Brushes: stroke and fill types, Width tool, existing and custom presets
Domain 3: Organizing Documents
Domain 3 is the shortest set of objectives but contains concepts that reappear in Domain 4 questions, especially around masks and timelines.
Layers and Layer Types (3.1)
Recognize the six layer types by name and function.
- Normal, Mask, Masked, Folder, Guide, and Camera layers
- Layer operations: create, delete, lock, duplicate, select, rename, visibility, outline mode, layer height, rearranging layer folders, Advanced Layers Mode
- Time concepts: frames, frame spans, keyframes
Transparency and Masks (3.2)
Know how to hide or show layers and groups and adjust transparency, plus how to create a mask layer, nest masked layers, and animate a mask layer.
- A Mask layer defines the visible area of the Masked layer(s) beneath it
- Mask layers can themselves be animated
Domain 4: Create and Modify Multimedia Elements
This is the heaviest domain by objective count: eight objectives, 4.1 through 4.8. The difficulty guide explains why candidates with limited hands-on Animate time tend to find this area the most demanding.
Vector Drawing and Editing (4.1)
- Creation tools: Pen, Pencil, Paint Brush, Brush, Fluid Brush, primitive tools, shape tools
- Concepts: fill and stroke, object drawing mode
- Editing tools: Free Transform, Gradient Transform, Width, Anchor Point tools, Eraser, Paint Bucket, Ink Bottle, selection tools
Text (4.2)
The objective states explicitly that the difference between area type and point type, and between Static, Dynamic, and Input text, must be understood.
- Character settings: font, size, style, alignment, line spacing, indentation, horizontal and vertical type, anti-aliasing
- Converting text to graphics: Break Apart to vector, or convert to bitmaps, including benefits and disadvantages
- Dynamic and Input Text configuration: instance name, font selection, embedding characters
Selections and Grouping (4.3)
Know the Selection, Subselection, Lasso, Magic Wand, and Polygon tools, and the Selection vs. Subselection distinction. Understand grouping, ungrouping, and entering a group to modify it.
Transforming and Manipulating Graphics (4.4)
- Transform, align, distribute, skew, rotate; 3D Translation and 3D Rotation (ActionScript 3.0 only)
- Camera: add or remove, rotate, pan, zoom; tint and color adjustments (ActionScript 3.0 only)
- Auto-correction: optimizing, smoothing, straightening
- Vector operations: converting lines to fill, expanding fill, and combining objects with union, intersect, punch, and crop
- Appearance: variable width strokes, opacity, Eyedropper, vector and pattern brushes
- Bitmap tracing settings: color threshold, minimum area, corner threshold, curve fit
Effects and Filters (4.5)
Apply, edit, and remove filters, color effects, and blending modes on symbol instances.
Animation Creation (4.6)
Tween Types and Symbol Timelines
Know the animation techniques by name and when each fits.
- Frame-by-frame, shape, motion, classic, and inverse kinematic (IK) tweens
- Onion-skinning, easing, armature, pose, Motion Editor, motion path, nesting
- Movie clip vs. graphic symbols, looping options, the Frame Picker
- Each symbol type has its own internal timeline; understand how it relates to the parent timeline, both dependently and independently
Interactivity and Code (4.7)
Know buttons, movie clips used for interactivity, dynamic text, and instance naming rules and conventions. For code, understand the Actions panel, the Actions Wizard, the Code Snippets panel, button states, timeline navigation, and referencing external content. The language depends on document type: ActionScript or JavaScript.
Audio and Video (4.8)
- Audio Sync options: Start, Event, Stream
- Channels and effects: mono, stereo, left/right channel, fade in/out, fade left to right and right to left
- Compression: MP3, Speech, ADPCM, RAW
- Video: MPEG-4, Adobe Media Encoder, bitrate, FLVPlayback component (ActionScript 3.0), Video component (HTML5), Video Import wizard
Domain 5: Publishing Digital Media
Pre-Publish Checks (5.1)
Test the movie, review publish settings and accessibility options, look for hidden layers, verify animation timing, test across multiple devices, check project size in bytes, proofread text, and confirm project dimensions.
Saving, Exporting, and Publishing (5.2)
| Task | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Native save | .fla or .xfl; Save vs. Save As; file name and location; saving to a CC library; Animate template |
| Export assets | Video, animated GIF, image sequence, .svg |
| Publish targets | SWF, APP, EXE, AIR, HTML5, JS, APK, WebGL |
| Configuration | Publish settings appropriate for the platform; file location; publishing profiles |
The pattern to internalize: save preserves your editable source, export pulls out assets, and publish produces the deliverable for a platform.
AS3 vs. HTML5 Canvas: The Qualifier Traps
The published objectives repeatedly attach document-type qualifiers. These are prime territory for questions that test whether you know what a given document type can and cannot do.
| Feature | Qualifier in the Objectives |
|---|---|
| Accessibility document property | ActionScript 3.0 only |
| 3D Translation and 3D Rotation | ActionScript 3.0 only |
| Camera tint/color adjustments | ActionScript 3.0 only |
| FLVPlayback component | ActionScript 3.0 |
| Video component | HTML5 |
| Web fonts for text elements | HTML5 Canvas only |
| Scripting language | ActionScript or JavaScript, depending on document type |
Key Takeaway
When a question names a document type, check it against this table before answering. A feature that exists in an ActionScript 3.0 document may simply not be available in HTML5 Canvas, and vice versa.
Confusable Pairs Worth Memorizing
- Selection vs. Subselection tool: whole-object selection vs. anchor-point and path editing
- Static vs. Dynamic vs. Input text: fixed content vs. code-updatable content vs. user-entered content; Dynamic and Input require instance names
- Point type vs. area type: text that expands as you type vs. text confined to a defined box
- Graphic vs. Movie Clip vs. Button symbols: parent-tied timeline vs. independent timeline vs. interactive states
- Mask layer vs. Masked layer: the shape that reveals vs. the content being revealed
- Classic tween vs. motion tween vs. shape tween: older keyframe-based tween vs. object-based property tween vs. vector shape morphing
- Event vs. Start vs. Stream audio sync: know how each behaves relative to the timeline
- Save vs. Export vs. Publish: editable source vs. extracted asset vs. platform deliverable
- Model release vs. location release: permission for a person's likeness vs. a restricted place
- Vector vs. bitmap: resolution-independent shapes vs. pixel-based images, and the Trace Bitmap conversion between them
Scheduling the Review by Domain
Because official weights are not published, allocate time by how hands-on each domain is. Domains 2 through 5 reward practice inside Animate itself; Domain 1 rewards vocabulary drilling. One reasonable ordering:
Domains 1 and 2
- Drill Domain 1 terminology and the twelve animation principles
- Build a document from scratch with different presets and frame rates
- Practice Library management and the three symbol types
Domain 3 and first half of Domain 4
- Build a mask, a nested mask, and an animated mask
- Work through all vector tools in 4.1 through 4.4
- Create Static, Dynamic, and Input text fields
Second half of Domain 4
- Produce every tween type, including IK and motion path
- Add button interactivity through the Code Snippets panel
- Import audio and test each sync option
Domain 5 and full review
- Publish the same project to HTML5 and AS3-based targets and compare
- Export GIF, image sequence, and SVG
- Re-read the qualifier table and take timed practice questions
Domain 3 comes before the second half of Domain 4 because mask and layer behavior underpins most animation work. Pair this schedule with the longer plan in the study guide, and use the MAUAA practice test to find which domains need extra passes.
Booking and Version Notes
Adobe's certification pages are the authority for scheduling and exam versions. Two points are worth stating carefully:
- The objectives page describes itself as based on the 2021 version, so confirm which exam version and language options are available when you book rather than assuming.
- For fees, eligibility, scheduling windows, and scoring, consult the dedicated articles on certification cost, requirements, exam dates, and passing score, and verify details with Adobe directly, since this sheet doesn't assert figures Adobe doesn't publish on its objectives guide.
If you're still deciding whether to pursue the credential, the ROI analysis weighs the investment. When you're ready to test your recall, head to the main practice site and work through questions mapped to these five domains.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The objectives guide for Multiplatform Animation Using Adobe Animate lists five areas and their objectives but does not publish percentage weights, so treat any claimed weights with caution.
No. Adobe's page states the guide is based on the 2021 version. Nothing indicates the exam was replaced or retired, and the official exam index still lists Animate. Check available versions and languages when booking.
No. Adobe states the listed key items are examples rather than a comprehensive list, so use them as a starting point and study the surrounding concepts too.
The objectives name SWF, APP, EXE, AIR, HTML5, JS, APK, and WebGL, along with publishing profiles and platform-appropriate publish settings. Exports include video, animated GIF, image sequence, and SVG.
The objectives mark the accessibility document property, 3D Translation and Rotation, and camera tint adjustments as ActionScript 3.0 only, and web fonts as HTML5 Canvas only. The FLVPlayback component is tied to ActionScript 3.0 and the Video component to HTML5.