# Alpha or \_visible?
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531
**Category:** flash
**Created:** [April 6, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531 "2003-04-06T17:02:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Fluffy\_Bunny](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Fluffy_Bunny)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531/1 "2003-04-06T17:02:27Z")
If I have a static movie clip on the stage that I don’t wan’t to display till later on in the movie, would setting it’s alpha level to 0 (or less) be more processor intensive than using the visible property to just hide the movie clip? Nothing is would be moving and there would be no alpha tweens or anything like that.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531/2 "2003-04-06T17:24:57Z")
for the record, \_visible is less intensive, but the difference is minimal. \_visible is more of a toggle. In either case, you’re not going to take a big hit in performance.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531/3 "2003-04-08T04:25:33Z")
Another note:
I believe on monitors with 16bit color you can still actually see the object if it is set to \_alpha = 0
You cannot however see the object if it is \_visible = false.
So… I recommend \_visible = false 🙂
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531/4 "2003-04-08T04:45:10Z")
And another note: 😛
If you ever want fade out the object… to make sure it’s not visible when its alpha is equal to 0, you can do something like this:
[AS]this.\_visible = this.\_alpha=someValue;[/AS]
=)
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531/5 "2003-04-08T04:51:54Z")
lol, well he said no alpha fades this time, but thats a good tip for him in the future anyway 🙂
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531/6 "2003-04-08T04:57:01Z")
Yeah, that’s why I said _if you ever want to_… 😉
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531/7 "2003-04-08T05:01:42Z")
😛
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 9:18am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531/8 "2003-04-08T09:18:09Z")
Great guys! Thanks for tips, pretty handy to know theese types of things…
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2003, 9:21am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/alpha-or--visible/17531/9 "2003-04-08T09:21:17Z")
😉 =)