• Press "Ctrl" at any time for quick access to the selection tool. (it goes back to your previous tool as soon as you release control)
• Hold "Shift" while dragging an object to constrain it's movement to a straight line.
• The "< >" keys will select the previous and next frames.
• The arrow keys will "nudge" a selected object.
• If using the arrow keys to "nudge" a selected object, hold "Shift" to nudge it much further.
• Instead of copying and pasting an object, just hold down "Ctrl" and drag the object to a new spot - it will be copied to the new spot. (only with the selection tool selected)
• Normally when you paste an object (Ctrl + V) it is pasted in the center of the screen. To paste it in the same spot it was copied from, press "Ctrl + Shift + V" for "paste in place". Note: This only works within the same symbol or on the main timeline, as every object has it's own internal coordinate system.
• The "find and replace" command can replace more than text.. it can replace fonts, objects, colours, etc! NOTE: Save first; there's no "undo" for find and replace!
• Double click the screen movement icon (the hand) to zoom to fit the screen, and centre it. Double click the zoom icon (magnifying glass) to zoom to 100%. Do them in that order to centre, and also go to 100%.

Although under normal circumstances your viewer can't see what goes off screen, they can if your file is viewed directly. I always put a locked layer called "Blackout" on top of everything, which is a carefully sized mass of blackness surrounding the stage. A useful thing about this is that you can see the edge of your stage no matter how cluttered it is. Just set the layer to "outline" so it doesn't get in the way. To accurately set the position of this masking object so it doesn't overlap your stage, zoom in to maximum and use the sub selection tool to move the corners around.

The method I use to shake the screen, is to cut and paste the whole scene once it's complete (all the frames except the sound layers) into a graphic (after saving, of course). The graphic is set to "play once" and starts on frame 1. To make it shake, go to the point on your main timeline where the shaking should occur, insert some key frames, and manually move it around. This method can also be used to simulate camera movements, by moving the scene around.

Apparently air conditioners + bad wiring = momentary brown outs and destroyed computer hard drives. I now have a UPS now (uninterruptible power supply) and keep my computer unplugged at night. If you're paranoid and/or have crappy wiring, do the same. (This is in addition to saving backups of anything important on a remote location such as a server, another computer, CD, or thumb drive.)

I'm sure I'll think of more stuff to add here later.

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