The "stage" area is similar to the concept of the "canvas" as seen in fireworks, photoshop and other image editing applications.Only objects that are placed on, or move onto the stage can be seen in an animation (unless specifically told otherwise using actionscript or are made invisible by changing an object's alpha setting).

Animators use the stage in a similar way to an artists canvas. Animations are built by first creating images or objects then adding motions. In this way elements can be combined to produce a wide array of sophisticated behaviors.