Ripple Movie Clip

 

Step 1: Open Flash and size the work area from Modify | Movie choosing 160 x 160 for this example. We're going to create a movie clip of this effect so it will be easier to duplicate it if we want to re-use it later. You can put an unlimited number of movie clips within your main movie and have them only take up one frame each.

Step 3: On layer 1 of the movie clip, draw a circle using a contrasting color. We used white on the stroke and transparent on the fill. On frame 20 hit the F5 key to extend the timeline.

 

Step 4: Add a new layer and on frame one draw a smaller circle on frame 1 inside the circle on the first layer. This will keep the center circle invisible for your ripple effect. If you want it visible, just drag the top layer below the bottom layer.

 

Step 5: Select layer 20 and use 'Modify | Transform | Scale' to enlarge the circle. Click on the timeline between the two frames and put a shape tween on the frames, choosing '100' Easing Out and Distributive on the Blend. Test your movie and adjust where necessary for the look you want.

 

Your finished movie clip should look like this. You can now drag as many instances of this movie clip into your main timeline for a water ripple or raindrop effect.