Rave is an intermediate difficulty animation software by COREL.

It gives you the option of working in layers which is very handy for creating backgrounds or working with multiple subject animations.

Rave also permits you to use TWEENING functions. A tween allows you to create an initial and final frame for your subject and then create all the frames beTWEEN them which saves a lot of time and frustration.
 Rave allows you to tween distance, colour, shape, and effects which is just about all you need to tween.

As with much Corel Software the interface can be tricky but there are great TUTORIALS online under the HELP button so I would definitely get into using help and tutorials to get you going on any new learning curve.
 

Meanwhile have fun!

REMEMBER - when you want to put your RAVE animation online in your portfolio export it as an animated .GIF
FILE>EXPORT >GIF

This file will be larger than an >SWF file but will be much easier to insert (as you would any GIF) into your website.

The best way to learn how to use Rave is to use the program tutorials they are great and take you through the various tasks step by step.

Rave Tutorials

1) create a bouncing ball is a great first animation tutorial