When you are using motion tweens to create your animation, you can use the Motion Editor to gain more control over the animation. The Motion Editor gives you the ability to change the location, scale, rotation, color effects, filters, and ease of your animation separately. You can address each of these properties in your animation at different points on your timeline without impacting other properties at that same point in time. It is as if each property has its own timeline inside of the motion tween. For instance, a symbol instance can change location without impacting a color effect change that was already taking place.
Use a file that already has a motion tween created. See Creating a motion tween if you need further instruction on accomplishing this. If you are new to Flash, start with a simple motion tween where the symbol instance only changes direction.