Flash Tip: Creating the Illusion of Speed Distortion

If you repeat this in reverse on a smaller scale, you can add that “boingy” effect of a rapid stop; just create successive keyframes from frame to frame, and on each one skew the shape in the opposite direction from the previous frame by just a little less than before. Remember, the stored energy is dissipating through these motions, which is why each repetition is diminishing—until finally the energy is spent and it comes to a complete stop. While animation is about exaggeration, following just a few rules of realism does make it more acceptable within the typical realm of “suspension of disbelief”.