Learning Adobe Flash CS4By Greg Bowden

Guided Computer Tutorialswww.gct.com.au

Drawing ToolsChapter 2

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GUIDED COMPUTER TUTORIALSPO Box 311Belmont, Victoria, 3216, Australia

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© Greg Bowden

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First published 2009

ISBN: Module 1 1 921217 67 7 Module 2 1 921217 68 5 PDF document on CD-ROM

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Chapter

2Drawing Tools

Before creating Flash animations you need to be aware of the different Drawing Tools that Flash provides. You’ve already used the oval, rectangle and line tools. This chapter will concentrate on some of the other drawing tools and techniques that are available in Flash.

Cookie CuttingCookie Cutting causes one object to replace part or all of another object when it is placed over the first object. Most vector drawing programs keep each drawn object as a separate entity, but Flash treats objects differently. The object that is drawn first is at the back of the stage. The next object that is drawn is stacked above the first and any part of the first object that is covered by the second is erased. Flash uses Cookie Cutting to help reduce the size of files.

1 Load Flash and create a new FLASH FILE (ACTIONSCRIPT 3.0) or close the current file and start a new FLASH FILE.

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Learning Adobe Flash CS4

NOTE: When you draw an oval or rectangle in Flash the shape has two parts, a fill and a border.

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2Drawing Tools

NOTE: This is what is meant by COOKIE CUTTING - the red oval cookie has cut the yellow circle cookie. It is a good way of creating a half moon shape.

8 The remaining part of the oval border should still be selected, press the DELETE key to remove it.

Selecting ObjectsAs you have seen, when you draw circles or rectangles they have both a border and a fill section. There are a number of ways of selecting each.

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Learning Adobe Flash CS4

4 Select UNDO by pressing CTRL+Z or COMMAND+Z to return the border to the fill.

7 Try moving the object and both the fill and border should move.

8 Press the DELETE key to delete the half moon shape.

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2Drawing Tools

The Selection ToolYou have used the SELECTION TOOL to select or move shapes. It can also be used to modify shapes.

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Learning Adobe Flash CS4

6 You can break lines that intersect at a corner into two. If the line is straight the two created lines will be straight. If the line is curved the two created lines will be curved.

9 Double click on the centre of the shape and delete it.

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2Drawing Tools

Flash Exercise 2-1

1 Draw a coloured rectangle on the screen.

2 Click on the SELECTION TOOL and click outside the rectangle to set it.

3 Use the SELECTION TOOL to convert the rectangle into a simple bowl (you can use the following diagram as a guide). The line thickness of the top and base can be increased using the STROKE SIZE slider or box in the PROPERTIES panel once the shape is complete.

Rounded RectanglesYou’ve drawn rectangles and converted them to have curves. Flash also allows you to draw rounded rectangles directly.

1 Delete any shapes from the screen.

NOTE: You can use the slider bar in the PROPERTIES panel to increase the radius or enter the value directly in the first RECTANGLE OPTIONS box.

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Learning Adobe Flash CS4

NOTE: If you want the rectangle to have different sized corner radius’, click on the LOCK icon in the PROPERTIES panel and the required values can be entered in the 4 boxes.

7 Select the SELECTION TOOL, drag a frame around the rectangles and press the DELETE key to delete them.