Using
ADOBE® FLASH® PROFESSIONAL CS5 & CS5.5
Legal notices
Legal notices
For legal notices, see http://help.adobe.com/en_US/legalnotices/index.html.
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Contents
Chapter 1: What’s new
What’s New (CS5.5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What’s new (CS5)
...................................................................................................... 3
Chapter 2: Workspace
Flash workflow and workspace
........................................................................................ 6
Using the Stage and Tools panel
The Timeline
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Using Flash authoring panels
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Undo, redo, and the History panel
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Automating tasks with the Commands menu
Accessibility in the Flash workspace
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Set preferences in Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Keyboard shortcuts
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Working with ConnectNow
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Chapter 3: Managing documents
Working with Flash documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Working with Flash projects
Find and Replace in Flash
Templates
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Chapter 4: Using imported artwork
Placing artwork into Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Imported bitmaps and Flash
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Working with Fireworks files in Flash
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Working with Illustrator AI files in Flash
Working with InDesign files in Flash
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Working with Photoshop PSD files in Flash
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Chapter 5: Creating and Editing Artwork
Drawing in Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Drawing preferences
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Draw simple lines and shapes
Drawing with the Pen tool
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Apply patterns with the Spray Brush tool
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Drawing patterns with the Decorative drawing tool
Reshape lines and shapes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Transforming and combining graphic objects
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Selecting objects
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Arranging objects
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Snapping art into position
Moving and copying objects
Color
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
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Strokes, fills, and gradients
3D graphics
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Chapter 6: Symbols, instances, and library assets
Working with symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Working with symbol instances
Working with the library
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Sharing library assets across files
Creating buttons
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Scaling and caching symbols
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Converting art between vector and bitmap formats (CS5.5 only)
Symbols and ActionScript
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Chapter 7: Timelines and Animation
Frames and keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Timeline layers
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Working with multiple timelines
Working with scenes
Timelines and ActionScript
Animation basics
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Motion tween animation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Working with classic tween animation
Shape tweening
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Frame-by-frame animation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Using mask layers
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Inverse kinematics
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Chapter 8: Filters and Blends
Graphic filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Applying blend modes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Chapter 9: Text
Working with Text Layout Framework (TLF) text
Working with classic text
Check spelling
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Embed fonts for consistent text appearance
Multilanguage text
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Chapter 10: Sound
Using sounds in Flash
Exporting Sounds
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Sound and ActionScript
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Chapter 11: Video
Create video files for use in Flash
Add video to Flash
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Working with video cue points
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Working with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
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Controlling external video playback with ActionScript
Export QuickTime video files
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Chapter 12: Creating accessible content
Creating accessible content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Chapter 13: ActionScript
Working with ActionScript
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Add interactivity with code snippets
Script Assist mode and behaviors
Writing and managing scripts
Debugging ActionScript 3.0
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Debugging ActionScript 1.0 and 2.0
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Working with Flash Pro and Flash Builder
Printing at runtime
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
ActionScript publish settings (CS5)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
ActionScript publish settings (CS5.5)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
Chapter 14: Publishing and Exporting
Publishing Flash documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Publish settings (CS5)
Publish settings (CS5.5)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Publishing for Adobe AIR for desktop
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Publishing AIR for Android applications
Packaging applications for AIR for iOS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
HTML publishing templates
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
About exporting from Flash
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
Exporting
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Chapter 15: Best practices
Best practices - Structuring FLA files
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
Best practices - Organizing ActionScript in an application
Best practices - Behaviors conventions
Best practices - Video conventions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
Best practices - SWF application authoring guidelines
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
Best practices - Accessibility guidelines
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472
Best practices - Advertising with Flash
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
Best practices - Optimizing FLA files for SWF output
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
Best practices - Tips for creating content for mobile devices
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
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Chapter 1: What’s new
Download a trial version of Flash CS5.5.
New to Flash Professional? Use the 5 Step Learning Guide.
For a history of new features in Flash Professional, see the Adobe.com Flash Pro Features page.
What’s New (CS5.5)
For a video overview of new mobile workflows in Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5 features, see the video tutorial Flash Pro
CS5.5 - Mobile Workflows.
The following features are new to Flash Professional CS5.5:
Authoring across devices and desktops
Share assets during authoring You can now share assets between FLA files during authoring. The FLA files must be
part of a Flash project managed with the Project panel. For more information, see “Sharing library assets at authortime” on page 166.
Copy and paste layers You can now cut, copy, and paste an entire layer or set of layers within one Timeline or to
separate Timelines. For more information, see “Copy and paste layers (CS5.5 only)” on page 184.
Scale content when changing Stage size When changing the size of the Stage via the Document Properties dialog box,
you can automatically scale the content to fit the new Stage size. For more information, see “Scaling content on the
Stage” on page 171.
Export as bitmap Vector-based symbols can be exported as bitmaps when publishing a SWF file as a way of reducing
CPU demands during playback. This feature is helpful for publishing on mobile devices with less-powerful CPUs. For
more information, see Converting between bitmap and vector formats.
Convert to bitmap This feature allows you to create a bitmap in the Library from a symbol instance. The new bitmap
can be useful in separate versions of the project for mobile or other lower-performance devices. For more information,
see Converting between bitmap and vector formats.
Code snippets for mobile and AIR The Code Snippets panel now includes snippets specifically for mobile devices and
AIR applications. For more information about using the Code Snippets panel, see “Add interactivity with code
snippets” on page 353.
AIR for Android support You can now publish a FLA file as an AIR for Android application. For more information,
see “Publishing AIR for Android applications” on page 447.
AIR 2.6 SDK The AIR 2.6 SDK is integrated and includes the latest APIs for iOS. These include access to the
Microphone, reading from Camera Roll, and CameraUI. Retina display support is also included in the Resolution
menu of the AIR for iOS settings dialog box.
Debug on-device via USB You can debug an AIR for iOS or AIR for Android application on a mobile device via a USB
port. For information about debugging ActionScript 3.0 code, see “Debugging ActionScript 3.0” on page 369.
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What’s new
TLF Text enhancements
TLF tab rulers TLF text blocks now have tab ruler attached. The ruler allows you to create and edit tab stops in TLF
text. You can also now type tab characters in TLF text fields. For more information, see “Using tab rulers (CS5.5 only)”
on page 270.
TCM text for static TLF Flash Pro CS5.5 uses the Text Container Manager to handle TLF text that is not intended to
change at runtime. The TCM avoids the need to include the full TLF ActionScript library in the published SWF file,
significantly reducing file size.
TLF text file size optimization The size of SWF files that use TLF text is smaller and performance is better in Flash
Player.
TLF text support for style sheets You can now use style sheets with TLF text the same way you can with Classic text.
Both types of text require ActionScript to use style sheets.
User interface improvements
Code Snippets panel HUD The new Code Snippets panel heads-up display (HUD) allows you to view the ActionScript
code and description of each snippet before inserting it. You can also drag-and-drop instance references in the HUD
code display onto instances on the Stage. For more information, see “Add interactivity with code snippets” on
page 353.
New Publish Settings dialog box The Publish Settings dialog box has been reorganized and streamlined. For more
information, see “Publish settings (CS5.5)” on page 425.
Integrated playback controller with loop range A Timeline playback controller now appears at the bottom of the
Timeline and the Motion Editor. The controller includes a Loop button which allows you to specify a range of frames
to play repeatedly during authoring. For more information, see “The Timeline” on page 19.
Project panel update The Project panel has been improved to make it easier to work with multi-document Flash
projects. For more information, see “Working with Flash projects” on page 49.
Document Properties panel changes You can now directly edit the Flash Player publish setting and Stage size in the
Document Properties panel. You can also open the Publish Settings dialog box from the Properties panel.
Visible property of symbols editable in Property inspector You can now toggle the visibility of movie clip instances in
the Properties panel. This setting requires a Player Publish setting of Flash Player 10.2 or higher.
New Library conflict resolution dialog box The Library panel has been enhanced with a new conflict resolution dialog
when symbols of the same name are imported to the Library. The dialog now provides the option to place the duplicate
items into a new folder.
Other improvements
Pinning for IK bones You can now pin a bone joint to the stage when posing an armature. Pinning prevents the joint
from moving relative to the Stage. For more information, see “Constrain motion of IK bones” on page 243.
Cache as bitmap - opaque background When using the Cache as Bitmap feature, you can now specify an opaque
background color for the bitmap. For more information about the Cache as Bitmap feature, see “Scaling and caching
symbols” on page 171.
Auto Recover and Auto Save Auto Recover enables Flash to periodically snapshot all open documents so that the user
can recover from any sudden data loss event. Auto Save helps the user by periodically saving each document. For more
information, see “Set General preferences” on page 33 and “Set properties for a new or existing document” on page 43.
Shared project format with Flash Builder Flash Pro projects can now be shared natively with Flash Builder. For
information about working with projects, see “Working with Flash projects” on page 49.
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What’s new
Incremental compilation When using the Publish command, Flash Pro now caches compiled versions of the assets in
your FLA file to improve performance. Each time you create a SWF file, only changed items are recompiled.
Fixes for RSL preloading and scripting problems A new ProLoader class has been added to ActionScript 3.0. This
class makes it easier to script between a loaded child SWF file and its parent SWF file. For more information, see
Loading display content dynamically in the ActionScript 3.0 Developer’s Guide.
What’s new (CS5)
The following features are new to Flash Professional CS5:
Text and Fonts
Text Layout Framework text engine The new TLF text engine provides significantly improved control over text
properties and flow. For more information, see “Working with Text Layout Framework (TLF) text” on page 258, and
this TLF video tutorial.
Font Embedding Dialog Font embedding is now FLA file based instead of text object based. The new Font Embedding
dialog box provides quick access to all font embedding functions. For more information, see “Embed fonts for
consistent text appearance” on page 282.
Video
FLVPlayback live preview on Stage The ActionScript 3.0 versions of the FLVPlayback components now allow you to
preview the entire linked video file on the Stage.
Video cue points usability Video cue points are now much easier to add to videos in Flash. For more information, see
“Working with video cue points” on page 321, and this Cue Points video tutorial.
New skins for FLVPlayback component New skins have been provided for the FLVPlayback components to enable a
wider variety of design styles in your Flash projects.
Art and animation
Edit with Photoshop CS5 You can now perform round-trip editing of bitmap graphics in Photoshop CS5. For more
information, see “Edit a bitmap in an external editor” on page 66.
New Decorative Drawing tool effects Several new effects have been added to the Decorative Drawing tool. For more
information, see “Drawing patterns with the Decorative drawing tool” on page 108.
Spring properties for IK bones New properties have been added to IK bones that enable realistic physics effects in bone
animation. For more information, see “Add Springiness to bones” on page 244.
ActionScript and JavaScript
Code Snippets panel The Code Snippets panel allows non-programmers to apply ActionScript 3.0 code for common
interactions without learning ActionScript. For more information, see “Add interactivity with code snippets” on
page 353.
Code hinting for custom classes Code completion, or code hinting, is now enabled for custom ActionScript 3.0 classes
in addition to the built-in classes. For more information, see “Code hinting for custom classes” on page 369.
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What’s new
Auto close-bracket insertion Now when you type an open bracket { in the Actions panel or Script window, Flash
automatically adds the corresponding close bracket }. This saves time writing code and debugging.
Enhanced Flash Pro - Flash Builder workflows New workflows between Flash Professionsal CS5 and Flash Builder 4
have been enabled to allow the 2 products to be used together more easily. For more information, see “Editing and
debugging ActionScript with Flash Professional and Flash Builder” on page 384, and this video tutorial.
Motion Object JSAPIs Several new JavaScript APIs have been added for manipulating motion tweens in the Flash
Professional CS5 authoring environment. For more information, see Extending Flash Professional CS5.
Working with files
XFL file format Flash FLA files now contain a new internal format called XFL. This new format is based on XML. For
most users this change is invisible. However, the new format enables better exchange of data with other Adobe
applications, and allows you to optionally work in uncompressed XFL format, described below.
Uncompressed XFL file format The uncompressed XFL file format allows you to see each of the separate parts, or sub-
files, that make up a Flash file. This enables working in team environments with source control systems. For more
information, see “Working with uncompressed XFL files” on page 41.
FXG file format The FXG file format allows Flash to exchange graphics with other Adobe applications with full fidelity.
For more information, see “Importing FXG files” on page 64 and “FXG graphic interchange format” on page 457.
SWF Size History The Document Property inspector now displays the size of all SWF files generated during Test
Movie, Publish, and Debug Movie operations.
New templates Flash Professional CS5 includes a range of new templates that make it easier to create common types
of projects in Flash. The templates appear in the Welcome screen and the New Document dialog box.
Other improvements
AIR for iOS support Flash Professional CS5 includes support for AIR for iOS. This allows Flash files to be deployed as
iOS applications that run on the Apple iPhone or iPad. For more information, see “Packaging applications for AIR for
iOS” on page 450.
Reorganized AIR Publish Settings UI The AIR Application & Installer Settings dialog box has been reorganized for
simpler, easier access to the many settings required when publishing for Adobe AIR. For more information, see
“Publishing for Adobe AIR for desktop” on page 441.
Community Help Community Help is an integrated environment on adobe.com that gives you access to community-
generated content moderated by Adobe and industry experts. Comments and ratings from users help guide you to an
answer. Search Community Help to find the best content on the web about Adobe products and technologies. For
more information, see Using Community Help or Help and Support.
CS Live services In Flash Professional CS5, you can connect to CS Live services from within the Flash authoring
environment. CS Live includes web services such as Acrobat.com, BrowserLab, Live Review, and more. For detailed
information about CS Live services, see About CS Live.
Deprecated features
The following features have been removed:
Screens Screen-based Flash documents can no longer be opened or created in Flash Professional CS5. All JavaScript
API’s related to screens have been removed. To work with Screen-based documents, use a previous version of Flash.
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What’s new
Version Cue To work with a common set of files in a collaborative environment, please use a 3rd party source control
solution.
Data Binding components The ActionScript 2.0 Data components have been removed from the Components panel.
Outdated file formats Flash Professional CS5 can no longer import FreeHand, PICT, PNTG, SGI, and TGA files. Flash
no longer exports EMF files, WMF files, WFM image sequences, BMP sequences, or TGA sequences.
Save and Compact Because the new default FLA file format contains XFL formatted data, the Save and Compact
command is unnecessary.
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Chapter 2: Workspace
Flash workflow and workspace
The following additional video tutorials describe the Flash Pro work area and workflow.
• Introducing Flash Professional (4:00)
• Understanding Flash (1:17)
• Understanding Flash file types (1:55)
• Exploring the Flash interface (1:49)
• Setting up workspaces (2:14)
• Managing Design Suite Workspaces (7:44) (This demo is in Photoshop, but also applies to Flash Professional)
Note: Most things in Flash can be done either with or without ActionScript. The things that actually require ActionScript
are non-linear playback, and any situation where the author prefers to avoid using the Timeline.
General Flash workflow
To build a Flash Pro application, you typically perform the following basic steps:
Plan the application.
Decide which basic tasks the application will perform.
Add media elements.
Create and import media elements, such as images, video, sound, and text.
Arrange the elements.
Arrange the media elements on the Stage and in the Timeline to define when and how they appear in your application.
Apply special effects.
Apply graphic filters (such as blurs, glows, and bevels), blends, and other special effects as you see fit.
Use ActionScript to control behavior.
Write ActionScript® code to control how the media elements behave, including how the elements respond to user
interactions.
Test and publish your application.
Test your FLA file (Control > Test Movie) to verify that your application is working as you intended and find and fix
any bugs you encounter. You should test the application throughout the creation process. You can test your file in
Flash Pro, Device Central, the AIR Debug Launchers, and on-device via USB (Flash CS5.5 only).
Publish your FLA file (File > Publish) as a SWF file that can be displayed in a web page and played back with Flash®
Player.
Depending on your project and your working style, you might use these steps in a different order.
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Workspace
For more help getting started with the Flash Pro workflow, see the following:
• Article: Introducing Adobe Flash Professional: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/logged_in/dwinnie_flcs4.html
• Article: Creating a simple document in Flash Professional:
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/flash_cs4_createfla.html
• Video: Flash Workflow Basics: http://www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4053_fl
• Flash overview: www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4053_fl
• Flash workflow: www.adobe.com/go/vid0132
• Creating your first interactive Flash file: www.adobe.com/go/vid0118
Workspace overview
You create and manipulate your documents and files using various elements, such as panels, bars, and windows. Any
arrangement of these elements is called a workspace. The workspaces of the different applications in Adobe® Creative
Suite® 5 share the same appearance so that you can move between the applications easily. You can also adapt each
application to the way you work by selecting from several preset workspaces or by creating one of your own.
Although the default workspace layout varies in different products, you manipulate the elements much the same way
in all of them.
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Workspace
A
B
C
D
E
G
F
H
Default Illustrator workspace
A. Tabbed Document windows B. Application bar C. Workspace switcher D. Panel title bar E. Control panel F. Tools panel G. Collapse To
Icons button H. Four panel groups in vertical dock
• The Application bar across the top contains a workspace switcher, menus (Windows only), and other application
controls. On the Mac for certain products, you can show or hide it using the Window menu.
• The Tools panel contains tools for creating and editing images, artwork, page elements, and so on. Related tools are
grouped.
• The Control panel displays options for the currently selected tool. In Illustrator, the Control panel displays options
for the currently selected object. (In Adobe Photoshop® this is known as the Options bar. In Adobe Flash®, Adobe
Dreamweaver®, and Adobe Fireworks® this is known as the Property Inspector and includes properties of the
currently selected element.)
• The Document window displays the file you’re working on. Document windows can be tabbed and, in certain cases,
grouped and docked.
• Panels help you monitor and modify your work. Examples include the Timeline in Flash, the Brush panel in
Illustrator, the Layers panel in Adobe Photoshop®, and the CSS Styles panel in Dreamweaver. Panels can be
grouped, stacked, or docked.
• The Application frame groups all the workspace elements in a single, integrated window that lets you treat the
application as a single unit. When you move or resize the Application frame or any of its elements, all the elements
within it respond to each other so none overlap. Panels don’t disappear when you switch applications or when you
accidentally click out of the application. If you work with two or more applications, you can position each
application side by side on the screen or on multiple monitors.
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Workspace
If you are using a Mac and prefer the traditional, free-form user interface, you can turn off the Application frame.
In Adobe Illustrator®, for example, select Window > Application Frame to toggle it on or off. (In Flash, the
Application frame is on permanently for Mac, and Dreamweaver for Mac does not use an Application frame.)
Hide or show all panels
• (Illustrator, Adobe InCopy®, Adobe InDesign®, Photoshop, Fireworks)To hide or show all panels, including the
Tools panel and Control panel, press Tab.
• (Illustrator, InCopy, InDesign, Photoshop) To hide or show all panels except the Tools panel and Control panel,
press Shift+Tab.
You can temporarily display hidden panels if Auto-Show Hidden Panels is selected in Interface preferences. It’s
always on in Illustrator. Move the pointer to the edge of the application window (Windows®) or to the edge of the
monitor (Mac OS®) and hover over the strip that appears.
• (Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks) To hide or show all panels, press F4.
Display panel options
❖ Click the panel menu icon
in the upper-right corner of the panel.
You can open a panel menu even when the panel is minimized.
In Photoshop, you can change the font size of the text in panels and tool tips. In the Interface preferences, choose a
size from the UI Font Size menu.
(Illustrator) Adjust panel brightness
❖ In User Interface preferences, move the Brightness slider. This control affects all panels, including the Control
panel.
Reconfigure the Tools panel
You can display the tools in the Tools panel in a single column, or side by side in two columns. (This feature is not
available in the Tools panel in Fireworks and Flash.)
In InDesign and InCopy, you also can switch from single-column to double-column (or single-row) display by setting
an option in Interface preferences.
❖ Click the double arrow at the top of the Tools panel.
Manage windows and panels
You can create a custom workspace by moving and manipulating Document windows and panels. You can also save
workspaces and switch among them. For Fireworks, renaming custom workspaces can lead to unexpected behavior.
Note: The following examples use Photoshop for demonstration purposes. The workspace behaves the same in all the
products.
Rearrange, dock, or float document windows
When you open more than one file, the Document windows are tabbed.
• To rearrange the order of tabbed Document windows, drag a window’s tab to a new location in the group.
• To undock (float or untab) a Document window from a group of windows, drag the window’s tab out of the group.
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Workspace
Note: In Photoshop you can also choose Window > Arrange > Float in Window to float a single Document window,
or Window > Arrange > Float All In Windows to float all of the Document windows at once. See tech note kb405298
for more information.
Note: Dreamweaver does not support docking and undocking Document windows. Use the Document window’s
Minimize button to create floating windows (Windows), or choose Window > Tile Vertically to create side-by-side
Document windows. Search “Tile Vertically” in Dreamweaver Help for more information on this topic. The workflow
is slightly different for Macintosh users.
• To dock a Document window to a separate group of Document windows, drag the window into the group.
• To create groups of stacked or tiled documents, drag the window to one of the drop zones along the top, bottom, or
sides of another window. You can also select a layout for the group by using the Layout button on the Application bar.
Note: Some products do not support this functionality. However, your product may have Cascade and Tile commands
in the Window menu to help you lay out your documents.
• To switch to another document in a tabbed group when dragging a selection, drag the selection over the document’s
tab for a moment.
Note: Some products do not support this functionality.
Dock and undock panels
A dock is a collection of panels or panel groups displayed together, generally in a vertical orientation. You dock and
undock panels by moving them into and out of a dock.
• To dock a panel, drag it by its tab into the dock, at the top, bottom, or in between other panels.
• To dock a panel group, drag it by its title bar (the solid empty bar above the tabs) into the dock.
• To remove a panel or panel group, drag it out of the dock by its tab or title bar. You can drag it into another dock
or make it free-floating.
Navigator panel being dragged out to new dock, indicated by blue vertical highlight
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Navigator panel now in its own dock
You can prevent panels from filling all the space in a dock. Drag the bottom edge of the dock up so it no longer meets
the edge of the workspace.
Move panels
As you move panels, you see blue highlighted drop zones, areas where you can move the panel. For example, you can
move a panel up or down in a dock by dragging it to the narrow blue drop zone above or below another panel. If you
drag to an area that is not a drop zone, the panel floats freely in the workspace.
Note: The position of the mouse (rather than the position of the panel), activates the drop zone, so if you can’t see the drop
zone, try dragging the mouse to the place where the drop zone should be.
• To move a panel, drag it by its tab.
• To move a panel group, drag the title bar.
A
B
C
Narrow blue drop zone indicates Color panel will be docked on its own above the Layers panel group.
A. Title bar B. Tab C. Drop zone
Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) while moving a panel to prevent it from docking. Press Esc while
moving the panel to cancel the operation.
Add and remove panels
If you remove all panels from a dock, the dock disappears. You can create a dock by moving panels to the right edge
of the workspace until a drop zone appears.
• To remove a panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) its tab and then select Close, or deselect it from
the Window menu.
• To add a panel, select it from the Window menu and dock it wherever you want.
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Manipulate panel groups
• To move a panel into a group, drag the panel’s tab to the highlighted drop zone in the group.
Adding a panel to a panel group
• To rearrange panels in a group, drag a panel’s tab to a new location in the group.
• To remove a panel from a group so that it floats freely, drag the panel by its tab outside the group.
• To move a group, drag the title bar (the area above the tabs).
Stack floating panels
When you drag a panel out of its dock but not into a drop zone, the panel floats freely. The floating panel allows you
to position it anywhere in the workspace. You can stack floating panels or panel groups so that they move as a unit
when you drag the topmost title bar.
Free-floating stacked panels
• To stack floating panels, drag a panel by its tab to the drop zone at the bottom of another panel.
• To change the stacking order, drag a panel up or down by its tab.
Note: Be sure to release the tab over the narrow drop zone between panels, rather than the broad drop zone in a title bar.
• To remove a panel or panel group from the stack, so that it floats by itself, drag it out by its tab or title bar.
Resize panels
• To minimize or maximize a panel, panel group, or stack of panels, double-click a tab. You can also double-click the
tab area (the empty space next to the tabs).
• To resize a panel, drag any side of the panel. Some panels, such as the Color panel in Photoshop, cannot be resized
by dragging.
Collapse and expand panel icons
You can collapse panels to icons to reduce clutter on the workspace. In some cases, panels are collapsed to icons in the
default workspace.
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Panels collapsed to icons
Panels expanded from icons
• To collapse or expand all panel icons in a column, click the double arrow at the top of the dock.
• To expand a single panel icon, click it.
• To resize panel icons so that you see only the icons (and not the labels), adjust the width of the dock until the text
disappears. To display the icon text again, make the dock wider.
• To collapse an expanded panel back to its icon, click its tab, its icon, or the double arrow in the panel’s title bar.
In some products, if you select Auto-Collapse Icon Panels from the Interface or User Interface Options preferences,
an expanded panel icon collapses automatically when you click away from it.
• To add a floating panel or panel group to an icon dock, drag it in by its tab or title bar. (Panels are automatically
collapsed to icons when added to an icon dock.)
• To move a panel icon (or panel icon group), drag the icon. You can drag panel icons up and down in the dock, into
other docks (where they appear in the panel style of that dock), or outside the dock (where they appear as floating
icons).
Save and switch workspaces
By saving the current size and position of panels as a named workspace, you can restore that workspace even if you
move or close a panel. The names of saved workspaces appear in the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
Save a custom workspace
1 With the workspace in the configuration you want to save, do one of the following:
• (Illustrator) Choose Window > Workspace > Save Workspace.
• (Photoshop, InDesign, InCopy) Choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace.
• (Dreamweaver) Choose Window > Workspace Layout > New Workspace.
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• (Flash) Choose New Workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
• (Fireworks) Choose Save Current from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
2 Type a name for the workspace.
3 (Photoshop, InDesign) Under Capture, select one or more options:
Panel Locations Saves the current panel locations (InDesign only).
Keyboard shortcuts Saves the current set of keyboard shortcuts (Photoshop only).
Menus or Menu Customization Saves the current set of menus.
Display or switch workspaces
❖ Select a workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
In Photoshop, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to each workspace to navigate among them quickly.
Delete a custom workspace
• Select Manage Workspaces from the workspace switcher in the Application bar, select the workspace, and then
click Delete. (The option is not available in Fireworks.)
• (Photoshop, InDesign, InCopy) Select Delete Workspace from the workspace switcher.
• (Illustrator) Choose Window > Workspace > Manage Workspaces, select the workspace, and then click the Delete icon.
• (Photoshop, InDesign) Choose Window > Workspace >Delete Workspace, select the workspace, and then click
Delete.
Restore the default workspace
1 Select the Default or Essentials workspace from the workspace switcher in the application bar. For Fireworks, see
the article http://www.adobe.com/devnet/fireworks/articles/workspace_manager_panel.html.
Note: In Dreamweaver, Designer is the default workspace.
2 For Fireworks (Windows), delete these folders:
Windows Vista \\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Fireworks CS4\
Windows XP \\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\Adobe\Fireworks CS4
3 (Photoshop, InDesign, InCopy) Select Window > Workspace > Reset [Workspace Name].
(Photoshop) Restore a saved workspace arrangement
In Photoshop, workspaces automatically appear as you last arranged them, but you can restore the original, saved
arrangement of panels.
• To restore an individual workspace, choose Window > Workspace > Reset Workspace Name.
• To restore all the workspaces installed with Photoshop, click Restore Default Workspaces in the Interface
preferences.
To rearrange the order of workspaces in the application bar, drag them.
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Using the Stage and Tools panel
Using the Stage
The Stage is the rectangular area where you place graphic content when creating Flash Pro documents. The Stage in
the authoring environment represents the rectangular space in Flash Player or in a web browser window where your
document appears during playback. To change the view of the Stage as you work, zoom in and out. To help you
position items on the Stage, you can use the grid, guides, and rulers.
The Timeline and Stage with content.
Zoom the Stage
To view the entire Stage on the screen, or to view a particular area of your drawing at high magnification, change the
magnification level. The maximum magnification depends on the resolution of your monitor and the document size.
The minimum value for zooming out on the Stage is 8%. The maximum value for zooming in on the Stage is 2000%.
• To zoom in on an element, select the Zoom tool
in the Tools panel, and click the element. To switch the Zoom
tool between zooming in or out, use the Enlarge
or Reduce
modifiers (in the options area of the Tools panel
when the Zoom tool is selected) or Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macintosh).
• To zoom in so that a specific area of your drawing fills the window, drag a rectangular selection on the Stage with
the Zoom tool.
• To zoom in on or out of the entire Stage, select View > Zoom In or View > Zoom Out.
• To zoom in or out by a specified percentage, select View > Magnification, and select a percentage from the submenu
or select a percentage from the Zoom control at the upper-right corner of the document window.
• To scale the Stage so that it fits completely in the application window, select View > Magnification > Fit in Window.
• To show the contents of the current frame, select View > Magnification > Show All, or select Show All from the
Zoom control at the upper-right side of the application window. If the scene is empty, the entire Stage appears.
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• To show the entire Stage, select View > Magnification > Show Frame or select Show Frame from the Zoom control
at the upper-right corner of the document window.
• To show the workspace surrounding the Stage, or to view elements in a scene that are partly or completely outside
of the Stage area, select View > Pasteboard. The pasteboard appears in light gray. For example, to have a bird fly
into a frame, initially position the bird outside of the Stage in the pasteboard and animate it into the Stage area.
Move the view of the Stage
When the Stage is magnified, you may not be able to see all of it. To change the view without having to change the
magnification, use the Hand tool to move the Stage.
• In the Tools panel, select the Hand tool and drag the Stage. To temporarily switch between another tool and the
Hand tool, hold down the Spacebar and click the tool in the Tools panel.
Use rulers
When rulers show, they appear along the top and left sides of the document. You can change the unit of measure used
in the rulers from the default of pixels to another unit. When you move an element on the Stage with the rulers
displayed, lines indicating the element’s dimensions appear on the rulers.
• To show or hide rulers, select View > Rulers.
• To specify the rulers’ unit of measure for a document, select Modify > Document, and select a unit from the Ruler
Units menu.
More Help topics
“Snapping art into position” on page 127
Use guides
When rulers show (View > Rulers), you can drag horizontal and vertical guides from the rulers onto the Stage.
When you create nested timelines, draggable guides appear on the Stage only when the Timeline in which they were
created is active.
To create custom guides or irregular guides, use guide layers.
• To display or hide the drawing guides, select View > Guides > Show Guides.
Note: If the grid is visible and Snap to Grid is turned on when you create guides, guides snap to the grid.
• To turn snapping to guides on or off, select View > Snapping > Snap to Guides.
Note: Snapping to guides takes precedence over snapping to the grid in places where guides fall between grid lines.
• To move a guide, click anywhere on the ruler with the Selection tool and drag the guide to the desired place on the
Stage.
• To remove a guide, use the Selection tool with guides unlocked to drag the guide to the horizontal or vertical ruler.
• To lock guides, select View > Guides > Lock Guides or use the Lock Guides option in the Edit Guides (View >
Guides > Edit Guides) dialog box.
• To clear guides, select View > Guides > Clear Guides. If you are in document-editing mode, all guides in the
document are cleared. If you are in symbol-editing mode, only guides used in symbols are cleared.
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Set guide preferences
1 Select View > Guides > Edit Guides and do any of the following:
• To set Color, click the triangle in the color box and select a guide line color from the palette. The default guide
color is green.
• To display or hide guides, select or deselect Show Guides.
• To turn snapping to guides on or off, select or deselect Snap To Guides.
• Select or deselect Lock Guides.
• To set Snap Accuracy, select an option from the pop-up menu.
• To remove all guides, click Clear All. Clear All removes all guides from the current scene.
• To save the current settings as the default, click Save Default.
2 Click OK.
Use the grid
The grid appears in a document as a set of lines behind the artwork in all scenes.
Display or hide the drawing grid
❖ Do one of the following:
• Select View > Grid > Show Grid.
• Press Control+'' (quote) (Windows) or Command+'' (quote) (Macintosh).
Turn snapping to grid lines on or off
❖ Select View > Snapping > Snap to Grid.
Set grid preferences
1 Select View > Grid > Edit Grid and select from the options.
2 To save the current settings as the default, click Save Default.
About the main toolbar and edit bar
The menu bar at the top of the application window contains menus with commands for controlling functionality.
The edit bar, at the top of the Stage, contains controls and information for editing scenes and symbols, and for
changing the magnification level of the Stage.
More Help topics
“Symbols, instances, and library assets” on page 150
“Working with scenes” on page 187
Use the Tools panel
The tools in the Tools panel let you draw, paint, select, and modify artwork, as well as change the view of the Stage.
The Tools panel is divided into four sections:
• The tools area contains drawing, painting, and selection tools.
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• The view area contains tools for zooming and panning in the application window.
• The colors area contains modifiers for stroke and fill colors.
• The options area contains modifiers for the currently selected tool. Modifiers affect the tool’s painting or editing
operations.
To specify which tools to display in the authoring environment, use the Customize Tools Panel dialog box.
To show or hide the Tools panel, select Window > Tools.
Select tools
❖ Do one of the following:
• Click the tool in the Tools panel. Depending on the tool you select, a set of modifiers might appear in the options
area at the bottom of the Tools panel.
• Press the tool’s keyboard shortcut. To view the keyboard shortcuts, select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows)
or Flash > Keyboard Shortcuts (Macintosh). On the Macintosh, you might need to move the mouse to see the
new pointer appear.
• To select a tool located in the pop-up menu for a visible tool such as the Rectangle tool, press the icon of the
visible tool and select another tool from the pop-up menu.
Customize the Tools panel
To specify which tools appear in the authoring environment, use the Customize Tools Panel dialog box to add or
remove tools from the Tools panel.
When more than one tool appears in a location, the top tool in the group (the most recently used) appears with an
arrow in the lower-right corner of its icon. This arrow indicates that additional tools are present in a pop-up menu.
The same keyboard shortcut functions for all tools in the pop-up menu. When you press and hold the mouse button
on the icon, the other tools in the group appear in a pop-up menu.
1 To show the Customize Tools Panel dialog box, do one of the following:
• (Windows) Select Edit > Customize Tools panel.
• (Macintosh) Select Flash > Customize Tools panel.
The Available Tools menu indicates the tools that are currently available. The Current Selection menu indicates
the tools currently assigned to the selected location in the Tools panel.
2 To browse through the tools to specify the location to assign to another tool, click a tool in the image of the Tools
panel or use the arrows.
3 To add a tool to the selected location, select the tool in the Available Tools list and click Add. You can assign a tool
to more than one location.
4 To remove a tool from the selected location, select the tool in the Current Selection scroll list and click Remove.
5 To restore the default Tools Panel layout, click Restore Default in the Customize Tools Panel dialog box.
6 Click OK to apply your changes and close the Customize Tools Panel dialog box.
More Help topics
“Creating and Editing Artwork” on page 89
“Selecting objects” on page 123
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Use context menus
Context menus contain commands relevant to the current selection. For example, when you select a frame in the
Timeline window, the context menu contains commands for creating, deleting, and modifying frames and keyframes.
Context menus exist for many items and controls in many locations, including on the Stage, in the Timeline, in the
Library panel, and in the Actions panel.
❖ Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) an item.
The Timeline
About the Timeline
The Timeline organizes and controls a document’s content over time in layers and frames. Like films, Flash Pro
documents divide lengths of time into frames. Layers are like multiple film strips stacked on top of one another, each
containing a different image that appears on the Stage. The major components of the Timeline are layers, frames, and
the playhead.
Layers in a document are listed in a column on the left side of the Timeline. Frames contained in each layer appear in
a row to the right of the layer name. The Timeline header at the top of the Timeline indicates frame numbers. The
playhead indicates the current frame displayed on the Stage. As a document plays, the playhead moves from left to
right through the Timeline.
The Timeline status displayed at the bottom of the Timeline indicates the selected frame number, the current frame
rate, and the elapsed time to the current frame.
Note: When an animation is played, the actual frame rate is displayed; this may differ from the document’s frame rate
setting if the computer can’t calculate and display the animation quickly enough.
A
B
E
C
F
D
G
H
I
J
K
L
Parts of the Timeline
A. Playhead B. Empty keyframe C. Timeline header D. Guide layer icon E. Frame View pop-up menu F. Frame-by-frame animation
G. Tweened animation H. Center Frame button I. Onion-skinning buttons J. Current Frame indicator K. Frame Rate indicator L. Elapsed
Time indicator
The Timeline shows where animation occurs in a document, including frame-by-frame animation, tweened
animation, and motion paths.
Controls in the layers section of the Timeline let you hide, show, lock, or unlock layers, as well as display layer contents
as outlines. You can drag Timeline frames to a new location on the same layer or to a different layer.
More Help topics
“Motion tween animation” on page 195
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Change the appearance of the Timeline
By default, the Timeline appears below the main document window. To change its position, detach the Timeline from
the document window and float it in its own window or dock it to any other panel you choose. You can also hide the
Timeline.
To change the number of layers and frames that are visible, resize the Timeline. To view additional layers when the
Timeline contains more layers than can be displayed, use the scroll bars on the right side of the Timeline.
Dragging the Timeline
• To move the Timeline when it is docked to the document window, drag the title bar tab at the upper-left corner of
the Timeline.
• To dock an undocked Timeline to the application window, drag the title bar tab to the top or bottom of the
document window.
• To dock an undocked Timeline to other panels, drag the Timeline title bar tab to the location you choose. To
prevent the Timeline from docking to other panels, press Control while you drag. A blue bar appears to indicate
where the Timeline will dock.
• To lengthen or shorten layer name fields in the Timeline panel, drag the bar separating the layer names and the
frames portions of the Timeline.
Change the display of frames in the Timeline
1 To display the Frame View pop-up menu, click Frame View in the upper-right corner of the Timeline.
Frame View pop-up menu.
2 Select from the following options:
• To change the width of frame cells, select Tiny, Small, Normal, Medium, or Large. (The Large frame-width
setting is useful for viewing the details of sound waveforms.)
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• To decrease the height of frame cell rows, select Short.
Short and Normal frame view options.
• To turn the tinting of frame sequences on or off, select Tinted Frames.
• To display thumbnails of the content of each frame scaled to fit the Timeline frames, select Preview. This can
cause the apparent content size to vary and requires extra screen space.
• To display thumbnails of each full frame (including empty space), select Preview In Context. This is useful for
viewing the way elements move in their frames over the course of the animation, but previews are generally
smaller than with the Preview option.
Change layer height in the Timeline
1 Do one of the following:
• Double-click the layer’s icon (the icon to the left of the layer name) in the Timeline.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the layer name and select Properties from the context menu.
• Select the layer in the Timeline and select Modify > Timeline > Layer Properties.
2 In the Layer Properties dialog box, select an option for Layer Height and click OK.
Resize the Timeline
• If the Timeline is docked to the main application window, drag the bar separating the Timeline from the Stage area.
• If the Timeline is not docked to the main application window, drag the lower-right corner (Windows) or the size
box in the lower-right corner (Macintosh).
Move the playhead
The red playhead at the top of the Timeline moves as a document plays to indicate the current frame displayed on the
Stage. The Timeline header shows the frame numbers of the animation. To display a frame on the Stage, move the
playhead to the frame in the Timeline.
To display a specific frame when you’re working with a large number of frames that can’t all be displayed in the
Timeline at once, move the playhead along the Timeline.
• To go to a frame, click the frame’s location in the Timeline header, or drag the playhead to the desired position.
• To center the Timeline on the current frame, click the Center Frame button at the bottom of the Timeline.
• (CS5.5 only) To play, rewind, skip back, and skip forward in the Timeline, use the Playback buttons at the bottom
of the Timeline panel.
• (CS5.5 only) To loop through a specific range of frames, click the Loop button at the bottom of the Timeline panel.
Then move the frame range markers to the first and last frames you want to loop.
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Moving the playhead
Using Flash authoring panels
Videos and tutorials
• Video: The Panels (Length = 11:15, Peachpit.com)
About the Property inspector
The Property inspector provides easy access to the most commonly used attributes of the current selection, either on
the Stage or in the Timeline. You can make changes to the object or document attributes in the Property inspector
without accessing the menus or panels that also control these attributes.
Depending on what is currently selected, the Property inspector displays information and settings for the current
document, text, symbol, shape, bitmap, video, group, frame, or tool. When two or more different types of objects are
selected, the Property inspector displays the total number of objects selected.
To display the Property inspector, Select Window > Properties, or press Control+F3 (Windows) or Command+F3
(Macintosh).
About the Library panel
The Library panel (Window > Library) is where you store and organize symbols created in Flash Pro, as well as
imported files, including bitmap graphics, sound files, and video clips. The Library panel lets you organize library
items in folders, see how often an item is used in a document, and sort items by name, type, date, use count, or
ActionScript® linkage identifier. You can also search the Library panel with the search field and set properties on most
multiple-object selections.
The Library panel showing a movie clip symbol.
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More Help topics
“Work with libraries” on page 159
About the Actions panel
The Actions panel lets you create and edit ActionScript code for an object or frame. Selecting a frame, button, or movie
clip instance makes the Actions panel active. The Actions panel title changes to Button Actions, Movie Clip Actions,
or Frame Actions, depending on what is selected.
The Actions panel showing a stop() action in a frame.
To display the Actions panel, select Window > Actions or press F9.
More Help topics
“The Actions panel” on page 348
“Script window overview” on page 349
Use the Movie Explorer
The Movie Explorer lets you view and organize the contents of a document and select elements in the document for
modification. It contains a display list of currently used elements, arranged in a navigable hierarchical tree.
Use the Movie Explorer to perform the following actions:
• Filter which categories of items in the document appear in the Movie Explorer.
• Display the selected categories as scenes, symbol definitions, or both.
• Expand and collapse the navigation tree.
• Search for an element in a document by name.
• Familiarize yourself with the structure of a Flash Pro document that another developer created.
• Find all the instances of a particular symbol or action.
• Print the navigable display list that appears in the Movie Explorer.
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The Movie Explorer has a Panel menu and a context menu with options for performing operations on selected items
or modifying the Movie Explorer display. A check mark with a triangle below it in the Movie Explorer panel indicates
the Panel menu.
Note: The Movie Explorer has slightly different functionality when you are working with screens.
View the Movie Explorer
❖ Select Window > Movie Explorer.
Filter the categories of items that appear in the Movie Explorer
• To show text, symbols, ActionScript, imported files, or frames and layers, click one or more of the filtering buttons
to the right of the Show option. To customize which items to show, click the Customize button. Select options in
the Show area of the Movie Explorer Settings dialog box to view those elements.
• To show items in scenes, select Show Movie Elements from the Movie Explorer Panel menu.
• To show information about symbols, select Show Symbol Definitions from the Movie Explorer Panel menu.
Note: The Movie Elements option and the Symbol Definitions option can be active at the same time.
Search for an item using the Find box
❖ In the Find box, enter the item name, font name, ActionScript string, or frame number. The Find feature searches
all items that appear in the Movie Explorer.
Select an item in the Movie Explorer
❖ Click the item in the navigation tree. Shift-click to select more than one item.
The full path for the selected item appears at the bottom of the Movie Explorer. Selecting a scene in the Movie Explorer
shows the first frame of that scene on the Stage. Selecting an element in the Movie Explorer selects that element on the
Stage if the layer containing the element is not locked.
Use the Movie Explorer Panel menu or context menu commands
1 Do one of the following:
• To view the Panel menu, click the Panel menu control in the Movie Explorer panel.
• To view the context menu, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) an item in the Movie Explorer
navigation tree.
2 Select an option from the menu:
Go To Location Jumps to the selected layer, scene, or frame in the document.
Go To Symbol Definition Jumps to the symbol definition for a symbol that is selected in the Movie Elements area of
the Movie Explorer. The symbol definition lists all the files associated with the symbol. (The Show Symbol Definitions
option must be selected. See its definition in this list.)
Select Symbol Instances Jumps to the scene containing instances of a symbol that is selected in the Symbol Definitions
area of the Movie Explorer. (The Show Movie Elements option must be selected.)
Show In Library Highlights the selected symbol in the document’s library. (Flash Pro opens the Library panel if it is
not already visible.)
Rename Lets you enter a new name for a selected element.
Edit In Place Lets you edit a selected symbol on the Stage.
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Edit In New Window Lets you edit a selected symbol in a new window.
Show Movie Elements Shows the elements in your document organized into scenes.
Show Symbol Definitions Shows all the elements associated with a symbol.
Copy All Text To Clipboard Copies selected text to the clipboard. For spell checking or other editing, paste the text into
an external text editor.
Cut, Copy, Paste, And Clear Performs these common functions on a selected element. Modifying an item in the display
list modifies the corresponding item in the document.
Expand Branch Expands the navigation tree at the selected element.
Collapse Branch Collapses the navigation tree at the selected element.
Collapse Others Collapses the branches in the navigation tree that do not contain the selected element.
Print Prints the hierarchical display list that appears in the Movie Explorer.
About Flash components and the Components panel
A component in Flash is a reusable, packaged module that adds a particular capability to a Flash document.
Components can include graphics as well as code, so they're pre-built functionality that you can easily include in your
Flash projects. For example, a component can be a radio button, a dialog box, a preload bar, or even something that
has no graphics at all, such as a timer, a server connection utility, or a custom XML parser.
If you are less experienced with writing ActionScript, you can add components to a document, set their parameters in
the Property inspector or Component inspector, and use the Behaviors panel to handle their events. For example, you
could attach a Go To Web Page behavior to a Button component that opens a URL in a web browser when the button
is clicked without writing any ActionScript code.
If you are a programmer who wants to create more robust applications, you can create components dynamically, use
ActionScript to set properties and call methods at run time, and use the event listener model to handle events.
Insert a component using the Component panel
When you first add a component to a document, Flash imports it as a movie clip into the Library panel. You can also
drag a component from the Components panel directly to the Library panel and then add an instance of it to the Stage.
In any case, you must add a component to the library before you can access its class elements.
1 Select Window > Component panel.
2 Select an instance of a component in the Component panel, and drag it to the Stage or Library panel. After a
component is added to the library, you can drag multiple instances to the Stage.
3 Configure the component as needed using either the Property inspector or the Components inspector. For
information on the parameters the component uses, refer to the appropriate component documentation for the
version of ActionScript you are using in the Flash document.
Enter parameters for a component using the Component inspector
1 Select Window > Component Inspector.
2 Select an instance of a component on the Stage.
3 Click the Parameters tab and enter values for any of the listed parameters.
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About the Web Services panel
You can view a list of web services, refresh web services, and add or remove web services in the Web Services panel
(Window > Other Panels > Web Services). When you add a web service to the Web Services panel, the web service is
then available to any application you create.
You can use the Web Services panel to refresh all your web services at once by clicking the Refresh Web Services
button. If you are not using the Stage but instead are writing ActionScript code for the connectivity layer of your
application, you can use the Web Services panel to manage your web services.
For detailed information about using the web services panel, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_fl_web_services.
Undo, redo, and the History panel
Undo, Redo, and Repeat commands
To undo or redo actions on individual objects, or all objects within the current document, specify either object-level
or document-level Undo and Redo commands (Edit > Undo or Edit Redo). The default behavior is document-level
Undo and Redo.
You cannot undo some actions when using object-level Undo. Among these are entering and exiting Edit mode;
selecting, editing, and moving library items; and creating, deleting, and moving scenes.
To reapply a step to the same object or to a different object, use the Repeat command. For example, if you move a shape
named shape_A, select Edit > Repeat to move the shape again, or select another shape, shape_B, and select Edit >
Repeat to move the second shape by the same amount.
By default, Flash Pro supports 100 levels of undo for the Undo menu command. Select the number of undo and redo
levels, from 2 to 300, in Flash Preferences.
By default, when you undo a step by using Edit > Undo or the History panel, the file size of the document does not
change, even if you delete an item in the document. For example, if you import a video file into a document, and undo
the import, the file size of the document still includes the size of the video file. Any items that you delete from a
document when performing an Undo command are preserved to in order to be able to restore the items with a Redo
command.
More Help topics
“Set preferences in Flash” on page 32
“Automating tasks with the Commands menu” on page 28
Using the History panel
The History panel (Window > Other Panels > History) shows a list of the steps you’ve performed in the active
document since you created or opened that document, up to a specified maximum number of steps. (The History panel
doesn’t show steps you’ve performed in other documents.) The slider in the History panel initially points to the last
step that you performed.
• To undo or redo individual steps or multiple steps at once, use the History panel. Apply steps from the History
panel to the same object or to a different object in the document. However, you cannot rearrange the order of steps
in the History panel. The History panel is a record of steps in the order in which they are performed.
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Note: If you undo a step or a series of steps and then do something new in the document, you can no longer redo the
steps in the History panel; they disappear from the panel.
• By default, Flash Pro supports 100 levels of undo for the History panel. Select the number of undo and redo levels,
from 2 to 300, in Flash Preferences.
• To erase the history list for the current document, clear the History panel. After clearing the history list, you cannot
undo the steps that are cleared. Clearing the history list does not undo steps; it removes the record of those steps
from the current document’s memory.
Closing a document clears its history. To use steps from a document after that document is closed, copy the steps with
the Copy Steps command or save the steps as a command.
More Help topics
“Set preferences in Flash” on page 32
“Automating tasks with the Commands menu” on page 28
Undo steps with the History panel
When you undo a step, the step is dimmed in the History panel.
• To undo the last step performed, drag the History panel slider up one step in the list.
• To undo multiple steps at once, drag the slider to point to any step, or click to the left of a step along the path of the
slider. The slider scrolls automatically to that step, undoing all subsequent steps as it scrolls.
Note: Scrolling to a step (and selecting the subsequent steps) is different from selecting an individual step. To scroll to a
step, click to the left of the step.
Replay steps with the History panel
When you replay steps with the History panel, the steps that play are the steps that are selected (highlighted) in the
History panel, not necessarily the step currently indicated by the slider.
Apply steps in the History panel to any selected object in the document.
Replay one step
❖ In the History panel, select a step and click the Replay button.
Replay a series of adjacent steps
1 Select steps in the History panel by doing one of the following:
• Drag from one step to another. (Don’t drag the slider; drag from the text label of one step to the text label of another
step.)
• Select the first step, then Shift-click the last step; or select the last step and Shift-click the first step.
2 Click Replay. The steps replay in order, and a new step, labeled Replay Steps, appears in the History panel.
Replay nonadjacent steps
1 Select a step in the History panel, and Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) other steps. To
deselect a selected step, Control-click or Command-click.
2 Click Replay.
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Copy and paste steps between documents
Each open document has its own history of steps. To copy steps from one document and paste them into another, use
the Copy Steps command in the History panel options menu. If you copy steps into a text editor, the steps are pasted
as JavaScript™ code.
1 In the document containing the steps to reuse, select the steps in the History panel.
2 In the History panel options menu, select Copy Steps.
3 Open the document to paste the steps into.
4 Select an object to apply the steps to.
5 Select Edit > Paste to paste the steps. The steps play back as they’re pasted into the document’s History panel. The
History panel shows them as only one step, called Paste Steps.
Automating tasks with the Commands menu
Create and manage commands
To repeat the same task, create a command in the Commands menu from steps in the History panel and reuse the
command. Steps replay exactly as they were originally performed. You can’t modify the steps as you replay them.
To use steps the next time you start Flash Pro, create and save a command. Saved commands are retained permanently,
unless you delete them. Steps that you copy using the History panel Copy Steps command are discarded when you copy
something else.
Create a command from selected steps in the History panel. Rename or delete commands in the Manage Saved
Commands dialog box.
More Help topics
“Copy and paste steps between documents” on page 28
Create a command
1 Select a step or set of steps in the History panel.
2 Select Save As Command from the History panel options menu.
3 Enter a name for the command and click OK. The command appears in the Commands menu.
Note: The command is saved as a JavaScript file (with the extension .jsfl) in your Commands folder. This folder is in the
following locations: Windows XP: boot drive\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application
Data\Adobe\Flash CS5\\Configuration\Commands; Mac OS® X: Macintosh
HD/Users//Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash CS5//Configuration/Commands.
Edit the names of commands in the Commands menu
1 Select Commands > Manage Saved Commands.
2 Select a command to rename.
3 Click the Rename button.
4 Enter the new name and click OK.
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Delete a name from the Commands menu
1 Select Commands > Manage Saved Commands, and select a command.
2 Click Delete, click Yes in the warning dialog box, and click OK.
Run commands
• To use a saved command, select the command from the Commands menu.
• To run a JavaScript or Flash JavaScript command, select Commands > Run Command, navigate to the script to run,
and click Open.
Get more commands
Use the Get More Commands option in the Commands menu to link to the Flash Exchange website at
www.adobe.com/go/flash_exchange and download commands that other Flash Pro users have posted. For more
information on the commands posted there, see the Flash Exchange website.
1 Make sure you are connected to the Internet.
2 Select Commands > Get More Commands.
Steps that can’t be used in commands
Some tasks can’t be saved as commands or repeated using the Edit > Repeat menu item. These commands can be
undone and redone, but they cannot be repeated.
Examples of actions that can’t be saved as commands or repeated include selecting a frame or modifying a document
size. If you attempt to save an unrepeatable action as a command, the command is not saved.
Accessibility in the Flash workspace
The Adobe® Flash® Professional CS5 workspace is keyboard-accessible for users who may have difficulty using a
mouse.
About accessibility support
Accessibility support in the authoring environment provides keyboard shortcuts for navigating and using interface
controls, including panels, the Property inspector, dialog boxes, the Stage, and objects on the Stage, so that you can
work with these interface elements without using the mouse.
Note: Certain keyboard controls and authoring environment accessibility features are available only in Windows.
To customize the keyboard shortcuts for accessibility in the authoring environment, use the Workspace Accessibility
Commands section of the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box.
• To hide all panels and the Property inspector, press F4. To display all panels and the Property inspector, press F4
again.
More Help topics
“Customize keyboard shortcut sets” on page 37
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Select controls in a panel using keyboard shortcuts
To move the focus through the panel controls when a panel or the Property inspector has the current focus, use the
Tab key. To activate a menu that has the current focus, use the Spacebar (that is, pressing Spacebar is equivalent to
clicking the menu in the panel). Flash Pro does not support moving from panel to panel with the Tab key.
When you use the keyboard shortcut for panel controls, focus is applied to a control and the control is activated using
the following criteria:
• To select a control in the panel with the Tab key, the panel with the current focus must be expanded. If the panel is
collapsed, pressing Tab has no effect.
• To display the Panel menu items when the Panel menu has the focus, press the Space bar.
• You can move the focus to a panel control only if the control is active. If a control is dimmed (inactive), you cannot
apply focus to the control.
Move the focus through the items in the Panel menu of a panel
1 To display the Panel menu items when the focus currently applied to the Panel menu, press the Spacebar.
2 To move through the items in the Panel menu, press Down Arrow.
3 To activate the currently selected Panel menu item, press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
Move the focus through the controls in a panel
1 Press Tab when the focus is currently applied to the Panel menu. To move the focus through the controls in the
panel, press Tab repeatedly.
2 To activate the currently selected menu in a panel , press Enter or Return.
3 To edit a numerical Hot Text value, type the number and press Enter or Return.
Navigate dialog box controls using keyboard shortcuts
• To move through the controls in the dialog box, press Tab.
• To move through the controls within one section of a dialog box, press Up Arrow and Down Arrow.
• To activate the button (equivalent to clicking the button), when the focus is applied to a dialog box control button,
press Enter.
• To apply the current settings and close the dialog box (equivalent to clicking OK), when the focus is not applied to
any dialog box control button, press Enter.
• To close the dialog box without applying the changes (equivalent to clicking Cancel), press Escape.
• To view the Help content for the dialog box (equivalent to clicking Help), when the focus is applied to the Help
button, press Enter or Spacebar.
Select the Stage or objects on the Stage using keyboard shortcuts
Selecting the Stage with a keyboard shortcut is equivalent to clicking on the Stage.
After the Stage is selected, use the Tab key to navigate through all objects on all layers, one at a time. You can select
instances (including graphic symbols, buttons, movie clips, bitmaps, videos, or sounds), groups, or boxes. You cannot
select shapes (such as rectangles) unless those shapes are instances of symbols. You cannot select more than one object
at a time using keyboard shortcuts.
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To select objects on the Stage, use the following techniques:
• To select an object on the Stage, with the Stage selected, press Tab.
• To select the previous object when an object is currently selected, press Shift+Tab.
• To select the first object that was created on the active frame in the active layer, press Tab. When the last object on
the top layer is selected, press Tab to move to the next layer beneath it and select the first object there, and so on.
• When the last object on the last layer is selected, press Tab to move to the next frame and select the first object on
the top layer there.
• Objects on layers that are hidden or locked cannot be selected with the Tab key.
Note: If you are currently typing text in a box, you cannot select an object using the keyboard focus. You must first press
the Escape key and then select an object.
Navigate tree structures using keyboard shortcuts
To navigate tree structures, the hierarchical displays of file structures in certain Flash Pro panels, use keyboard
shortcuts.
• To expand a collapsed folder, select the folder and press Right Arrow.
• To collapse an expanded folder, select the folder and press Left Arrow.
• To move to the parent folder of an expanded folder, press Left Arrow.
• To move to the child folder of an expanded folder, press Right Arrow.
Work with library items using keyboard shortcuts
1 To copy or paste a selected library item, press Control+X (Windows) or Command+X (Macintosh) to cut the item,
or press Control+C (Windows) or Command+C (Macintosh) to copy the item.
2 To paste a cut or copied item, click the Stage or in another library to set the insertion point, and press Control+V
(Windows) or Command+V (Macintosh) to paste in the center of the Stage; or press Control+Shift+V (Windows)
or Command+Shift+V (Macintosh) to paste in place (in the same location as the original).
To cut, copy, and paste items, use the following techniques:
• Cut or copy one item or multiple items.
• Cut or copy an item from the Library panel and paste it onto the Stage or into another library, or paste a folder into
another library.
• You cannot paste a shape from the Stage into the library.
• You cannot paste a library item into a common library, because common libraries cannot be modified. However,
you can create a common library.
• When you paste a library item onto the Stage, the item is centered.
• If you paste a folder, each item in the folder is included.
• To paste a library item into a folder in the destination library, click the folder before pasting.
• You can paste a library item into a different location in the same library where it originated.
• If you attempt to paste a library item into a location containing another item by the same name, select whether to
replace the existing item.
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More Help topics
“Work with common libraries” on page 161
Set preferences in Flash
You can set preferences for general application operations, editing operations, and clipboard operations.
The General category in the Preferences dialog box.
More Help topics
“Drawing preferences” on page 95
“Change the appearance of the Timeline” on page 20
“About the Timeline” on page 19
“Managing documents” on page 39
“Embed fonts for consistent text appearance” on page 282
“Pen tool preferences” on page 107
“Illustrator object import options” on page 78
“Photoshop file importer preferences” on page 87
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Set preferences
1 Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Flash > Preferences (Macintosh).
2 Make a selection in the Category list and select from the respective options.
Set General preferences
On Launch Specify which document opens when you start the application.
Document- or Object-level undo Document-level undo maintains a single list of all your actions for the entire Flash
Pro document. Object-level undo maintains separate lists of your actions for each object in your document. Objectlevel lets you undo an action on one object without having to also undo actions on other objects that might have been
modified more recently than the target object.
Undo levels To set the number of undo or redo levels, enter a value from 2 to 300. Undo levels require memory; the
more undo levels you use, the more system memory is consumed. The default is 100.
Workspace To open a new document tab in the application window when you select Control > Test Movie > Test,
select Open Test Movie In Tabs. The default is to open the test movie in its own window. To have panels in icon mode
auto collapse when you click outside them, select Auto-Collapse Icon Panels.
Selection To control how multiple elements are selected, select or deselect Shift Select. When Shift Select is off,
clicking additional elements adds them to the current selection. When Shift Select is on, clicking additional elements
deselects other elements unless you hold down the Shift key.
Show Tooltips Shows tooltips when the pointer pauses over a control. To hide the tooltips, deselect this option.
Contact Sensitive Selects objects when any part of them is included in the marquee rectangle when dragging with the
Selection or Lasso tools. The default is that objects are only selected when the tool’s marquee rectangle completely
surrounds the object.
Show axes for 3D Displays an overlay of the X, Y, and Z axes on all 3D movie clips. This makes them easier to identify
on the Stage.
Timeline To use span-based selection in the Timeline, rather than the default frame-based selection, select Span Based
Selection.
Named Anchor On Scene Make the first frame of each scene in a document a named anchor. Named anchors let you
use the Forward and Back buttons in a browser to jump from scene to scene.
Highlight Color To use the current layer’s outline color, select a color from the panel, or select Use Layer Color.
Printing (Windows only) To disable PostScript® output when printing to a PostScript printer, select Disable PostScript.
By default, this option is deselected. Select this option if you have problems printing to a PostScript printer; however,
this option slows down printing.
Auto-Recovery (CS5.5 only) When enabled (the default setting), this setting saves a copy of each open file at the
specified time interval, in the same folder as the originals. If you have not saved the file yet, Flash saves the copies in
its Temp folder. The file names are the same as the originals, with “RECOVER_” added to the beginning of the file
name. If Flash Pro quits unexpectedly, a dialog box appears when you restart to allow you to open the auto-recover
file. When you exit Flash Pro normally, the auto-recover files are deleted.
Scale Content (CS5.5 only) Options for scaling content when resizing the Stage with the Document Properties dialog
box (Modify > Document). To keep objects aligned to the top left corner of the Stage, select Align Top Left. To resize
items in locked and hidden layers of the Timeline, select Include Locked and Hidden Layers.
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Set AutoFormat preferences for ActionScript
❖ Select any of the options. To see the effect of each selection, look in the Preview pane.
Clipboard preferences
The Clipboard preferences control how Flash handles bitmap images that are copied to the clipboard.
Color Depth (Windows only) Specifies the maximum color depth of image data copied to the clipboard. Higher depth
images are copied at the lower resolution. It is best to set this to the highest depth of the images you plan to work with
Type (Macintosh only) Specifies the maximum color depth of image data copied to the clipboard. Higher depth
images are copied at the lower resolution. It is best to set this to the highest depth of the images you plan to work with
Resolution Indicates the resolution to use for image data copied to the clipboard. It is best to set this to the highest
resolution of the images you plan to work with.
Size Limit (Windows only) To specify the amount of RAM that is used when placing a bitmap image on the Clipboard,
enter a kilobyte value in the Size Limit text field. Increase this value when working with large or high-resolution bitmap
images.
Set text preferences
• For Font Mapping Default, select a font to use when substituting missing fonts in documents you open in Flash Pro.
• For Vertical Text options, select Default Text Orientation (deselected by default).
• To reverse the default text display direction, select Right To Left Text Flow (deselected by default).
• To turn off kerning for vertical text, select No Kerning (deselected by default). Turning off kerning is useful to
improve spacing for some fonts that use kerning tables.
• For Input Method, select the appropriate language.
Set warning preferences
• To receive a warning when you try to save documents with content that is specific to the
Adobe® Flash® Professional CS5 authoring tool as a Flash CS5/5.5 file, select Warn On Save For Adobe Flash CS4
Compatibility (default).
• To receive a warning if the URL for a document changed since the last time you opened and edited it, select Warn
On URL Changes In Launch And Edit.
• To receive an alert when Flash Pro inserts frames in your document to accommodate audio or video files that you
import, select Warn On Inserting Frames When Importing Content.
• To receive an alert when selecting Default Encoding that could potentially lead to data loss or character corruption,
select Warn On Encoding Conflicts When Exporting ActionScript Files. (For example, if you create a file with
English, Japanese, and Korean characters and select Default Encoding on an English system, the Japanese and
Korean characters are corrupted.)
• To receive a warning when you attempt to edit a symbol with timeline effects applied to it, select Warn On
Conversion Of Effect Graphic Objects.
• To receive a warning when you create a site in which the local root folder overlaps with another site, select Warn
On Sites With Overlapped Root Folder.
• To receive a warning when you convert a symbol with a behavior attached to a symbol of a different type—for
example, when you convert a movie clip to a button—select Warn On Behavior Symbol Conversion.
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• To receive a warning when you convert a symbol to a symbol of a different type, select Warn On Symbol
Conversion.
• To receive a warning when Flash Pro converts a graphic object drawn in Object Drawing mode to a group, select
Warn On Automatically Converting From Drawing Object To Group.
• To display warnings on controls for features not supported by the Flash Player version that the current FLA file is
targeting in its publish settings, select Show Incompatibility Warnings On Feature Controls.
• Warn on Document Auto-Save and Auto-Recovery (Flash Pro CS5.5 only). If checked, Flash will remind you to
enable Auto-Save for any document that you have saved and then modified if it does not already have Auto-Save
enabled. This reminder occurs only once for each document.
Set Publish Cache preferences (CS5.5 only)
The Publish Cache stores fonts and MP3 sounds in order to speed up SWF file creation when you use the Publish or
Test Movie commands.
During a Flash session, the first time you create a SWF file from a FLA file, Flash Pro puts compressed copies of any
fonts and MP3 sounds you are using into the Publish Cache. During subsequent Test Movie or Publish operations, if
the fonts and sounds are unchanged in the FLA, the versions from the cache are used to create the SWF file.
Note: Only MP3 event sounds to which Flash is adding additional compression are added to the Publish Cache. Streaming
sounds are not added to the cache.
The Publish Cache preferences include these settings:
Enable Publish Cache Select this option to enable or disable the Publish Cache.
Disk cache size limit The maximum amount of disk space to use for the Publish Cache.
Memory cache size limit The maximum amount of RAM to use for the Publish Cache. When the cache exceeds this
amount, entries that have not been recently used are moved to disk.
Maximum size for memory cache entry The maximum size of an individual compressed font or MP3 sound that can
be added to the Publish Cache in RAM. Larger items are written to disk.
To clear the Publish Cache, choose Control > Clear Publish Cache or Control > Clear Publish Cache and Test Movie.
Restore all preferences to default settings
❖ Press and hold Control+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS) as you start Flash.
Keyboard shortcuts
View or print the current shortcut set
1 Select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows) or Flash > Keyboard Shortcuts (Macintosh).
2 Click the Export Set As HTML button
, which is the third button in the set of four at the top of the dialog box.
3 In the Save dialog box that appears, enter the name for the reference sheet, and select a location for saving the file.
4 Open the saved HTML file in your web browser.
5 (Optional) Print the HTML file from your browser for future reference.
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Create and modify custom keyboard shortcuts
You can create and modify keyboard shortcuts in Flash Pro.
Customize keyboard shortcuts
1 Select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows) or Flash > Keyboard Shortcuts (Macintosh).
The Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box appears.
2
Use the following options to add, delete, or edit keyboard shortcuts:
Current Set Lets you choose a set of predetermined shortcuts (listed at the top of the menu), or any custom set you’ve
defined.
Commands Lets you select a category of commands to edit (for example, menu commands). The command list
displays the commands associated with the category you selected from the Commands pop-up menu, along with the
assigned shortcuts. The Menu Commands category displays this list as a tree view that replicates the structure of the
menus. The other categories list the commands by name (such as Quit Application), in a flat list.
Shortcuts Displays all shortcuts assigned to the selected command.
Add Shortcut
Adds a new shortcut to the current command. To add a new blank line to the Shortcuts box, click this
button. To add a new keyboard shortcut for this command, enter a new key combination and click Change. Each
command can have two different keyboard shortcuts; if two shortcuts are already assigned to a command, the Add
Item button does nothing.
Remove Shortcut
Removes the selected shortcut from the list of shortcuts.
Press Key Displays the key combination you enter when you’re adding or changing a shortcut.
Change Adds the key combination shown in the Press Key box to the list of shortcuts, or changes the selected shortcut
to the specified key combination.
Duplicates the current set. Give the new set a name; the default name is the current set’s name with
the word copy appended to it.
Duplicate Set
Rename Set
Renames the current set.
Export Set As HTML
Saves the current set in an HTML table format for easy viewing and printing. Open the HTML
file in your browser and print the shortcuts for easy reference.
Delete Set
Deletes a set. You cannot delete the active set.
3 Click OK.
Remove a shortcut from a command
1 From the Commands pop-up menu, select a command category, select a command from the Commands list, and
select a shortcut.
2 Click Remove Shortcut
.
Add a shortcut to a command
1 From the Commands pop-up menu, select a command category and select a command.
2 Prepare to add a shortcut by doing one of the following:
• If fewer than two shortcuts are already assigned to the command, click Add Shortcut
in the Shortcuts box, and the insertion point moves to the Press Key box.
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• If two shortcuts are already assigned to the command, select one of them to be replaced by the new shortcut, and
click in the Press Key box.
3 Press a key combination.
Note: If a problem occurs with the key combination (for example, if the key combination is already assigned to another
command), an explanatory message appears just below the Shortcuts box and you may be unable to add or edit the
shortcut.
4 Click Change.
Edit an existing shortcut
1 From the Commands pop-up menu, select a command category, select a command from the Commands list, and
select a shortcut to change.
2 Click in the Press Key box, enter a new key combination, and click Change.
Note: If a problem occurs with the key combination (for example, if the key combination is already assigned to another
command), an explanatory message appears just below the Shortcuts box and you may be unable to add or edit the
shortcut.
Customize keyboard shortcut sets
To match the shortcuts you use in other applications, or to streamline your workflow, select keyboard shortcuts. By
default, Flash Pro uses built-in keyboard shortcuts designed for the application. You can also select a built-in keyboard
shortcut set from one of several graphics applications.
Select a keyboard shortcut set
1 Select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows) or Flash > Keyboard Shortcuts (Macintosh).
2 In the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box, select a shortcut set from the Current Set pop-up menu.
Create a keyboard shortcut set
1 Select a keyboard shortcut set and click the Duplicate Set button
.
2 Enter a name for the new shortcut set and click OK.
Rename a custom keyboard shortcut set
1 In the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box, select a shortcut set from the Current Set pop-up menu.
2 Click the Rename Set button
, enter a new name, and click OK.
Add or remove a keyboard shortcut
1 Select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows) or Flash > Keyboard Shortcuts (Macintosh) and select the set to
modify.
2 From the Commands pop-up menu, select a category to view shortcuts for the selected category.
3 In the Commands list, select the command for which you want to add or remove a shortcut. An explanation of the
selected command appears in the description area in the dialog box.
4 Do one of the following:
• To add a shortcut, click the Add Shortcut (+) button.
• To remove a shortcut, click the Remove Shortcut (-) button and proceed to step 6.
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5 If you are adding a shortcut, enter the new shortcut key combination in the Press Key box.
Note: To enter the key combination, press the keys on the keyboard. You do not need to spell out key names, such as
Control, Option, and so on.
6 Click Change.
7 Repeat this procedure to add or remove additional shortcuts, and click OK.
Delete a keyboard shortcut set
1 Select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows) or Flash > Keyboard Shortcuts (Macintosh). In the Keyboard
Shortcuts dialog box, click Delete Set
.
2 In the Delete Set dialog box, select a shortcut set and click Delete.
Note: You cannot delete the keyboard shortcut sets built into Flash Pro.
Working with ConnectNow
Adobe® ConnectNow provides you with a secure, personal online meeting room where you can meet and collaborate
with others via the web in real time. With ConnectNow, you can share and annotate your computer screen, send chat
messages, and communicate using integrated audio. You can also broadcast live video, share files, capture meeting
notes, and control an attendee's computer.
You can access ConnectNow directly from the application interface.
1 Choose File > Share My Screen.
2 In the Sign In to Adobe CS Live dialog box, enter your email address and password, and click Sign In. If you don’t
have an Adobe ID, click the Create Adobe ID button.
3 To share your screen, click the Share My Computer Screen button at the center of the ConnectNow application
window.
For complete instructions on using ConnectNow, see Adobe ConnectNow Help.
For a video tutorial about using ConnectNow, see Using ConnectNow to share your screen (7:12). (This
demonstration is in Dreamweaver.)
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Chapter 3: Managing documents
Working with Flash documents
About Flash files
In Flash Pro, you can work with a variety of file types, each of which has a separate purpose:
• FLA files, the primary files you work with in Flash Pro, contain the basic media, timeline, and script information
for a Flash Pro document. Media objects are the graphic, text, sound, and video objects that comprise the content
of your Flash Pro document. The Timeline is where you tell Flash Pro when specific media objects should appear
on the Stage. You can add ActionScript® code to Flash Pro documents to more finely control their behavior and to
make them respond to user interactions.
• Uncompressed XFL files are similar to FLA files. An XFL file, and the other associated files inside the same folder,
are simply the uncompressed equivalent of a FLA file. This format makes it easier for groups of users to work on
different elements of a flash project at the same time. For more information, see “Working with uncompressed XFL
files” on page 41.
• SWF files, the compiled versions of FLA files, are the files you display in a web page. When you publish your FLA
file, Flash Pro creates a SWF file.
The Flash Pro SWF file format is an open standard that other applications support. For more information about
Flash Pro file formats, see www.adobe.com/go/flashplayer.
• AS files are ActionScript files—you can use these to keep some or all of your ActionScript code outside of your FLA
files, which is helpful for code organization and for projects that have multiple people working on different parts
of the Flash Pro content.
• SWC files contain the reusable Flash Pro components. Each SWC file contains a compiled movie clip, ActionScript
code, and any other assets that the component requires.
• ASC files are files used to store ActionScript that will be executed on a computer running Flash Media Server. These
files provide the ability to implement server-side logic that works in conjunction with ActionScript in a SWF file.
• JSFL files are JavaScript files that you can use to add new functionality to the Flash Pro authoring tool.
The following additional videos and tutorials demonstrate working with Flash Pro. Some videos may show Flash Pro
CS3 or CS4, but are still applicable to Flash Pro CS5.
• Video: Understanding Flash file types (1:55)
• Video: Working with FLA files (CS3) (6:00)
• Tutorial: Creating your first Flash Professional CS5 document
• Video: Creating your first working, interactive FLA file (CS3) (7:51)
More Help topics
“About the Timeline” on page 19
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Working with other Adobe applications
Flash is designed to work with other Adobe® applications to enable a broad range of creative workflows. You can
import Illustrator® and Photoshop® files directly into Flash. You can also create video from Flash and edit it in Adobe®
Premiere® Pro or After Effects®, or import video from either of those applications into Flash. When publishing your
SWF files, you can use Dreamweaver® to embed the content in your web pages and launch Flash directly from within
Dreamweaver to edit the content.
More Help topics
“Working with Illustrator and Flash” on page 72
“Working with Photoshop and Flash” on page 81
“Working with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects” on page 322
“Edit a SWF file from Dreamweaver in Flash” on page 41
Opening XFL files
Beginning with Flash Professional CS5, XFL is the internal format of the FLA files you create. When you save a file in
Flash, the default format is FLA, but the internal format of the file is XFL.
Other Adobe® applications such as After Effects® can export files in XFL format. These files have the XFL file extension
instead of the FLA extension. InDesign® can export directly in FLA format, which internally is XFL. This allows you to
work on a project in After Effects or InDesign first and then continue working with it in Flash.
You can open and work with XFL files in Flash in the same way you would open an FLA file. When you open an XFL
file in Flash Pro, you can then save the file as a FLA file, or as an uncompressed XFL file.
The following video tutorials demonstrate exporting from InDesign and AfterEffects to Flash via XFL and FLA:
• Understanding Flash Integration (InDesign import) (5:10)
• Using InDesign Export to Flash (XFL) (6:22)
• Design and develop workflows (InDesign to Flash via XFL) (4:49)
• Flash Downunder – InDesign to Flash (28:38)
• Design workflows with Creative Suite 4 (InDesign, Illustrator, Flash) (3:34)
• Exporting from After Effects to Flash via XFL (2:43)
• Exporting XFL Format from After Effects to Flash (Tom Green, Layers Magazine)
To open an XFL file in Flash:
1 In another Adobe® application, such as InDesign or After Effects, export your work as an XFL file.
The application preserves all of the layers and objects of the original file in the XFL file.
2 In Flash Pro, choose File > Open and navigate to the XFL file. Click Open.
The XFL file opens in Flash in the same way as an FLA file. All of the layers of the original file appear in the Timeline
and the original objects appear in the Library panel.
You can now work with the file normally.
3 To save the file, choose File > Save.
Flash Pro prompts you to name the new FLA file in the Save As dialog box.
4 Type a name and save the FLA file.
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Working with uncompressed XFL files
Beginning with Flash Professional CS5, you can choose to work with your Flash files in uncompressed XFL format.
This format allows you to see each of the separate parts, or subfiles, that make up the Flash file. These parts include:
• An XML file that describes the Flash file as a whole.
• Separate XML files to describe each Library symbol.
• Additional XML files containing publish settings, mobile settings, and others.
• Folders containing external assets, such as bitmap files, used by the Flash file.
By working with uncompressed XFL format, you can allow each part of the Flash file to be worked on separately by
different people. You can also use a source control system to manage the changes made to each subfile within your
uncompressed XFL file. Together, these capabilities allow for much easier collaboration on larger projects with
multiple designers and developers.
Using live update with XFL files
With live update of editable assets for Uncompressed XFL Documents, you can edit any Library asset from an
uncompressed XFL document while the document is open in Flash. Your changes to the asset are reflected in Flash
when you finish editing the asset in another application.
To edit an asset from an uncompressed XFL document in another application:
1 Save a Flash document in Uncompressed XFL format.
2 In an appropriate editor, such as Photoshop, open the asset you want to edit from the LIBRARY folder of the
Uncompressed XFL Document.
3 Edit the asset and save your changes.
4 Return to Flash Pro.
The update to the asset is reflected in Flash immediately.
Edit a SWF file from Dreamweaver in Flash
If you have both Flash and Dreamweaver installed, you can select a SWF file in a Dreamweaver document and use
Flash to edit it. Flash does not edit the SWF file directly; it edits the source document (FLA file) and re-exports the
SWF file.
1 In Dreamweaver, open the Property inspector (Window > Properties).
2 In the Dreamweaver document, do one of the following:
• Click the SWF file placeholder to select it; then in the Property inspector click Edit.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the placeholder for the SWF file, and select Edit With Flash
from the context menu.
Dreamweaver switches the focus to Flash, and Flash attempts to locate the Flash authoring file (FLA) for the selected
SWF file. If Flash cannot locate the Flash authoring file, you are prompted to locate it.
Note: If the FLA file or SWF file is locked, check out the file in Dreamweaver.
3 In Flash, edit the FLA file. The Flash Document window indicates that you are modifying the file from within
Dreamweaver.
4 When you finish making edits, click Done.
Flash updates the FLA file, re-exports it as a SWF file, closes, and then returns the focus to the Dreamweaver document.
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Note: To update the SWF file and keep Flash open, in Flash select File > Update for Dreamweaver.
5 To view the updated file in the document, click Play in the Dreamweaver Property inspector or press F12 to preview
your page in a browser window.
Create mobile content with Adobe Device Central and Flash
1 Start Flash.
2 On the main Flash screen, select Create New > Flash File (Mobile).
Flash opens Adobe® Device Central and displays the New Document tab.
3 In Device Central, select a Player version and ActionScript version.
The Available Devices list on the left is updated. Devices that do not support the selected Player version and
ActionScript version are dimmed.
4 Select a content type.
The Available Devices list on the left is updated and shows the devices that support the content type (as well as the
Player version and ActionScript version) selected.
5 In the Available Devices list, select a single target device or multiple devices (or select a set or individual device in
the Device Sets list).
Device Central lists proposed document sizes based on the device or devices you selected (if the devices have different
display sizes). Depending on the design or content you are developing, you can create a separate mobile document for
each display size or try to find one size appropriate for all devices. When choosing the second approach, you may want
to use the smallest or largest suggested document size as a common denominator. You can even specify a custom size
at the bottom of the tab.
6 Click Create.
Flash starts up and creates a document with preset publish settings from Device Central, including the correct size for
the device (or group of devices) specified.
7 Add content to the new Flash document.
8 To test the document, select Control > Test Movie > Test.
The new document is displayed in the Device Central Emulator tab. If one or more devices were selected in the
Available Devices list in step 5, a new device set is created (named according to the FLA file) and listed in the Device
Sets panel. The device shown in the Emulator tab is listed in the Device Sets panel with a special icon . To test the
new Flash document on another device, double-click the name of a different device in the Device Sets or Available
Devices lists.
More Help topics
Using Device Central with Flash
Creating mobile content in Flash
Create a new document
You can create a new document or open a previously saved document in Flash Pro, and you can open a new window
as you work. You can set properties for new or existing documents.
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More Help topics
“Set preferences in Flash” on page 32
“Publishing and Exporting” on page 405
Create a new document
1 Select File > New.
2 On the General tab, select the type of Flash document you want to create.
3 Do one of the following:
• (CS5.5 only) Choose Height, Width, Frame Rate, and other settings on the right side of the dialog box.
• Choose settings for the document. See “Set properties for a new or existing document” on page 43.
Create a new document from a template
1 Select File > New.
2 Click the Templates tab.
3 Select a category from the Category list, select a document from the Category Items list, and click OK. You can
select standard templates that come with Flash Pro or a template you have already saved.
Open an existing document
1 Select File > Open.
2 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the file or enter the path to the file in the Go To box.
3 Click Open.
View a document when multiple documents are open
When you open multiple documents, tabs at the top of the Document window identify the open documents and let
you easily navigate among them. Tabs appear only when documents are maximized in the Document window.
❖ Click the tab of the document you want to view.
By default, tabs appear in the order in which the documents were created. You can drag the document tabs to change
their order.
Open a new window for the current document
❖ Select Window > Duplicate Window.
Set properties for a new or existing document
1 With the document open, select Modify > Document.
The Document Settings dialog box appears.
2 To set the Dimensions of the Stage do one of the following:
• To specify the Stage size in pixels, enter values in the Width and Height boxes. The minimum size is 1 x 1 pixels;
the maximum is 2880 x 2880 pixels.
• To match the Stage size to the exact amount of space used by the contents of the Stage, select the Match Contents
option.
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• To set the Stage size to the maximum available print area, select Match Printer. This area is determined by the paper
size minus the current margin selected in the Margins area of the Page Setup dialog box (Windows) or the Print
Margins dialog box (Macintosh).
• To set the Stage size to the default size, 550 x 400 pixels, select Match Default.
3 To adjust the position and orientation of 3D objects on the Stage to maintain their appearance relative to the edges
of the Stage, select Adjust 3D Perspective Angle to Preserve Current Stage Projection.
This option is only available if you change the Stage size.
4 (CS5.5 only) To automatically scale the contents of the stage relative to the change in Stage size, select Scale Content
With Stage.
This option is only available if you change the Stage size. You can choose whether to scale content in locked and hidden
layers in the Preferences. For more information, see “Set General preferences” on page 33.
5 To specify the unit of measure for rulers displayed in the work area, select an option from the Ruler Units menu.
(This setting also determines the units used in the Info panel.)
6 To set the background color of your document, click the Background Color swatch and select a color from the
palette.
7 For Frame Rate, enter the number of animation frames to appear every second.
For most computer-displayed animations, especially those playing from a website, 8 frames per second (fps) to 15 fps
is sufficient. When you change the frame rate, the new frame rate becomes the default for new documents.
8 (CS5.5 only) To automatically save the document at a specified time interval, select the Auto-Save option and
specify a number of minutes between saves.
9 Do one of the following:
• To apply the new settings to the current document only, click OK.
• To make the new settings the default properties for all new documents, click Make Default.
Change document properties using the Property inspector
1 Click in the work area outside the Stage to deselect all objects on the Stage. The document properties appear in the
Property inspector. To open the Property inspector, choose (Window > Properties).
2 (CS5.5 only) In the Publish section, choose a Flash Player version and an ActionScript version for your document.
To access additional Publish settings, click the Publish Settings button. For more information, see “Publish settings
(CS5)” on page 410.
3 In the Properties section, for FPS (frames per second), enter the number of animation frames to play each second.
4 To change the Stage size, enter values for the width and height of the Stage.
5 To select a background color for the Stage , click the color swatch next to the Stage property and select a color from
the palette.
6 To edit additional document properties, click the Edit button next to the Size properties. For more information on
all document properties, see “Set properties for a new or existing document” on page 43.
Add XMP metadata to a document
You can include Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) data such as title, author, description, copyright, and more in
your FLA files. XMP is a metadata format that certain other Adobe® applications can understand. The metadata is
viewable in Flash Pro and in Adobe® Bridge. For more information about XMP metadata, see Metadata and Keywords
in Bridge Help.
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Embedding metadata improves the ability of web-based search engines to return meaningful search results for Flash
Pro content. The search metadata is based on the XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) specifications and is stored in
the FLA file in a W3C-compliant format.
A file’s metadata contains information about the contents, copyright status, origin, and history of the file. In the File
Info dialog box, you can view and edit the metadata for the current file.
Depending on the selected file, the following types of metadata may appear:
Description Contains author, title, copyright, and other information.
IPTC Displays editable metadata. You can add captions to your files, as well as copyright information. IPTC Core is a
specification that was approved by the IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) in October 2004. It
differs from the older IPTC (IIM, legacy) in that new properties were added, some property names were changed, and
some properties were deleted.
Camera Data (Exif) Displays information assigned by digital cameras, including the camera settings used when the
image was taken.
Video Data Displays metadata for video files, including pixel aspect ratio, scene, and shot.
Audio Data Displays metadata for audio files, including artist, album, track number, and genre.
Mobile SWF Lists information about SWF files, including title, author, description, and copyright.
History Keeps a log of changes made to images with Photoshop.
Note: The History Log preference must be turned on in Photoshop for the log to be saved with the file’s metadata.
Version Cue Lists any Version Cue file-version information.
DICOM Displays information about images saved in the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM)
format.
To add metadata:
1 Choose File > File Info.
2 In the File Info dialog box that appears, enter the metadata that you want to include. You can add or remove
metadata in the FLA file at any time.
Save Flash documents
You can save a Flash Pro FLA document using its current name and location or using a different name or location.
When a document contains unsaved changes, an asterisk (*) appears after the document name in the document title
bar, the application title bar, and the document tab. When you save the document, the asterisk is removed.
Save a Flash document in the default FLA format
1 Do one of the following:
• To overwrite the current version on the disk, select File > Save.
• To save the document in a different location and/or with a different name, or to compress the document, select
File > Save As.
2 If you selected Save As, or if the document has never been saved before, enter the filename and location.
3 Click Save.
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Save a document in uncompressed XFL format
1 Choose File > Save As.
2 From the Save as Type menu, choose Flash CS5 or CS5.5 Uncompressed Document (*xfl).
3 Choose a name and location for the file and click Save.
Revert to the last saved version of a document
❖ Select File > Revert.
Save a document as a template
1 Select File > Save As Template.
2 In the Save As Template dialog box, enter a name for the template in the Name box.
3 Select a category from the Category pop-up menu, or enter a name to create a new category.
4 Enter a description of the template in the Description box (up to 255 characters), and click OK.
The description appears when the template is selected in the New Document dialog box.
To delete a saved template, navigate to one of the following folders and delete the template FLA file from the category
folder that contains it.
• Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\Flash
CS5\en_US\Configuration\Templates\
• Windows Vista and 7 - C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Adobe\Flash
CS5\\Configuration\Templates\
• Mac OS - /Users//Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash
CS5//Configuration/Templates/
Save a document as a Flash CS4 document
1 Select File > Save As.
2 Enter the filename and location.
3 Select Flash CS4 Document from the Format pop-up menu, and click Save.
Important: If an alert message indicates that content will be deleted if you save in Flash CS4 format, click Save As Flash
CS4 to continue. This might happen if your document contains features that are available only in Flash CS5. Flash Pro
does not preserve these features when you save the document in Flash CS4 format.
Save documents when quitting Flash
1 Select File > Exit (Windows) or Flash > Quit Flash (Macintosh).
2 If you have documents open with unsaved changes, Flash Pro prompts you to save or discard the changes for each
document.
• Click Yes to save the changes and close the document.
• Click No to close the document without saving the changes.
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Printing Flash documents
Print from Flash documents
To preview and edit your documents, print frames from Adobe® Flash® Professional CS5 documents, or specify frames
to be printable from Flash Player by a viewer.
When printing frames from a Flash Pro document, use the Print dialog box to specify the range of scenes or frames to
print and the number of copies. In Windows, the Page Setup dialog box specifies paper size, orientation, and various
print options—including margin settings and whether all frames are to be printed for each page. On the Macintosh,
these options are divided between the Page Setup and the Print Margins dialog boxes.
The Print and Page Setup dialog boxes are standard in either operating system, and their appearance depends on the
selected printer driver.
1 Select File > Page Setup (Windows) or File > Print Margins (Macintosh).
2 Set page margins. Select both Center options to print the frame in the center of the page.
3 In the Frames menu, select whether to print all frames in the document or only the first frame of each scene.
4 In the Layout menu, select from the following options:
Actual Size Prints the frame at full size. Enter a value for Scale to reduce or enlarge the printed frame.
Fit On One Page Reduces or enlarges each frame so it fills the print area of the page.
Storyboard Prints several thumbnails on one page. Select from Boxes, Grid, or Blank. Enter the number of thumbnails
per page in the Frames box. Set the space between the thumbnails in the Frame Margin box, and select Label Frames
to print the frame label as a thumbnail.
5 To print frames, select File > Print.
More Help topics
“Printing at runtime” on page 387
Use frame labels to disable printing
To choose not to print any of the frames in the main Timeline, label a frame as !#p to make the entire SWF file
nonprintable. Labeling a frame as !#p dims the Print command in the Flash Player context menu. You can also remove
the Flash Player context menu.
If you disable printing from Flash Player, the user can still use the browser Print command to print frames. Because
this command is a browser feature, you cannot use Flash Pro to control or disable it.
More Help topics
“Publishing overview” on page 405
Disable printing in the Flash Player context menu
1 Open or make active the Flash Pro document (FLA file) to publish.
2 Select the first keyframe in the main Timeline.
3 Select Window > Properties to view the Property inspector.
4 In the Property inspector, for Frame Label enter !#p to specify the frame as non-printing.
Specify only one !#p label to dim the Print command in the context menu.
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Note: You can also select a blank frame (rather than a keyframe) and label it #p.
Disable printing by removing the Flash Player context menu
1 Open or make active the Flash Pro document (FLA file) to publish.
2 Select File > Publish Settings.
3 Select the HTML tab and deselect Display Menu and click OK.
Specify a print area when printing frames
1 Open the Flash Pro document (FLA file) containing the frames you will set to print.
2 Select a frame that you have not specified to print with a #p frame label that is on the same layer as a frame that is
labeled with a #p.
To organize your work, select the next frame after a frame labeled #p.
3 Create a shape on the Stage the size of the desired print area. To use a frame’s bounding box, select a frame with
any object of the appropriate print area size.
4 Select the frame in the Timeline that contains the shape to use for the bounding box.
5 In the Property inspector (Window > Properties), enter #b for Frame Label to specify the selected shape as the
bounding box for the print area.
Only one #b frame label per Timeline is allowed. This option is the same as selecting the Movie bounding box option
with the Print action.
Change the printed background color
You can print the background color set in the Document Properties dialog box. Change the background color for only
the frames to be printed by placing a colored object on the lowest layer of the Timeline being printed.
1 Place a filled shape that covers the Stage on the lowest layer of the Timeline that will print.
2 Select the shape and select Modify > Document. Select a color for the printing background.
This action changes the entire document’s background color, including that of movie clips and loaded SWF files.
3 Do one of the following:
• To print that color as the document’s background, designate to print the frame in which you placed the shape.
• To maintain a different background color for non-printing frames, repeat steps 2 and 3. Then place the shape on
the lowest layer of the Timeline, in all the frames that are not designated to print.
Print from the Flash Player context menu
Use the Print command in the Flash Player context menu to print frames from any Flash Pro SWF file.
The context menu’s Print command cannot print transparency or color effects and cannot print frames from other
movie clips; for more advanced printing capabilities, use the PrintJob object or the print() function.
1 Open the document.
The command prints the frames labeled #p by using the Stage for the print area or the specified bounding box.
If you haven’t designated specific frames to print, all frames in the document main Timeline print.
2 Select File > Publish Preview > Default or press F12 to view your Flash Pro content in a browser.
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3 Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) in the Flash Pro content in the browser window to display the
Flash Player context menu.
4 Select Print from the Flash Player context menu to display the Print dialog box.
5 In Windows, select the print range to select which frames to print.
6 On the Macintosh, in the Print dialog box, select the pages to print.
7 Select other print options, according to your printer’s properties.
8 Click OK (Windows) or Print (Macintosh).
Note: Printing from the context menu does not interact with calls to the PrintJob object.
Working with Flash projects
Create projects
You can use the Flash Pro Project panel to manage multiple document files in a single project. Flash Pro projects allow
you to group multiple related files together when creating complex applications.
A Flash Pro project can contain any Flash Pro file or other file type, including FLA and SWF files from previous
versions of Flash.
You use the Project panel to create and manage projects. The panel displays the contents of a Flash Pro project in a
collapsible tree structure. The panel title bar displays the project name.
If certain types of project files are missing (not in the specified location), a dialog specifying which items are missing
will alert you to the missing files, and give you an opportunity to browse for their locations. Missing files are most
commonly external folders not inside the root project folder. All other files are automatically updated based on the
root project folder location.
When you publish a project, each FLA file in the Publish List (denoted by a check mark next to the FLA name) is
published with the publish profile specified for that file.
Only one project can be open at one time. If a project is open and you open or create another project, Flash Pro
automatically saves and closes the first project.
(Flash CS5.5 only) Upon creation of a project, Flash creates an AuthortimeSharedAssets.fla file within the project
folder. Library items you choose to share with other FLA files in the project are stored in this file. For information
about sharing library items, see “Sharing library assets at author-time” on page 166.
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A
C
D
E
B
F
The Project panel
A. Project menu B. Options menu C. Pin D. New folder E. New file F. Create class
More Help topics
“Using publish profiles (CS5)” on page 424
Create a project
1 From the Project menu select New Project.
2 Browse for a Root folder location.
3 Choose a name for your project. The default project name is the name of the root folder.
4 Do one of the following:
• CS5: From the ActionScript Version menu, choose the type of project you would like to create: ActionScript 3.0 or
ActionScript 2.0. Then click Create Project.
• CS5.5: If you want to create a new Flash document as part of the project, select the Create Default Document
checkbox. Then choose a Player and ActionScript version for the default document. If you plan to create classes
from templates, select the template version to use.
Flash Pro adds the project to the Project menu, and the Project Panel displays the contents of the root folder you
specified.
Flash reads the directory of the initial folder you chose. To change directories, create another project.
Create a Quick Project
The Project panel allows you to quickly create a project based on the currently open FLA file. When you create a Quick
Project, the project settings are determined automatically base on the folder location and ActionScript version of the
current FLA file.
❖ Select Quick Project from the Project menu.
Flash creates a project using the currently active FLA file as the default document. The Quick Project will be named
after the FLA file.
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To remove the Quick Project, delete it from the Project menu.
Multiple Quick Projects are allowed.
Note: Creating a Quick Project from a FLA file that resides in the root of another project changes the name of the other
project to the name of the FLA file, and sets the default document to the FLA file.
Open an existing project
1 Select Window > Other Panels > Project (CS5) or Window > Project (CS5.5) to open the Project panel.
2 Select Open Project from the Project pop-up menu in the Project panel.
3 Using the Browse For Folder dialog box, navigate into the folder containing the project and click OK.
Note: In Flash Pro CS5.5, you can open Flash Builder projects in the Flash Pro Project panel. The project must have been
assigned the Flash Professional nature within Flash Builder. Flash Builder can also import Flash Pro projects. If a project
is open in both aplications, changes made in one application automatically update in the other. You cannot open
Dreamweaver projects in the Flash Pro Project panel.
Close a project
❖ Select Close Project from the Panel Options menu.
Delete a project
1 Open the Project you want to delete.
2 From the Panel Options menu select Delete Project.
3 Select how to delete the project:
• Delete the currently active project from the Project panel.
• Delete the currently active project from the Project panel and all of the files stored in the project directory. This
deletes the entire directory of files.
Flash Pro removes the selected project from the Project panel.
Note: CS5.5 only - Deleting the project files from disk will prevent the project from being able to be opened in Flash
Builder.
Convert previous projects to the new project format
In versions of Flash Pro prior to CS4, projects used an XML file with the filename extension .flp—for example,
myProject.flp. To use projects created in previous versions of Flash, you must convert the old project to the new
format.
1 Select Window > Other Panels > Project (CS5) or Window > Project (CS5.5) to open the Project panel.
2 Select Open Project from the Project pop-up menu in the Project panel.
3 Using the Browse For Folder dialog box, navigate to the folder containing the FLP file, and click OK. This also
specifies that folder as the converted project’s root folder.
The contents of the specified folder will be displayed in the Project panel.
Videos and tutorials
The following resources provide additional detailed information about working with projects.
• Video: Flash Professional CS5.5 - Improved Project Workflows (11:42, Adobe TV)
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• Article: Working with the Project panel in Flash (Adobe.com)
Manage projects
Add a new file or folder to a project
The Project panel allows you to open, create, and remove project files and folders.
The Project panel filters files by filename extension. However, you can manually hide files by preceding the filename
with a special character, such as an underscore. To enable this feature, enter the special characters to filter in the “Hide
files or folders beginning with” section of the Panel Preferences (Options > Panel Preferences).
By default, the Project panel only shows Flash document types (FLA, SWF, SWC, AS, JSFL, ASC, MXML, TXT, XML),
but you can add custom types in the Settings tab of the Panel Preferences (Options > Panel Preferences).
The Project panel shows all files opened recently in the panel in the Recent Files folder at the top of the project tree.
Recent Files are sorted in the order they were opened. Only files opened with the Project panel appear in this list. To
disable/enable the recent files folder, toggle the Show Recent Files checkbox in the Settings Tab of the Panel
Preferences. You can also specify how many files are shown in the list.
To clear the Recent Files list, select Clear Recent Files from the Options menu, or right-click the Recent Files folder,
and select Clear Recent Files from the context menu. Clearing the recent files list does not remove the files from your
computer.
To add a new file or folder to a project:
1 In the Project panel, select the folder in which you want to create the new file or folder. If there is no selection, Flash
Pro creates the file or folder in the project root folder.
2 Click the New File or New Folder button at the bottom of the panel.
3 If you are adding a file, choose a name and a file type. Select the Open File After Creation checkbox to open the new
file in Flash. Then click Create File.
Note: If a file or folder with the name you’ve specified already exists, a dialog alerts you about the existing file or folder.
The new file appears in the Project panel file list.
Add an external folder to a project
The Project panel allows for the addition of folders external to the project root folder, referred to as locations. Folder
paths can be added (and shown or hidden) on a global basis, accessible to all projects, or per project. Locations act like
any other folder, and have all the same functionality as folders in the project root folder.
1 Open the Panel Preferences to set global locations, or the Project Properties to set locations for the current project.
2 Select the Locations tab.
3 To make locations visible in the project file list, select the “Specify additional source folders outside of the root
project folder” checkbox.
4 Click the “+” button.
5 Browse to the external folder you want to add.
6 Give the location a name.
Location names can be changed at any time in the Project Properties or Panel Preferences by selecting the desired
location and clicking on the Rename Location button.
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7 When you are finished adding locations, click OK to close the dialog. Location folders appear above all other folders
in the file list.
You cannot delete or remove a location in the operating system file browser. Remove them using the Locations tab in
the Project Properties or Panel Preferences.
Remove a file or folder from a project
1 Select the file or folder you want to remove from the file list.
2 Click the Delete icon in the far right of the panel icon tray, or press the Delete key.
You can also right-click on the file or folder and choose Delete from the context menu.
3 In the dialog box that appears, confirm your selection.
Flash Pro deletes the file from your hard drive completely. Deleting a file or directory cannot be undone. Deleting a
folder also removes its files and subdirectories.
Open a file from the Project panel in Flash
❖ Double-click the filename in the Project panel.
If the file is of a native file type (a type supported by the Flash Pro authoring tool), the file opens in Flash Pro. If the file
is a non-native file type, the file opens in the application used to create it.
Rename a project
1 Select the project name in the Project panel.
2 Select Rename Project from the Options pop-up menu.
3 Enter a new name and click OK.
Display only a single project subdirectory in the Project panel
When dealing with large projects, you can reduce clutter in the Project panel by only showing files in a specific
directory. This is called pinning the directory.
1 Select the directory you would like to pin.
2 Click the Pin Directory button.
The Pin Directory button changes to the Unpin Directory button, and the selected directory appears at the root of the
project listing.
To pin a different directory, un-pin the current pinned directory first.
Locations and the classes folder (and their subdirectories) can also be pinned. When a location or the classes folder (or
subfolder) is pinned, the classes folder is not visible.
Create ActionScript classes
The Project panel supports creating template-based ActionScript classes within an ActionScript package structure.
Use the Create Class button to add class files to specified packages. ActionScript 3.0 and ActionScript 2.0 templates are
supported. You specify the class templates to use in the Panel Preferences.
Use the Panel Preferences to specify options for classes. If you specify a folder in the Save Classes In text box in the
Classes tab of the Panel preferences, the Project panel shows that folder in the project directory with a <> symbol to
indicate that it is the default location for new classes. Flash Pro adds this folder to the class path when publishing via
the Project panel.
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This class path folder can reside in a subdirectory of your project folder, in a directory relative to your project folder,
or anywhere on your computer. You can set the class path globally in the Panel Preferences, or per project in the
Project Properties. By default, all class packages are stored in the root folder of your project.
The classes folder visibility can be toggled in the Project Panel Preferences > Settings tab.
To create an ActionScript class:
1 Click the Create Class button at the bottom of the Project panel.
2 Enter the package (directory) path of your class.
3 Select Bind Class to Library Symbol to create a movie clip in your library (in the same folder structure as your
package path). To bind to an existing movie clip, select a movie clip in the library, and select Use Selected Library
Symbol in the Create Class dialog box. Flash moves the movie clip to the appropriate location in the library, and
updates its symbol linkage to reflect the new class.
4 Select Declare Stage Instances to add variable declarations and import statements to the new class file to account
for all of the named instances on the timeline of the selected movie clip.
5 Select Open File After Creation to open your class file for editing after it is created.
6 Click Create Class.
The Project panel creates the class file based on the class template, and places it in the appropriate package directory,
creating directories if necessary.
Clicking the Create Class button does not overwrite class files. If the file exists, it does not create a new file. This can
be useful if you would like to bind an existing class to a movie clip, move the movie clip into the appropriate library
folder, and set the appropriate linkages.
Create class templates
The Project panel supports a simple template structure, used when creating class files. This system is composed of four
files. All the base files are located in the Flash Configuration folder, in the /Project/templates/ subdirectory.
The four files are:
1 boundClass_as2.as
2 boundClass_as3.as
3 standardClass_as2.as
4 standardClass_as3.as
Each of these template files has custom template tags that are replaced with dynamic data when a new class is created.
You can place these tags anywhere in your class template file.
The following are the tags included in each file:
• All classes:
%PACKAGE_NAME%
%CLASS_NAME%
%BASE_CLASS_NAME% (AS3 only)
• Bound class only:
%LINKAGE_ID%
%AUTO_IMPORTS%
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%AUTO_ELEMENTS%
To create a template file, you can either modify the template files, or create your own class template. To change the
default class templates, open the Panel Preferences and browse to the correct template file. Flash Pro then uses this
template file for all your projects.
The Project Properties dialog contains a similar tab that allows you to set template files on a per-project basis.
The templates specified in the Panel Preferences are only used when creating new projects. To change a template path
for a project, set it in the Project Properties. Template paths in the Project Properties and Panel Preferences must be
absolute paths. Relative paths are not supported.
Compiling FLA files
• To test, publish or export a project FLA file, right-click (Windows) or command-click (Macintosh) on any FLA file
in the project tree and select the appropriate action from the context menu.
• To test a project, click the Test Project button.
Flash compiles the FLA file specified as the project default document and opens the resulting SWF file. You can
change the default document at any time by right-clicking (Windows) or Command-clicking (Macintosh) on any
FLA file and choosing Make Default Document from the context menu.
The Project panel allows you to create a publish list. This is a list of FLA files that can be batch-compiled at any time.
• To add or remove files from the publish list, select the checkbox to the right of each FLA file in the project list.
• To publish the files in the publish list, click Publish Project in the Project panel Options menu.
If one of the FLA files has errors when compiling, the Project panel stops compiling the list and displays the error
in the Output panel.
Create Flash projects for use with Flex class files
In Flash Pro you can create skins and other visual elements for use in Flex/Flash Builder. You can also create
ActionScript code in Flex/Flash Builder but publish the resulting SWF file using Flash Pro. To support the use of Flex
class files in Flash Pro, the Project panel allows you to indicate the location of the Flex SDK.
To use Flex classes in Flash Pro, you must specify the location of the Flex SDK.
1 Create a project.
2 Select Project Properties from the Options pop-up menu.
3 Select the Paths tab, and enter the directory path or browse to the Flex SDK. For example: C:\Program Files\Adobe
FlexBuilder 3\sdks\3.0.0
4 Within the Paths tab, select the Source tab and add the path(s) to any folders containing ActionScript class files.
Click the Plus (+) button to enter a path, or the Browse button to select a folder containing class files. To delete a path,
select it and click the Minus (-) button.
5 Select the Library tab, and enter the path to SWC (Flash component) files or folders containing SWC files you want
to use
Click the Plus (+) button to enter a path, or the Browse button to select a folder containing SWC files. To delete an
SWC file or folder, select it and click the Minus (-) button.
6 Select the External Library tab, and enter the path to SWC (Flash component) files or folders containing SWC files
you want to load as runtime shared libraries.
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Click the Plus (+) button to enter a path or the Browse button to select a folder containing SWC files. To delete an SWC
file or folder, select it and click the Minus (-) button.
7 Click OK.
Videos and tutorials
The following resources provide additional detailed information about working with projects.
• Video: Flash Professional CS5.5 - Improved Project Workflows (11:42, Adobe TV)
• Article: Working with the Project panel in Flash (Adobe.com)
Find and Replace in Flash
About Find and Replace
The Find and Replace feature lets you do the following:
• Search for a text string, a font, a color, a symbol, a sound file, a video file, or an imported bitmap file.
• Replace the specified element with another element of the same type. Different options are available in the Find and
Replace dialog box depending on the type of specified element.
• Find and replace elements in the current document or the current scene.
• Search for the next occurrence or all occurrences of an element, and replace the current occurrence or all
occurrences.
Note: In a screen-based document, you can find and replace elements in the current document or the current screen, but
you can’t use scenes.
The Live Edit option lets you edit the specified element directly on the Stage. If you use Live Edit when searching for
a symbol, Flash Pro opens the symbol in edit-in-place mode.
The Find and Replace Log at the bottom of the Find and Replace dialog box shows the location, name, and type of the
elements for which you are searching.
Find and replace text
1 Select Edit > Find and Replace.
2 Select Text from the For pop-up menu.
3 In the Text box, enter the text to find.
4 In the Replace With Text box, enter the text to replace the existing text.
5 Select options for searching text:
Whole Word Searches for the specified text string as a whole word only, bounded on both sides by spaces, quotes, or
similar markers. When Whole Word is deselected, the specified text can be searched as part of a larger word. For
example, when Whole Word is deselected, a search for place will yield the words replace, placement, and so on.
Match Case Searches for text that exactly matches the case (uppercase or lowercase character formatting) of the
specified text when finding and replacing.
Regular Expressions Searches for text in regular expressions in ActionScript. An expression is any statement that Flash
Pro can evaluate that returns a value.
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Text Field Contents Searches the contents of a text field.
Frames/Layers/Parameters Searches frame labels, layer names, scene names, and component parameters.
Strings in ActionScript Searches strings (text between quotation marks) in ActionScript in the document or scene
(external ActionScript files are not searched).
ActionScript Searches all ActionScript, including code and strings.
6 To select the next occurrence of the specified text on the Stage and edit it in place, select Live Edit.
Note: Only the next occurrence is selected for live editing, even if you select Find All in step 7.
7 To find text, do one of the following:
• To find the next occurrence of the specified text, click Find Next.
• To find all occurrences of the specified text, click Find All.
8 To replace text, do one of the following:
• To replace the currently selected occurrence of the specified text, click Replace.
• To replace all occurrences of the specified text, click Replace All.
Find and replace fonts
1 Select Edit > Find and Replace.
2 Select Font from the For pop-up menu, then select from the following options:
• To search by font name, select Font Name and select a font from the pop-up menu or enter a font name in the box.
When Font Name is deselected, all fonts in the scene or document are searched.
• To search by font style, select Font Style and select a font style from the pop-up menu. When Font Style is
deselected, all font styles in the scene or document are searched.
• To search by font size, select Font Size and enter values for minimum and maximum font size to specify the range
of font sizes to be searched. When Font Size is deselected, all font sizes in the scene or document are searched.
• To replace the specified font with a different font name, select Font Name under Replace With and select a font
name from the pop-up menu or enter a name in the box. When Font Name is deselected under Replace with, the
current font name remains unchanged.
• To replace the specified font with a different font style, select Font Style under Replace With and select a font style
from the pop-up menu. When Font Style is deselected under Replace with, the current style of the specified font
remains unchanged.
• To replace the specified font with a different font size, select Font Size under Replace With and enter values for
minimum and maximum font size. When Font Size is deselected under Replace With, the current size of the
specified font remains unchanged.
3 To select the next occurrence of the specified font on the Stage and edit it in place, select Live Edit.
Note: Only the next occurrence is selected for live editing, even if you select Find All in step 4.
4 To find a font, do one of the following:
• To find the next occurrence of the specified font, click Find Next.
• To find all occurrences of the specified font, click Find All.
5 To replace a font, do one of the following:
• To replace the currently selected occurrence of the specified font, click Replace.
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• To replace all occurrences of the specified font, click Replace All.
Find and replace colors
You cannot find and replace colors in grouped objects.
Note: To find and replace colors in a GIF or JPEG file in a Flash Pro document, edit the file in an image-editing
application.
1 Select Edit > Find and Replace.
2 Select Color from the For pop-up menu.
3 To search for a color, click the Color control and do one of the following:
• Select a color swatch from the color pop-up window.
• Enter a hexadecimal color value in the Hex Edit box in the color pop-up window.
• Click the System Color Picker button and select a color from the system color picker.
• To make the eyedropper tool appear, drag from the Color control. Select any color on your screen.
4 To select a color to replace the specified color, click the Color control under Replace With and do one of the
following:
• Select a color swatch from the color pop-up window.
• Enter a hexadecimal color value in the Hex Edit box in the color pop-up window.
• Click the System Color Picker button and select a color from the system color picker.
• To make the eyedropper tool appear, drag from the Color control. Select any color on your screen.
5 To specify which occurrence of the color to find and replace, select the Fills, Strokes, or Text option or any
combination of those options.
6 To select the next occurrence of the specified color on the Stage and edit it in place, select Live Edit.
Note: Only the next occurrence is selected for live editing, even if you select Find All in the next step.
7 Find a color.
• To find the next occurrence of the specified color, click Find Next.
• To find all occurrences of the specified color, Click Find All.
8 Replace a color.
• To replace the currently selected occurrence of the specified color, click Replace.
• To replace all occurrences of the specified color, click Replace All.
Find and replace symbols
To find and replace symbols, search for a symbol by name. Replace a symbol with another symbol of any type—movie
clip, button, or graphic.
1 Select Edit > Find and Replace.
2 Select Symbol from the For pop-up menu.
3 For Name, select a name from the pop-up menu.
4 Under Replace With, for Name select a name from the pop-up menu.
5 To select the next occurrence of the specified symbol on the Stage and edit it in place, select Live Edit.
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Note: Only the next occurrence is selected for editing, even if you select Find All in the next step.
6 To find a symbol, do one of the following:
• To find the next occurrence of the specified symbol, click Find Next.
• To find all occurrences of the specified symbol, click Find All.
7 To replace a symbol, do one of the following:
• To replace the currently selected occurrence of the specified symbol, click Replace.
• To replace all occurrences of the specified symbol, click Replace All.
Find and replace sound, video, or bitmap files
1 Select Edit > Find and Replace.
2 Select Sound, Video, or Bitmap from the For pop-up menu.
3 For Name, enter a sound, video, or bitmap filename or select a name from the pop-up menu.
4 Under Replace With, for Name enter a sound, video, or bitmap filename or select a name from the pop-up menu.
5 To select the next occurrence of the specified sound, video, or bitmap on the Stage and edit it in place, select Live
Edit.
Note: Only the next occurrence is selected for editing, even if you select Find All in the next step.
6 Find a sound, video, or bitmap.
• To find the next occurrence of the specified sound, video, or bitmap, click Find Next.
• To find all occurrences of the specified sound, video, or bitmap, click Find All.
7 Replace a sound, video, or bitmap.
• To replace the currently selected occurrence of the specified sound, video, or bitmap, click Replace.
• To replace all occurrences of the specified sound, video, or bitmap, click Replace All.
Templates
About templates
Flash Pro templates provide you with easy-to-use starting points for common projects. The New File dialog box
provides a preview and description of each template. Templates are available in six categories:
• Advertising - these include common Stage sizes used in online ads.
• Animation - these include many common types of animations, including motion, highlighting, glow, and easing.
• Banners - includes common sizes and functionality used in website interfaces.
• Media Playback - includes photo albums and playback of several video dimensions and aspect ratios.
• Presentations - includes simple and more complex presentation styles.
• Sample Files - these provide examples of commonly used features in Flash Pro.
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A note about advertising templates
Advertising templates facilitate the creation of standard rich media types and sizes defined by the Interactive
Advertising Bureau (IAB) and accepted by the online advertising industry. For more information on IAB-endorsed ad
types, see the IAB site at IAB.net.
Test your ads for stability in various browser and platform combinations. Your ad application is considered stable if it
doesn’t cause error messages, browser crashes, or system crashes.
Work with webmasters and network administrators to create detailed test plans that include the tasks you expect your
audience to do within the ad. Example test plans are available at the IAB Rich Media testing section of IAB.net. Size
and file format requirements of ads can vary by vendor and website. Check with your vendor, ISP, or the IAB to learn
about these requirements that affect the ad’s design.
Use a template
1 Select File > New.
2 In the New File dialog box, click the Templates tab.
3 Select a template from one of the categories and click OK.
4 Add content to the FLA file that opens.
5 Save and publish the file.
Additional resources
For more information on authoring Flash Pro files for mobile devices, see the Adobe® Mobile Devices site at
www.adobe.com/go/devnet_devices.
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Chapter 4: Using imported artwork
Placing artwork into Flash
About importing artwork into Flash
Adobe® Flash® Professional CS5 can use artwork created in other applications. You can import vector graphics and
bitmaps in a variety of file formats. If you have QuickTime® 4 or later installed on your system, you can import
additional vector or bitmap file formats. You can import Adobe® FreeHand® files (version MX and earlier) and Adobe®
Fireworks® PNG files directly into Flash Pro, preserving attributes from those formats.
Graphic files that you import into Flash Pro must be at least 2 pixels x 2 pixels in size.
To load JPEG files into a Flash Pro SWF file during runtime, use the loadMovie action or method. For detailed
information, see loadMovie (MovieClip.loadMovie method) in ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference or Working with
movie clips in the ActionScript 3.0 Developer’s Guide.
Flash Pro imports vector graphics, bitmaps, and sequences of images as follows:
• When you import Adobe® Illustrator® and Adobe® Photoshop® files into Flash Pro, you can specify import options
that let you preserve most of your artwork's visual data, and the ability to maintain the editability of certain visual
attributes with the Flash Pro authoring environment.
• When you import vector images into Flash Pro from FreeHand, select options for preserving FreeHand layers,
pages, and text blocks.
• When you import PNG images from Fireworks, import files as editable objects to modify in Flash Pro, or as
flattened files to edit and update in Fireworks.
•
Select options for preserving images, text, and guides.
Note: If you import a PNG file from Fireworks by cutting and pasting, the file is converted to a bitmap.
• Vector images from SWF and Windows® Metafile Format (WMF) files that you import directly into a Flash Pro
document (instead of into a library) are imported as a group in the current layer.
• Bitmaps (scanned photographs, BMP files) that you import directly into a Flash Pro document are imported as
single objects in the current layer. Flash Pro preserves the transparency settings of imported bitmaps. Because
importing a bitmap can increase the file size of a SWF file, consider compressing imported bitmaps.
Note: Bitmap transparency might not be preserved when bitmaps are imported by dragging and dropping from an
application or desktop to Flash Pro. To preserve transparency, use the File > Import To Stage or Import To Library
command for importing.
• Any sequence of images (for example, a PICT or BMP sequence) that you import directly into a Flash Pro document
is imported as successive keyframes of the current layer.
More Help topics
“Imported bitmaps and Flash” on page 65
“Video” on page 309
“Sound” on page 299
“Set bitmap properties” on page 65
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Supported file formats for import
Note: For a complete list of every file format supported by Flash for import, export, or edit, see the Supported File Formats
TechNote.
Graphics formats
Flash Pro can import different vector or bitmap file formats depending on whether QuickTime 4 or later is installed
on your system. Using Flash Pro with QuickTime 4 installed is especially useful for collaborative projects in which
authors work on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. QuickTime 4 extends support for certain file formats
(including PICT, QuickTime Movie, and others) to both platforms.
You can import the following vector or bitmap file formats into Flash Pro 8 or later, regardless of whether QuickTime
4 is installed:
File type
Extension
Windows
Macintosh
Adobe Illustrator (version 10 or earlier)
.ai
•
•
Adobe Photoshop
.psd
•
•
AutoCAD® DXF
.dxf
•
•
Bitmap
.bmp
•
•
Enhanced Windows Metafile
.emf
•
FutureSplash Player
.spl
•
•
GIF and animated GIF
.gif
•
•
JPEG
.jpg
•
•
PNG
.png
•
•
Flash Player 6/7
.swf
•
•
Windows Metafile
.wmf
•
•
Adobe XML Graphic file
.fxg
•
•
You can import the following bitmap file formats into Flash Pro only if QuickTime 4 or later is installed:
File type
Extension
Windows
Macintosh
QuickTime Image
.qtif
•
•
TIFF
.tif
•
•
Sound formats
Flash can import the following audio formats:
File type
Extension
Windows
Macintosh
Adobe Soundbooth
.asnd
•
•
Wave
.wav
•
Audio Interchange File Format
.aiff
MP3
.mp3
•
•
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Flash can import the following audio formats only if QuickTime 4 or later is installed:
File type
Extension
Windows
Macintosh
Audio Interchange File Format
.aiff
•
•
Sound Designer II
.sd2
Sound-only QuickTime movies
.mov, .qt
•
•
Sun AU
.au
•
•
System 7 sounds
.snd
Wave
.wav
•
•
•
•
Video formats
Flash can import the following video formats:
File type
Extension
Windows
Macintosh
Video for Adobe Flash
.flv, .f4v
•
•
QuickTime Movie
.mov, .qt
•
•
Video for Windows
.avi
•
•
MPEG
.mpg, .m1v, .m2p, .m2t,
•
.m2ts, .mts, .tod, .mpe, .mpeg
•
MPEG-4
.mp4, .m4v, .avc
•
•
Digital Video
.dv, .dvi
•
•
3GPP/3GPP2 for Mobile Devices
.3gp, .3gpp, .3gp2, .3gpp2,
.3p2
•
•
Import artwork in Flash
Flash Pro lets you import artwork in various file formats either directly to the Stage, or to the library.
More Help topics
“Symbols, instances, and library assets” on page 150
Import a file into Flash
1 Do one of the following:
• To import a file directly into the current Flash Pro document, select File > Import > Import To Stage.
• To import a file into the library for the current Flash Pro document, select File > Import > Import To Library. (To
use a library item in a document, drag it onto the Stage. )
2 Select a file format from the Files Of Type (Windows) or Show (Macintosh) pop-up menu.
3 Navigate to the desired file and select it. If an imported file has multiple layers, Flash Pro might create new layers
(depending on the import file type). Any new layers appear in the Timeline.
4 Click Open.
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5 If the name of the file you are importing ends with a number and additional sequentially numbered files are in the
same folder, do one of the following:
• To import all the sequential files, click Yes.
• To import only the specified file, click No.
The following are examples of filenames that can be used as a sequence:
Frame001.gif, Frame002.gif, Frame003.gif
Bird 1, Bird 2, Bird 3
Walk-001.ai, Walk-002.ai, Walk-003.ai
Paste a bitmap from another application directly into the current Flash document
1 Copy the image in the other application.
2 In Flash Pro, select Edit > Paste In Center.
Importing FXG files
The FXG format allows Flash to exchange graphics with other Adobe applications such as Adobe Illustrator,
Fireworks, and Photoshop with all of the complex graphic information preserved. Flash allows you to import FXG files
(2.0 version only) as well as save selections of objects on the Stage or the entire Stage in FXG format. For more
information about FXG files, see “About FXG files” on page 457.
• To import an FXG file, choose File > Import > Import to Stage or Import to Library and select the FXG file you
want to open.
About AutoCAD DXF files
Flash Pro supports the AutoCAD® DXF format in AutoCAD 10.
DXF files do not support the standard system fonts. Flash Pro tries to map fonts appropriately, but the results can be
unpredictable, particularly for text alignment.
Because the DXF format does not support solid fills, filled areas are exported as outlines only. For this reason, the DXF
format is most appropriate for line drawings, such as floor plans and maps.
You can import two-dimensional DXF files into Flash Pro. Flash Pro does not support three-dimensional DXF files.
Although Flash Pro doesn’t support scaling in a DXF file, all imported DXF files produce 12-inch x 12-inch files that
you can scale using Modify > Transform > Scale. Also, Flash Pro supports only ASCII DXF files. If your DXF files are
binary, convert them to ASCII before importing them into Flash Pro.
Loading artwork with ActionScript
With ActionScript, you can load external image files or assets from the Library at runtime.
For information about working with images and assets in ActionScript, see the following article:
• Loading images and Library assets in Flash with ActionScript 3 (Adobe.com)
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Imported bitmaps and Flash
Work with imported bitmaps
When you import a bitmap into Flash Pro, you can modify that bitmap and use it in your Flash Pro document in a
variety of ways.
If a Flash Pro document displays an imported bitmap at a size larger than the original, the image may be distorted. To
be sure that images are displayed properly, preview imported bitmaps.
When you select a bitmap on the Stage, the Property inspector displays the bitmap’s symbol name and its pixel
dimensions and position on the Stage. Using the Property inspector, you can swap an instance of a bitmap—that is,
replace the instance with an instance of another bitmap in the current document.
The following video tutorial describes the use of bitmaps in Flash Pro:
• Working with bitmap graphics (0:56)
Display the Property inspector with bitmap properties
1 Select an instance of a bitmap on the Stage.
2 Select Window > Properties.
Replace an instance of a bitmap with an instance of another bitmap
1 Select a bitmap instance on the Stage.
2 Select Window > Properties, and click Swap.
3 Select a bitmap to replace the one currently assigned to the instance.
Set bitmap properties
You can apply anti-aliasing to an imported bitmap to smooth the edges in the image. You can also select a compression
option to reduce the bitmap file size and format the file for display on the web.
1 Select a bitmap in the Library panel and click the Properties button at the bottom of the Library panel.
2 Select Allow Smoothing. Smoothing improves the quality of bitmap images when they are scaled.
3 For Compression, select one of the following options:
Photo (JPEG) Compresses the image in JPEG format. To use the default compression quality specified for the imported
image, select Use Document Default Quality. To specify a new quality compression setting, deselect Use Document
Default Quality and enter a value between 1 and 100 in the Quality text field. (A higher setting preserves greater image
integrity but yields a larger file size.)
Lossless (PNG/GIF) Compresses the image with lossless compression, in which no data is discarded from the image.
Note: Use Photo compression for images with complex color or tonal variations, such as photographs or images with
gradient fills. Use lossless compression for images with simple shapes and relatively few colors.
4 To determine the results of the file compression, click Test. To determine if the selected compression setting is
acceptable, compare the original file size to the compressed file size.
5 Click OK.
Note: JPEG Quality settings that you select in the Publish Settings dialog box do not specify a quality setting for imported
JPEG files. Specify a quality setting for each imported JPEG file in the Bitmap Properties dialog box.
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Import a bitmap at runtime
To add bitmaps to a document at runtime, use the ActionScript® 2.0 or the ActionScript 3.0 BitmapData command.
To do so, specify a linkage identifier for the bitmap. For more information, see Assigning linkage to assets in the library
in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash or Exporting library symbols for ActionScript in the ActionScript 3.0
Developer’s Guide.
1 Select the bitmap in the Library panel.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select Linkage from the Panel menu in the upper-right corner of the panel.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the bitmap name in the Library panel, and select Properties
from the context menu.
If the Linkage properties aren’t visible in the Properties dialog box, click Advanced.
3 For Linkage, select Export For ActionScript.
4 Enter an identifier string in the text field, and click OK.
Apply a bitmap as a fill
To apply a bitmap as a fill to a graphic object, use the Color panel. Applying a bitmap as a fill tiles the bitmap to fill the
object. The Gradient Transform tool allows you to scale, rotate, or skew an image and its bitmap fill.
1 To apply the fill to existing artwork, select a graphic object or objects on the Stage.
2 Select Window > Color.
3 Select Bitmap from the pop-up menu in the upper right of the panel.
4 To use a larger preview window to display more bitmaps in the current document, click the arrow in the lower-right
corner to expand the Color panel.
5 Click a bitmap to select it.
The bitmap becomes the current fill color. If you selected artwork in step 1, the bitmap is applied as a fill to the artwork.
More Help topics
“Transform gradient and bitmap fills” on page 138
Edit a bitmap in an external editor
If you are editing a Fireworks PNG file imported as a flattened image, edit the PNG source file for the bitmap, when
available.
Note: You cannot edit bitmaps from Fireworks PNG files imported as editable objects in an external image editor.
If you have Fireworks 3 or later or another image-editing application installed on your system, you can start the
application from Flash Pro to edit an imported bitmap.
Edit a bitmap with Photoshop CS5 or later
Note: If you are using Flash Pro CS5.5, you need to use Photoshop CS5.1 to access this feature.
1 In the Library panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the bitmap’s icon and select Edit With
Photoshop CS5.
2 Perform the desired modifications to the file in Photoshop.
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3 In Photoshop, select File > Save. (Do not change the file name or format.)
4 Return to Flash Pro.
The file is automatically updated in Flash Pro.
Edit a bitmap with Fireworks 3 or later
1 In the Library panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the bitmap’s icon and select Edit With
Fireworks 3.
2 Specify whether to open the PNG source file or the bitmap file.
3 Perform the desired modifications to the file in Fireworks.
4 In Fireworks, select File > Update.
5 Return to Flash Pro.
The file is automatically updated in Flash Pro.
Edit a bitmap with another image-editing application
1 In the Library panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the bitmap’s icon, and select Edit With.
2 Select an image-editing application to open the bitmap file, and click OK.
3 Perform the desired modifications to the file in the image-editing application.
4 Save the file in the image-editing application.
The file is automatically updated in Flash Pro.
5 Return to Flash Pro to continue editing the document.
Break apart a bitmap and create a bitmap fill
Breaking apart a bitmap on the Stage separates the on-Stage image from its library item and converts it from a bitmap
instance to a shape. When you break apart a bitmap, you can modify the bitmap with the Flash Pro drawing and
painting tools. Using the Lasso tool with the Magic Wand modifier, you can select areas of the bitmap that contain the
same or similar colors.
To paint with a broken-apart bitmap, select the bitmap with the Eyedropper tool and apply the bitmap as a fill with the
Paint Bucket tool or another drawing tool.
Break a bitmap apart
1 Select a bitmap in the current scene.
2 Select Modify > Break Apart.
Change the fill of areas of a broken-apart bitmap
1 Select the Lasso tool, click the Magic Wand modifier, and set the following options:
• For Threshold, enter a value between 1 and 200 to define how closely the color of adjacent pixels must match to
be included in the selection. A higher number includes a broader range of colors. If you enter 0, only pixels of
the exact same color as the first pixel you click are selected.
• For Smoothing, select an option to define how much the edges of the selection are smoothed.
2 To select an area, click the bitmap. To add to the selection, continue clicking.
3 To fill the selected areas in the bitmap, select the fill to use from the Fill Color control.
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4 To apply the new fill, select the Paint Bucket tool and click anywhere in the selected area.
Convert a bitmap to a vector graphic
The Trace Bitmap command converts a bitmap into a vector graphic with editable, discrete areas of color. You
manipulate the image as a vector graphic, and you can reduce the file size.
When you convert a bitmap to a vector graphic, the vector graphic is no longer linked to the bitmap symbol in the
Library panel.
Note: If the imported bitmap contains complex shapes and many colors, the converted vector graphic might have a larger
file size than the original bitmap. To find a balance between file size and image quality, try a variety of settings in the
Trace Bitmap dialog box.
You can also break apart a bitmap to modify the image with Flash Pro drawing and painting tools.
1 Select a bitmap in the current scene.
2 Select Modify > Bitmap > Trace Bitmap.
3 Enter a Color Threshold value.
When two pixels are compared, if the difference in the RGB color values is less than the color threshold, the two
pixels are considered the same color. As you increase the threshold value, you decrease the number of colors.
4 For Minimum Area, enter a value to set the number of surrounding pixels to consider when assigning a color to a
pixel.
5 For Curve Fit, select an option to determine how smoothly outlines are drawn.
6 For Corner Threshold, select an option to determine whether sharp edges are retained or smoothed out.
To create a vector graphic that looks most like the original bitmap, enter the following values:
• Color Threshold: 10
• Minimum Area: 1 pixel
• Curve Fit: Pixels
• Corner Threshold: Many Corners
Use the Eyedropper tool to apply a bitmap fill
1 Select the Eyedropper tool and click the broken-apart bitmap on the Stage. The Eyedropper tool sets the bitmap to
be the current fill and changes the active tool to the Paint Bucket.
2 Do one of the following:
• To apply the bitmap as a fill, click an existing graphic object with the Paint Bucket tool.
• Select the Oval, Rectangle, or Pen tool, and draw a new object. The object is filled with the broken-apart bitmap.
To scale, rotate, or skew the bitmap fill, use the Free Transform tool.
More Help topics
“Adjust Stroke and Fill color” on page 136
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Working with Fireworks files in Flash
About imported Fireworks PNG files
You can import Adobe® Fireworks PNG files into Flash Pro as flattened images or as editable objects. When you import
a PNG file as a flattened image, the entire file (including any vector artwork) is rasterized, or converted to a bitmap
image. When you import a PNG file as editable objects, vector artwork in the file is preserved in vector format. Choose
to preserve placed bitmaps, text, filters (called effects in Fireworks), and guides in the PNG file when you import it as
editable objects.
About imported filters and blends from Fireworks PNG files
When you import Fireworks® PNG files, you can retain many of the filters and blending modes applied to objects in
Fireworks and continue to modify those filters and blends using Flash Pro.
Flash Pro only supports modifiable filters and blends for objects imported as text and movie clips. If an effect or blend
mode is not supported, Flash Pro rasterizes or ignores it when it is imported. To import a Fireworks PNG file that
contains filters or blends that Flash Pro does not support, rasterize the file during the import process. After this
operation, you cannot edit the file.
Fireworks effects supported in Flash
Flash Pro imports the following Fireworks effects as modifiable filters:
Fireworks effect
Flash Pro filter
Drop shadow
Drop shadow
Solid shadow
Drop shadow
Inner shadow
Drop shadow (with Inner shadow automatically selected)
Blur
Blur (where blurX = blurY=1)
Blur more
Blur (where blurX = blurY=1)
Gaussian blur
Blur
Adjust color brightness
Adjust color
Adjust color contrast
Adjust color
Fireworks blend modes supported in Flash
Flash Pro imports the following Fireworks blend modes as modifiable blends:
Fireworks blending mode
Flash Pro blending mode
Normal
Normal
Darken
Darken
Multiply
Multiply
Lighten
Lighten
Screen
Screen
Overlay
Overlay
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Fireworks blending mode
Flash Pro blending mode
Hard light
Hard light
Additive
Add
Difference
Difference
Invert
Invert
Alpha
Alpha
Erase
Erase
Flash Pro ignores all other blending modes imported from Fireworks. The blending modes that Flash Pro does not
support are Average, Negation, Exclusion, Soft Light, Subtractive, Fuzzy Light, Color Dodge, and Color Burn.
Importing text from Fireworks into Flash
When you import text from Fireworks into Flash Pro 8 or later, the text is imported with the default anti-alias setting
of the current document.
If you import the PNG file as a flattened image, you can start Fireworks from Flash Pro and edit the original PNG file
(with vector data).
When you import multiple PNG files in a batch, you select import settings one time. Flash Pro uses the same settings
for all files in the batch.
Note: To edit bitmap images in Flash Pro, convert the bitmap images to vector artwork or break apart the bitmap images.
1 Select File > Import > Import To Stage or Import To Library.
2 Select PNG Image from the Files Of Type (Windows) or Show (Macintosh) pop-up menu.
3 Navigate to a Fireworks PNG image and select it.
4 Click Open.
5 Select one of the following for Location:
Import All Page(s) into New Scene(s) Imports all pages in the PNG file as scenes within a movie clip, with all of their
frames and layers intact inside the movie clip symbol. A new layer is created that uses the name of the Fireworks PNG
file name. The first frame (page) of the PNG document is placed on a keyframe that starts at the last keyframe; all other
frames (pages) follow.
Import One Page into Current Layer Imports the selected page (identified in the Page Name pop-up menu) of the PNG
file into the current Flash Pro document in a single new layer as a movie clip. The contents of the selected page are
imported as a movie clip, with all of their original layer and frame structure intact. If the page movie clip has frames
inside it, each frame is a movie clip in itself.
Page Name Specifies the Fireworks page you want to import into the current scene.
6 Select one of the following for File Structure:
Import As Movie Clip And Retain Layers Imports the PNG file as a movie clip, with all of its frames and layers intact
inside the movie clip symbol.
Import Page(s) as New Layer(s) Imports the PNG file into the current Flash Pro document in a single new layer at the
top of the stacking order. The Fireworks layers are flattened into the single layer. The Fireworks frames are contained
in the new layer.
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7 For Objects, select one of the following:
Rasterize If Necessary To Maintain Appearance Preserves Fireworks fills, strokes, and effects in Flash Pro.
Keep All Paths Editable Keeps all objects as editable vector paths. Some Fireworks fills, strokes, and effects are lost on
import.
8 For Text, select one of the following:
Rasterize If Necessary To Maintain Appearance Preserves Fireworks fills, strokes, and effects in text imported into
Flash Pro.
Keep All Paths Editable Keeps all text editable. Some Fireworks fills, strokes, and effects are lost on import.
9 To flatten the PNG file into a single bitmap image, select Import As A Single Flattened Bitmap. When this option
is selected, all other options are dimmed.
10 Click OK.
More Help topics
“Edit a bitmap in an external editor” on page 66
“Break apart a bitmap and create a bitmap fill” on page 67
Working with Illustrator AI files in Flash
About Adobe Illustrator AI files
Flash Pro lets you import Adobe® Illustrator® AI files and preserves the majority of the editability and visual fidelity of
your artwork. The AI Importer also provides you with a great degree of control in determining how your Illustrator
artwork is imported into Flash Pro, letting you specify how to import specific objects into an AI file.
The Flash Pro AI Importer provides the following key features:
• Preserves editability of the most commonly used Illustrator effects as Flash Pro filters.
• Preserves editability of blend modes that Flash Pro and Illustrator have in common.
• Preserves the fidelity and editability of gradient fills.
• Maintains the appearance of RGB (red, green, blue) colors.
• Imports Illustrator Symbols as Flash Pro Symbols.
• Preserves the number and position of Bezier control points.
• Preserves the fidelity of clip masks.
• Preserves the fidelity of pattern strokes and fills.
• Preserves object transparency.
• Converts the AI file layers to individual Flash Pro layers, keyframes, or a single Flash Pro layer. You can also import
the AI file as a single bitmap image, in which case Flash Pro flattens (rasterizes) the file.
• Provides an improved copy-and-paste workflow between Illustrator and Flash Pro. A copy-and-paste dialog box
provides settings to apply to AI files being pasted onto the Flash Pro stage.
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The following video tutorials demonstrate working with Illustrator and Flash Pro. Some videos show the Flash Pro CS3
or CS4 workspace, but are still applicable to Flash Pro CS5.
• Exporting artboards to Flash (Illustrator import) (5:53)
• Design workflows with Creative Suite 4 (InDesign, Illustrator, Flash) (3:34)
• Using symbols effectively between Illustrator and Flash (CS3) (7:29)
• Using text effectively between Illustrator and Flash (CS3) (2:53)
Compatibility between Flash and Illustrator
Certain visual attributes can either not be accurately imported, or, after they are imported, lose their ability to be
further edited in the Flash Pro authoring environment. The AI Importer provides you with several options to import
and place artwork to best maintain its visual appearance and editability. However, certain visual attributes cannot be
preserved. Use the following guidelines to improve the appearance of AI files imported into Flash Pro:
• Flash Pro supports only the RGB color space, and not the CMYK color space, which is common in printing. Flash
Pro can convert CMYK images to RGB, however, colors are better preserved if you convert the colors to RGB in
Illustrator.
• To preserve the drop shadow, inner glow, outer glow, and Gaussian blur AI effects as editable Flash Pro filters, Flash
Pro imports the objects to which they are applied as a Flash Pro movie clip. If you attempt to import an object with
these attributes as something other than a movie clip, Flash Pro displays an incompatibility alert, and recommends
importing the object as a movie clip.
Working with Illustrator and Flash
You can move Illustrator artwork into the Flash editing environment or directly into Flash Player. You can copy and
paste artwork, save files in SWF format, or export artwork directly to Flash. In addition, Illustrator provides support
for Flash dynamic text and movie clip symbols. For a video on using Flash and Illustrator together, see
www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4099_xp.
You can also use Device Central to see how Illustrator artwork will appear in Flash Player on different handheld
devices.
Pasting Illustrator artwork
You can create graphically rich artwork in Illustrator and copy and paste it into Flash simply, quickly, and seamlessly.
When you paste Illustrator artwork into Flash, the following attributes are preserved:
• Paths and shapes
• Scalability
• Stroke weights
• Gradient definitions
• Text (including OpenType fonts)
• Linked images
• Symbols
• Blending modes
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In addition, Illustrator and Flash support pasted artwork in the following ways:
• When you select entire top-level layers in Illustrator artwork and paste them into Flash, the layers are preserved
along with their properties (visibility and locking).
• Non-RGB Illustrator colors (CMYK, grayscale, and custom) convert to RGB in Flash. RGB colors paste as expected.
• When you import or paste Illustrator artwork, you can use various options to preserve effects (such as drop shadow
on text) as Flash filters.
• Flash preserves Illustrator masks.
Exporting SWF files from Illustrator
From Illustrator, you can export SWF files that match the quality and compression of SWF files exported from Flash.
When you export, you can choose from a variety of presets to ensure optimal output, and you can specify how to
handle multiple artboards, symbols, layers, text, and masks. For example, you can specify whether Illustrator symbols
are exported as movie clips or graphics, or you can choose to create SWF symbols from Illustrator layers.
Importing Illustrator files into Flash
When you want to create complete layouts in Illustrator and then import them into Flash in one step, you can save
your artwork in the native Illustrator format (AI) and import it, with high fidelity, into Flash using the File > Import
To Stage or File > Import To Library commands in Flash.
If your Illustrator file contains multiple artboards, you select the artboard you want to import from the Import dialog
box in Flash, and specify settings for each layer in that artboard. All objects on the selected artboard import as a single
layer in Flash. If you import another artboard from that same AI file, the objects from that artboard import as a new
layer in Flash.
When you import Illustrator artwork as an AI, EPS, or PDF file, Flash preserves the same attributes as for pasted
Illustrator artwork. In addition, when an imported Illustrator file contains layers, you can import them in any of the
following ways:
• Convert Illustrator layers to Flash layers
• Convert Illustrator layers to Flash frames
• Convert all Illustrator layers to a single Flash layer
Symbol workflow
Symbol workflow in Illustrator is similar to symbol workflow in Flash.
Symbol creation When you create a symbol in Illustrator, the Symbol Options dialog box lets you name the symbol
and set options specific to Flash: movie clip symbol type (which is the default for Flash symbols), Flash registration
grid location, and 9-slice scaling guides. In addition, you can use many of the same symbol keyboard shortcuts in
Illustrator and Flash (such as F8 to create a symbol).
Isolation mode for symbol editing In Illustrator, double-click a symbol to open it in isolation mode for easier editing.
In isolation mode, only the symbol instance is editable—all other objects on the artboard are dimmed and unavailable.
After you exit isolation mode, the symbol in the Symbols panel, and all instances of that symbol are updated
accordingly. In Flash, symbol-editing mode and the Library panel work in a similar fashion.
Symbol properties and links Using the Symbols panel or the Control panel, you can easily assign names to symbol
instances, break links between instances and symbols, swap a symbol instance with another symbol, or create a copy
of the symbol. In Flash, the editing features in the Library panel work in a similar way.
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Static, dynamic, and input text objects
When you bring static text from Illustrator into Flash, Flash converts the text to outlines. In addition, you can set up
your text in Illustrator as dynamic text. Dynamic text enables you to edit text content programmatically in Flash, and
easily manage projects that require localization in multiple languages.
In Illustrator, you can specify individual text objects as static, dynamic, or input text. Dynamic text objects in
Illustrator and Flash have similar properties. For example, both use kerning that affects all characters in a text block
rather than individual characters, both anti-alias text the same way, and both can be linked to an external XML file
containing text.
About importing AI files to the Flash library
Importing an AI file into the library is similar to importing to the Stage, the difference being that the entire AI file is
encapsulated as a Flash Pro symbol. The content is imported into the library and organized by the layering and
grouping structure of the AI file.
When you import an AI file into the library, the root folder uses the name of the AI file. After the AI file is imported
into the library, you can change the name of the root folder, or move the layers out of the folder.
Note: The Library panel orders the contents of the imported AI file alphabetically. The hierarchical grouping and folder
structure remains the same, but the library reorders them alphabetically.
When converting AI layers to keyframes, the AI file is imported as a movie clip; converting the AI layers to Flash layers,
or as a single Flash layer, imports the AI file as a graphic symbol. The resulting movie clip or graphic symbol contains
all of the content of the AI file imported to its timeline, as if the content were imported to the Stage. Almost all movie
clips have a bitmap or other asset associated with them. To minimize confusion and naming conflicts, these assets are
stored in an Assets folder in the same folder as the movie clip.
Note: When you import to the library, the AI file's contents are imported to the movie clip's timeline, not the main Flash
Pro timeline.
The Library panel after importing an AI file
AI File Importer preferences
The Flash Preferences dialog box lets you set import preferences for AI files and the AI File Import dialog box. The
preferences you specifiy for importing AI files affect the options the AI Import dialog box is initially populated with
for the Illustrator object types.
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Note: To override the preferences specified for different layer types on an object by object basis, use the AI Import dialog
box. Select the layer, object, or group to change its import options, and specify the necessary options.
General Preferences that affect how the AI Importer will respond when importing AI files:
• Show Import Dialog Box Specifies that the AI File Import Dialog dialog box appears.
• Exclude Objects Outside Crop Area Excludes objects on the Illustrator canvas which fall outside the artboard or
crop area.
• Import Hidden Layers Specifies that hidden layers be imported by default.
Import Text As Lets you specify the following import preferences for text objects:
• Editable Text Specifies that imported Illustrator text is editable Flash Pro text. The appearance of the text may be
compromised to maintain the editability of the text.
• Vector Outlines Converts text to vector paths. Use this option to preserve the visual appearance of the text. Some
visual effects might be sacrificed—such as unsupported blend modes and filters—but visual attributes such as text on
a path are maintained if the text is imported as a movie clip. The text itself is no longer editable, but opacity and
compatible blend modes maintain their editability.
Note: To preserve the drop shadow, inner glow, outer glow, and Gaussian blur that AI effects applied to text as editable
Flash Pro filters, select Create Movie Clip Import to import the text as a movie clip.
• Bitmaps Rasterizes the text into a bitmap to preserve the exact appearance of the text as it was in Illustrator. If filters
or other effects are applied that are not compatible with Flash Pro, importing the text as a bitmap preserves the visual
appearance. Rasterized text is no longer editable.
• Create Movie Clips Specifies that text objects be imported inside a movie clip. To maintain supported blend modes,
AI effects, and transparency of less than 100% between Illustrator and Flash Pro, specify that the text object be
imported as a movie clip.
Import Paths As Lets you specify the following path import preferences:
• Editable Paths Creates an editable vector path. Supported blend modes, effects, and object transparency are
preserved, but attributes not supported in Flash Pro are discarded.
• Bitmaps Rasterizes the path into a bitmap to preserve the exact appearance of the path in Illustrator. A rasterized
image is no longer editable.
• Create Movie Clips Specifies that path objects be imported inside a movie clip.
Images Lets you specify the import preference for images:
• Flatten Bitmaps To Maintain Appearance Rasterizes the image into a bitmap to preserve the appearance of
blending modes and effects that are not supported in Flash Pro. A rasterized image is no longer editable.
• Create Movie Clips Specifies that images be imported inside a movie clip.
Groups Lets you specify the import preferences for groups:
• Import As Bitmaps Rasterizes the group into a bitmap to preserve the appearance of the objects as they appeared in
Illustrator. After a group is converted to a bitmap, the objects in it cannot be selected or renamed.
• Create Movie Clips Specifies that all objects in the group be encapsulated into a single movie clip.
Layers Lets you specify the import preferences for layers:
• Import As Bitmaps Rasterizes the layer into a bitmap to preserve the appearance of the objects as they appeared in
Illustrator.
• Create Movie Clips Specifies that the layer is encapsulated into a movie clip.
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Movie Clip Registration Specifies a global registration point for movies that are created. This setting applies to the
registration point for all object types. This option can be changed on an object by object basis in the AI File Import
dialog box; this is the initial setting for all object types. For more information on movie clip registration, see “Edit
symbols” on page 153.
More Help topics
“Set preferences in Flash” on page 32
Import Adobe Illustrator files
Flash Pro can import Illustrator AI files in version 10 or earlier. If the raster file in Illustrator is linked, only JPEG, GIF,
and PNG are imported with native format preserved. All other files are converted to PNG format in Flash Pro.
Additionally, conversion to PNG depends on the version of QuickTime installed.
Note: The AI Importer was developed to import AI files created with Illustrator CS3 and later. While there are no known
issues importing AI files created in earlier versions of Illustrator, we recommend importing AI files created using
Illustrator CS3 and later. If you encounter issues importing AI files created in an earlier version of Illustrator, open the
file in Illustrator CS3 or later, save the AI file as a CS3 or later compatible file, and re-import it into Flash Pro. To import
an Illustrator EPS or Adobe® Acrobat® PDF file, open the file in Illustrator CS3 or later, save it as a CS3 or later compatible
AI file, and import the resulting AI file into Flash Pro.
For video tutorials about working with Illustrator and Flash Pro, see:
• Importing Illustrator files: www.adobe.com/go/vid0197
• Using symbols between Illustrator and Flash Pro: www.adobe.com/go/vid0198
• Using text between Illustrator and Flash Pro: www.adobe.com/go/vid0199
In certain instances, you may need to ungroup all the Illustrator objects on all layers when Flash Pro cannot group
items on import. After all the objects are ungrouped, they can be manipulated like any other Flash Pro object.
A
B
Illustrator AI Import dialog box
A. Layers panel B. Import options available for the selected object
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Choose from the following options when importing Adobe Illustrator files:
• Convert layers to Flash Pro layers or keyframes, or single Flash Pro layers.
• Import text as editable text, vector outlines, or bitmaps.
• Import as a single bitmap image. Choosing this option imports the AI file as a single bitmap image and disables the
layers list and import options within the AI Import dialog box.
1 Select File > Import To Stage or Import To Library.
2 Navigate to the AI file to import, select it, and click OK. The Import Illustrator Document To Stage or The Import
Illustrator Document To Library dialog box appears.
This dialog box provides options to import the Illustrator file. Depending on the types of objects in the Illustrator file
you’re importing, the options available to you vary.
3 (Optional) To generate a list of items in the AI file that are incompatible with Flash Pro, click Incompatibility
Report. The Incompatibility Report button appears only if incompatibilities exist with Flash Pro in the AI file.
The incompatibilty report analyzes possible incompatibilities between Illustrator and Flash Pro. The Import Options
area (next to the Alert button) of the AI Import dialog box displays recommendations to obtain the maximum
compatibility for any incompatible item.
The incompatibilty report includes an Apply Recommended Import Settings checkbox. If checked, Flash Pro
automatically applies the recommended import options to any incompatible objects within the AI file. The exceptions
to this are when the AI document is larger in size than that supported by Flash Pro, and when the AI document uses
the CMYK color mode. To correct either of these incompatibilities, reopen the document in Illustrator CS3, and adjust
the size of the document, or change the color mode to RGB.
4 (Optional) In the AI Import dialog box, select layers, groups, and individual objects, and choose how to import each
item. For information on the import options available for the different types of Illustrator layers and objects, see
“Illustrator object import options” on page 78.
5 For Convert Layers To, select one of the following:
Flash Layers Converts each layer in the imported document to a layer in the Flash document.
Keyframes Converts each layer in the imported document to a keyframe in the Flash document.
Single Flash Layer Converts all layers in the imported document to a single flattened layer in the Flash Pro document.
6 For the remaining options, select from the following:
Place Objects At Original Position The contents of the AI file retain the exact position that they had in Illustrator. For
example, if an object was positioned at X = 100 Y = 50 in Illustrator, it assumes the same coordinates on the Flash Pro
Stage.
If this option is not selected, the imported Illustrator layers are centered within the current view. The items in the AI
file remain relative to each other when imported; however, all objects are centered as one block in the current view.
This feature can be useful if you are zoomed in to an area of the Stage and are importing a specific object for that area
of the Stage. If you imported the object using the original coordinates, you might not see it imported, because it might
be placed outside of the current stage view.
Note: When importing the AI file into the Flash Pro library, this option is not available.
Set Stage Size To Same Size As Illustrator Artboard The Flash Pro stage size resizes to the same size as the Illustrator
artboard (or active crop area) used to create the AI file. This option is not selected by default.
Note: When importing the AI file into the Flash Pro library, this option is not available.
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Import Unused Symbols Any symbols in the AI file’s library that have no instances on the artboard are imported into
the Flash Pro library. If this option is not selected, the unused symbols are not imported into Flash Pro.
Import As A Single Bitmap Image Imports the AI file as a single bitmap image and disables the layers list and import
options within the AI Import dialog box.
7 Click OK.
More Help topics
“Import Photoshop PSD files” on page 83
“Exporting images and graphics” on page 457
Illustrator object import options
Layers manage all the items that make up Illustrator artwork. By default, all items are organized in a single, parent
layer. You can import all items in a given parent layer as a single, flattened bitmap, or, individually select each object
and specify import options specific to the type of object it is (text, path, group, and so on). The AI Importer provides
options to select layers in the artwork you are importing and specify individual import options based on preserving
the visual appearance of an object, or its editability in Flash Pro.
Correcting incompatible graphic effects
1 To generate an incompatibilty report, click Incompatibility Report. The incompatibility report lists items in the AI
file that are incompatible with Flash Pro.
2 Select Change Import Settings To Resolve Object Incompatibilities. Many incompatibilities between Illustrator and
Flash Pro can be automatically corrected using the incompatibility report and the import recommendations
suggested in the Import options area of the AI Import dialog box.
Select individual objects
1 Select the object to specify import options for. Illustrator objects that you can select include layers, groups,
individual paths, text, and images.
2 Review the import options available for the type of object you’ve selected in the object options section of the dialog
box. Note whether any incompatibilities are listed and what the recommended correction is to import the object.
3 Select the desired import options, and select another object to specify import options for, or click OK.
Selecting layers
The Layers panel lists the objects in a document. By default, every Illustrator document contains at least one layer, and
each object in a given file is listed under that layer.
When an item in the Layers panel contains other items, a triangle appears to the left of the item’s name. To show or
hide the content, click the triangle. If no triangle appears, the layer contains no additional items.
Note: You can expand or collapse all groups and layers using the AI Importer context menu. Right-click to display the
context menu and select Expand All or Collapse All.
Selection column Controls whether items are selected for import or not. If an item is checked, you can select that layer
and specify import options; if Edit is not checked, the layer is dimmed and you cannot specify any import setting for
the item in that layer.
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Object Type column An icon indicates what the Flash Pro object type located on that layer will be when imported and,
if visible, that the item is selected. The object types are:
• Text
• Path
• Group
• Movie clip
• Graphic symbol
• Image
Text import options
Flash Pro lets you import text as editable text, vector outlines, or a flattened bitmap. To maintain supported blend
modes, AI effects, and transparency of less than 100% between Illustrator and Flash Pro, import text as a movie clip.
Importing text as a movie clip preserves the editability of compatible visual effects.
Editable Text By default, Illustrator text imports as editable Flash Pro text. The appearance of the text can be
compromised to maintain the editability of the text.
Vector Outlines Converts text to vector paths. Use this option to preserve the visual appearance of the text. Some visual
effects might be sacrificed—such as unsupported blend modes and filters—but visual attributes such as text on a path
are maintained if the text is imported as a movie clip. The text itself is no longer editable, but opacity and compatible
blend modes maintain their editability.
Note: To preserve the drop shadow, inner glow, outer glow, and Gaussian blur that AI effects applied to text as editable
Flash Pro filters, select Create Movie Clip Import to import the text as a movie clip.
Bitmap Rasterizes the text into a bitmap to preserve the exact appearance of the text as it was in Illustrator. If filters or
other effects are applied that are not compatible with Flash Pro, importing the text as a bitmap preserves the visual
appearance. Rasterized text is no longer editable.
Path import options
A path is the line that results from drawing in Illustrator. A path is either open, like an arc, or closed, like a circle. For
an open path, the starting and ending anchor points for the path are called endpoints. Editable paths can be imported
into Flash Pro, however, if certain blend modes, filters, or other effects are applied to the path, those effects might not
be compatible with Flash Pro.
Bitmap Rasterizes the path into a bitmap to preserve the exact appearance of the path in Illustrator. A rasterized image
is no longer editable.
Editable Path Creates an editable vector path. Supported blend modes, effects, and object transparency are preserved,
but attributes not supported in Flash Pro are discarded.
Image import options
Bitmap images are the most common electronic medium for continuous-tone images, such as photographs or digital
paintings. Illustrator creates bitmap effects by using filters, effects, and graphic styles. While many of these effects are
compatible with Flash Pro, some might need to be flattened—or rasterized—to preserve their visual appearance.
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Note: If a raster file in Illustrator is linked, only JPEG, GIF, and PNG are imported with their native format preserved.
All other file types are converted to the PNG format in Flash Pro. Additionally, the conversion (to PNG) depends on the
version of QuickTime® installed on your computer.
Flatten Bitmap To Maintain Appearance Rasterizes the image into a bitmap to preserve the appearance of blending
modes and effects that are not supported in Flash Pro. A rasterized image is no longer editable.
Create Movie Clip Imports Illustrator images as movie clips.
Group import options
Groups are collections of graphic objects that are treated as a single unit. Grouping lets you move or transform a
number of objects without affecting their attributes or relative positions. For example, you might group the objects in
a logo design so that you can move and scale the logo as one unit. Groups can also be nested. That is, they can be
grouped in other objects or groups to form larger groups.
Groups appear as items in the Import panel. When an item such as a group contains other items, a triangle
appears to the left of the item’s name. Click the triangle to show or hide the contents of the group. If no triangle
appears, the item contains no additional items.
Import As Bitmap Rasterizes the group into a bitmap to preserve the appearance of the objects as they appeared in
Illustrator. After a group is converted to a bitmap, the objects in it cannot be selected or renamed.
Create Movie Clip Encapsulates all objects in the group into a single movie clip.
Copy and pasting between Illustrator and Flash
If you copy and paste (or drag-and-drop) artwork between Illustrator and Flash Pro, the Paste dialog box appears,
which provides import settings for the AI file being copied (or pasted).
Paste As Bitmap Flattens the file being copied into a single bitmap object.
Paste Using AI File Importer Preferences Imports the file using the AI file import setting specified in Flash Pro
Preferences (Edit > Preferences).
Apply Recommended Import Settings To Resolve Incompatibilities Enabled by default when Paste Using AI File
Importer Preferences is selected. Automatically fixes any incompatibilities detected in the AI file.
Maintain Layers Enabled by default when Paste Using AI File Importer Preferences is selected. Specifies that layers in
the AI file be converted to Flash Pro layers (the same as if you selected Convert To Flash Layers from the AI Import
dialog box). If deselected, all layers are flattened into a single layer.
Working with InDesign files in Flash
You can import InDesign artwork using the XFL file format exported from InDesign CS4, or the FLA file format
exported from InDesign CS5. For more information about the XFL file format, see “Opening XFL files” on page 40.
The following video tutorials demonstrate using the XFL and FLA formats to move content from InDesign to Flash Pro:
• How to import content from Adobe InDesign CS5 into Adobe Flash Professional CS5 (4:49, WonderHowTo.com,
exporting FLA format from InDesign for import to Flash Professional.)
• Understanding Flash Integration (5:10, Adobe TV, InDesign import.)
• Using InDesign Export to Flash (6:22, Adobe TV, Using XFL.)
• Design and develop workflows (4:49, Adobe TV, InDesign to Flash via XFL.)
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• Flash Downunder - InDesign to Flash (28:38, Adobe TV, Comprehensive overview in CS4.)
• Design workflows with Creative Suite 4 (3:34, Adobe TV, InDesign, Illustrator, Flash)
Working with Photoshop PSD files in Flash
Working with Photoshop and Flash
You can use Adobe® Photoshop® and Adobe® Flash® together to create visually compelling web-based applications,
animations, or interactive messaging elements. Photoshop lets you create still images and artwork, providing a high
degree of creative control. Flash lets you bring those still images together and incorporate them into interactive
Internet content.
The Photoshop drawing and selection tools provide you with a greater degree of creative control than the tools found
in Flash. If you have to create complex visual images, or retouch photographs for use in interactive presentations, use
Photoshop to create your artwork, and then import the finished images into Flash.
Importing still images into Flash
Flash can import still images in many formats, but you usually use the native Photoshop PSD format when importing
still images from Photoshop into Flash.
When importing a PSD file, Flash can preserve many of the attributes that were applied in Photoshop, and provides
options for maintaining the visual fidelity of the image and further modifying the image. When you import a PSD file
into Flash, you can choose whether to represent each Photoshop layer as a Flash layer, individual keyframes, or a single,
flattened image. You can also encapsulate the PSD file as a movie clip.
Exchanging QuickTime movies
You can exchange QuickTime video files between Photoshop and Flash. For example, you can render a QuickTime
movie directly from Photoshop, and then import it into Flash, converting it into an FLV (Flash Video) file, which can
be played in Flash® Player.
When you use Photoshop to modify video footage, you can paint nondestructively on its frames. When you save a
Photoshop file with a video layer, you are saving the edits that you made to the video layer, not edits to the footage itself.
Note: When you import a QuickTime video file from Photoshop to Flash, use the Import Video dialog box (File > Import
Video). Using the Photoshop PSD import feature to import video only imports the first frame of a video file.
You can also export Flash documents as QuickTime video, and import them into Photoshop where you can paint nondestructively on the video frames. For example, you can create an animated sequence in Flash, export the Flash
document as a QuickTime video, and then import the video into Photoshop.
Color
Flash works internally with colors in the RGB (red, green, blue) or HSB (hue, saturation, brightness) color space.
Although Flash can convert CMYK images to RGB, you should create Photoshop artwork in RGB. Before you import
CMYK artwork from Photoshop into Flash, convert the image to RGB in Photoshop.
More Help topics
“Import Photoshop PSD files” on page 83
“Export QuickTime” on page 460
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About importing Photoshop PSD files
Flash Pro lets you import Photoshop PSD files and preserves most of your artwork's data. The PSD Importer also lets
you control how your Photoshop artwork is imported into Flash Pro, letting you specify how to import specific objects
in a PSD file, as well as specifying that the PSD file be converted to a Flash Pro movie clip.
The Flash Pro PSD Importer provides the following key features:
• PSD files imported into Flash Pro maintain their color fidelity from Photoshop.
• Preserves editability of blend modes that both Flash Pro and Photoshop have in common.
• Smart Objects in the PSD file are rasterized, and imported into Flash Pro as bitmaps which preserves object
transparency.
• Converts the PSD file layers to individual Flash Pro layers or keyframes or imports the PSD file as a single bitmap
image, in which case Flash Pro flattens (rasterizes) the file.
• Drag-and-drop from Photoshop to Flash Pro invokes the PSD file importer, letting you choose how to import your
Photoshop artwork.
Videos and tutorials
The following videos and tutorials demonstrate working with Photoshop and Flash Pro. Some videos show the Flash
Pro CS3 or CS4 workspace, but are still applicable to Flash Pro CS5.
• Video: Import Photoshop files to Flash (CS3) (7:01)
• Video: Designing websites with Photoshop and Flash (CS3) (6:01)
• Blog: Want to create Photoshop apps with AIR, Flash, and AS3? (Daniel Koestler, Adobe)
Compatibility between Flash and Photoshop
Certain visual attributes can either not be accurately imported, or, after they are imported, lose their ability to be
further edited in the Flash Pro authoring environment. The PSD Importer provides you with several options to import
and place artwork to best maintain its visual appearance and editability. However, certain visual attributes cannot be
preserved. Use the following guidelines to improve the appearance of PSD files imported into Flash Pro:
• Flash Pro supports only the RGB color space, and not the CMYK color space, which is common in printing. Flash
Pro can convert CMYK images to RGB; however, colors are better preserved if you convert CMYK colors to RGB
in Photoshop.
• Flash Pro can import the following Photoshop blend modes, and maintain their editability: Normal, Darken,
Multiply, Lighten, Screen, Hard Light, Difference, and Overlay.
If you use a blend mode that Flash Pro does not support, you can rasterize the layer to maintain its visual
appearance, or remove the blend mode from the layer.
• Flash Pro cannot import Photoshop Smart Objects as editable objects. To preserve the visual attributes of Smart
Objects, they are rasterized and imported into Flash Pro as bitmaps.
• Flash Pro can only import the first frame of Photoshop Video layers.
• Image and Fill layers are always rasterized when imported into Flash Pro.
• PNG objects in Photoshop are converted to JPG files when imported into Flash Pro. Transparency in the original
PNG is preserved in the resulting JPG file.
• Photoshop does a better job of scaling bitmap images than Flash Pro. If you know that you plan to scale a bitmap
that is coming from Photoshop into Flash Pro, scale the bitmap in Photoshop before importing it into Flash Pro.
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• When importing objects containing transparent areas as flattened bitmaps, any objects on the layers behind the
transparent portion of the object will be visible through the transparent area—assuming the objects behind the
object containing transparency are also being imported. To prevent this, import only the transparent object as a
flattened bitmap.
To import multiple layers and maintain transparency without having any visible remnants of the layers behind the
transparency, import the PSD file using the Bitmap Image With Editable Layer Styles option. This will encapsulate
the imported objects as a movie clip, and use the movie clip's transparency. This is particularly useful if you need
to animate the different layers in Flash Pro.
Import Photoshop PSD files
Photoshop format (PSD) is the default Photoshop file format. Flash Pro can directly import PSD files and preserve
many Photoshop features, retaining the image quality and editability of the PSD file in Flash Pro. You can also flatten
PSD files when importing them, creating a single bitmap image file that retains the image’s visual effects but removes
the hierarchical layer information native to the PSD file format.
For a video tutorial about designing websites with Photoshop and Flash Pro, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0201.
A
B
The PSD Import dialog box
A. Layers in the PSD file being imported B. Import options available for the selected layer or object
1 Select File > Import To Stage or Import To Library.
2 Navigate to the Adobe Photoshop PSD file to import, select it, and click OK.
3 (Optional) In the PSD Import dialog box, select layers, groups, and individual objects and choose how to import
each item.
4 For Convert Layers To, select one of the following:
Flash Layers All selected layers in the Select Photoshop layers list are placed on their own layer. Each layer is labeled
with the name of the layer in the Photoshop file. The layers in Photoshop are objects on the individual layers. The
objects also have the name of the layer in Photoshop when put into the Library panel.
Keyframes All selected layers in the Select Photoshop layers list are placed in individual keyframes on a new layer. The
new layer is named for the Photoshop file (for example, myfile.psd). The layers in Photoshop become objects on the
individual keyframes. The objects also have the name of the layer in Photoshop when put into the Library panel.
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5 For the remaining options, select from the following:
Place Layers At Original Position The contents of the PSD file retain the exact position that they had in Photoshop. For
example, if an object was positioned at X = 100 Y = 50 in Photoshop, it assumes the same coordinates on the Flash Pro
Stage.
If this option is not selected, the imported Photoshop layers are centered on the Stage. The items in the PSD file remain
relative to each other when imported; however, all objects are centered as one block in the current view. This feature
can be useful if you are zoomed in to an area of the Stage and are importing a specific object for that area of the Stage.
If you imported the object using the original coordinates, you might not see it imported, because it might be placed
outside of the current stage view.
Note: When you import the PSD file to the Flash Pro library, this option is not available.
Set Stage Size To Same Size As Photoshop Canvas The Flash Pro Stage size resizes to the same size as the Photoshop
document size (or active crop area) used to create the PSD file. This option is not selected by default.
Note: When you import the PSD file to the Flash Pro library, this option is not available.
6 Click OK.
Importing PSD files to the Flash library
Importing a PSD file into the library is similar to importing to the Stage. When you import a PSD file into the library,
the root folder uses the name of the PSD file. After the PSD file is imported into the library, you can change the name
of the root folder, or move the layers out of the folder.
Note: The library orders the contents of the imported PSD file alphabetically. The hierarchical grouping and folder
structure remains the same, but the library reorders them alphabetically.
A movie clip is created that contains all of the content of the PSD file imported to its timeline, as if the content were
imported to the Stage. Almost all movie clips have a bitmap or other asset associated with them. To minimize
confusion and naming conflicts, these assets are stored in an Assets folder in the same folder as the movie clip.
Note: When you import to the library, the PSD file's contents are imported to the movie clip's timeline, not the main Flash
timeline.
Photoshop Import options
When you import a Photoshop PSD file that contains multiple layers, you can set the following options:
Layer Comp If the Photoshop file contains layer comps, you can specify which version of the image to import. A layer
comp is a snapshot of a state of the Photoshop Layers palette. Layer comps record three types of layer options, all of
which are imported into Flash Pro:
• Layer visibility: whether a layer is displayed or hidden.
• Layer position in the document.
• Layer appearance: whether a layer style is applied to the layer and the layer’s blending mode.
If no layer comps are present, this pop-up menu is hidden. Flash Pro supports all aspects of the layer comp’s fidelity,
including visibility, position, and layer style.
Select Photoshop Layers Lists all layers, groups, and layer effects in an image. To select which layers to import, use the
options to the left of the layer’s thumbnail. By default, all layers visible in Photoshop are checked and invisible layers
are not checked.
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Note: Adjustment layers do not have a compatible layer type in Flash Pro. For this reason, when importing as a flattened
bitmap, the visual effect of the adjustment layer is applied to maintain the appearance of the Photoshop layer being
imported. If you’ve selected other import options, the adjustment layers will not be applied.
Merge Layers Merge (or collapse) two or more layers into a single bitmap, and then import the resulting single bitmap
object rather than individual objects. You can only merge layers that are on the same level and the selection must be
contiguous. For example, you cannot select an item inside a folder and an item outside a folder and merge them.
Instead, select the folder and the item outside the folder to merge them. You cannot Control-click individual items that
are out of sequence and merge them.
Note: If you select a merged bitmap object, the Merge Layers button changes to the Separate button. To separate any
merged bitmap objects you create, select the resulting single bitmap, and click the Separate button.
Importing text objects
Text objects are text layers in Photoshop. Choose how to import text into Flash Pro.
Editable Text Creates an editable text object from the text on the selected Photoshop layer. The appearance of the text
might be compromised to maintain the editability of the text. If you import the text as a movie clip, the movie clip
contains an editable text object.
Note: When importing editable text into the library, it must be inside a movie clip. Only movie clips, bitmaps, and graphic
symbols can be stored in the library. When Editable Text is selected as an option for a text layer being imported into the
library, it is automatically imported as a graphic symbol.
Vector Outlines Converts text to vector paths to preserve the visual appearance of the text. The text itself is no longer
editable, but opacity and compatible blend mode maintain their editability. If this option is selected, the object must
be converted to a movie clip.
Flattened Bitmap Image Rasterizes the text into a bitmap to preserve the exact appearance of the text layer in
Photoshop. Rasterized text is no longer editable.
Note: When importing text on a path you must import it as a flattened bitmap image to preserve the visual fidelity of the
object.
Importing shape objects
A Shape Layer object is an object that was originally a shape layer in Photoshop or an image layer with a vector clipping
mask on it.
Editable Paths And Layer Styles Creates an editable vector shape with a bitmap clipped inside the vector. Supported
blend modes, filters, and opacity are maintained. Unsupported blend modes that cannot be reproduced in Flash Pro
are removed. The object must be converted to a movie clip.
Flattened Bitmap Image Rasterizes the shape into a bitmap to preserve the exact appearance of the shape layer in
Photoshop. A rasterized image is no longer editable.
Importing image or fill layers
If the image or fill layer is associated with a vector mask, it is treated as a shape layer object.
Bitmap Image With Editable Layer Styles Creates a movie clip with a bitmap inside. Supported blend modes, filters,
and opacity are maintained. Unsupported blend modes that cannot be reproduced in Flash Pro are removed. The
object must be converted to a movie clip.
Flattened Bitmap Image Rasterizes the image into a bitmap to preserve the exact appearance of the image or fill layer
in Photoshop.
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Importing merged bitmap objects and objects in a merged bitmap
A merged bitmap is an object that contains more than one Photoshop layer that is flattened (or merged) into a single
bitmap when imported into Flash Pro. Objects in a merged bitmap represent layers in Photoshop. To create a merged
bitmap, select two or more layers, and select the Merge Layers button.
Importing multiple objects of different types
If you import multiple objects of different types, Flash Pro only lets you import the selected objects with the import
options they share in common, such as Create Movie Clip and Registration.
Importing multiple objects of the same type
If you import multiple objects of the same type, the import options displayed are the same as if a single object of that
type was selected. If the objects do not share the same attributes, the import options displayed are in an indeterminate
state, and your results may not be as expected.
Importing a Group folder
When you import a group folder, you can import it as a movie clip, or place each layer in the group on its own layer
or keyframe on the timeline.
If you select Import As Movie Clip, each layer in the group folder is placed on a layer in a movie clip, which is then
placed on its own layer or keyframe on the timeline. The movie clip uses the same name as that group folder had in
Photoshop, and if you import the movie clip to a Flash Pro layer, the layer uses the same name.
If you do not place the group in a movie clip, each layer is converted to the type that is currently set for it, and each
layer in the group is imported to its own Flash Pro layer. The Flash Pro layers are named for the individual layers in
the PSD file.
Importing and merging layers
The PSD Importer lets you merge two or more layers into a merged bitmap that is imported as a single bitmap file
rather than individual objects.
The layers you select to create a merged bitmap must be a continuous range of two or more layers at the same level.
For example, you cannot select one layer inside a group and a layer outside that group, and merge them. Instead, you
must select the entire group and the separate layer.
Setting publish options
The publish settings in the PSD Importer let you specify the degree of compression and document quality to apply to
the image when publishing the Flash Pro document as a SWF file. These settings take effect only when you publish the
document as a SWF file and have no effect on the image when you import it to the Flash Pro Stage or library.
Compression Lets you choose either lossy or lossless compression formats:
• Lossy Lossy (JPEG) compresses the image in JPEG format. To use the default compression quality specified for the
imported image, select Use Publish Setting. To specify a new quality compression setting, select the Custom option
and enter a value between 1 and 100 in the Quality text field. (A higher setting preserves greater image integrity but
yields a larger file size.)
• Lossless Lossless (PNG/GIF) compresses the image with lossless compression, in which no data is discarded from
the image.
Note: Use lossy compression for images with complex color or tonal variations, such as photographs or images with
gradient fills. Use lossless compression for images with simple shapes and relatively few colors.
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Calculate Bitmap Size Determines the number of bitmaps that are created for a given layer based on your import
selections and the compressed size in kilobytes of the resulting bitmaps on the layer. For example, if you select a layer
with a drop shadow and a blur and maintain layer styles, the Calculate Bitmap Size information states that three
bitmaps will result from the import—one for each filter effect and another for the image itself. To calculate the size of
all the bitmaps to be imported, select all of the layers and click Calculate Bitmap Size.
Photoshop file importer preferences
The Flash Preferences dialog box lets you set import preferences for Photoshop PSD files. The preferences you specify
for importing PSD files affect the options the PSD Import dialog box is initially populated with for the Photoshop layer
types.
Note: To override the preferences specified for different layer types on an object by object basis, use the PSD Import dialog
box. Select the layer to change import options for, and specify the necessary options.
More Help topics
“Set preferences in Flash” on page 32
Import Image Layers Preferences
These options specify how the import options for image layers will initially be set. You can import image layers as any
of the following:
Bitmap Images With Editable Layer Styles Creates a movie clip with a bitmap nested inside. Specifying this option
maintains supported blend modes and opacity, but other visual attributes that cannot be reproduced in Flash will be
removed. If this option is selected, the object must be converted into a movie clip.
Flattened Bitmap Images Rasterizes any text into a flattened bitmap image to maintain the exact appearance the text
layer had in Photoshop.
Create Movie Clips Specifies that the image layers be converted to movie clips when imported into Flash. This option
can be changed in the PSD Import dialog box on a layer by layer basis if you do not want all of the image layers to be
converted to movie clips.
Text layer import preferences
These options specify how the import options for text layers will initially be set.
Editable Text Creates an editable text object from the text on the Photoshop text layer. The appearance of the text will be
sacrificed to maintain the editability of the text. If this option is selected, the object must be converted into a movie clip.
Vector Outlines Vectorizes the text into paths. The appearance of the text may be altered, but visual attributes will be
maintained. If this option is selected, the object must be converted into a movie clip.
Flattened Bitmap Images Rasterize the text to maintain the exact appearance the text layer had in Photoshop.
Create Movie Clips Automatically converts the text layer to a movie clip when imported into Flash. This option can be
changed in the PSD Import dialog box on an object by object basis if you do not want all of the text layers to be
converted to movie clips. This option is required when either Editable Text or Vector Outlines is selected.
Shape layer import preferences
These options specify how the import options for shape layers will initially be set.
Editable Paths And Layer Styles This option will create an editable vector shape with a bitmap clipped inside the
vector shape. Supported blend modes and opacity will also be maintained with this option, but other visual attributes
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that cannot be reproduced in Flash will be sacrificed. If this option is selected, then the object must be converted into
a movie clip.
Flattened Bitmap Images This option will rasterize the shape and maintain the exact appearance the shape layer had
in Photoshop.
Create Movie Clips This option will set the shape layers to be converted to a movie clip when imported into Flash. This
option can be changed on an object by object basis if you do not want some shape layers to be converted to movie clips.
This option is disabled if the Maintain Editable Paths and Layers Styles checkbox is checked.
Layer group import preferences
This option specifies how the options for layer groups will initially be set.
Create Movie Clips Specifies that all groups be converted to a movie clip when imported into Flash. This can be
changed on an object by object basis if you do not want some layer groups to be movie clips.
Merged bitmap import preferences
This option specifies how the import options for merged bitmaps will initially be set.
Create Movie Clips This option will set the merged bitmaps to be converted to a movie clip when imported into Flash.
This option can be changed on an object by object basis if you do not want some merged bitmaps to be converted to
movie clips. This option is disabled if the Maintain Editable Paths And Layers Styles checkbox is checked.
Movie clip registration import preferences
Specifies a global registration point for movies that are created. This setting applies to the registration point for all
object types. This option can be changed on an object by object basis in the PSD Import dialog box; this is the initial
setting for all object types. For more information on movie clip registration, see “Edit symbols” on page 153.
Publish settings for imported images
The publish settings preferences for a FLA file let you specify the degree of compression and document quality to apply
to images when publishing the Flash Pro document as a SWF file. These settings take effect only when you publish the
document as a SWF file, and have no effect on the image when you import it to the Flash Pro stage or library.
Compression Lets you choose either lossy or lossless compression formats:
• Lossy Lossy (JPEG) compresses the image in JPEG format. To use the default compression quality specified for the
imported image, select Use Publish Setting. To specify a new quality compression setting, select the Custom option
and enter a value between 1 and 100 in the Quality text field. (A higher setting preserves greater image integrity but
yields a larger file size.)
• Lossless Lossless (PNG/GIF) compresses the image with lossless compression, in which no data is discarded from
the image.
Note: Use lossy compression for images with complex color or tonal variations, such as photographs or images with
gradient fills. Use lossless compression for images with simple shapes and relatively few colors.
Quality Lets you set a quality level for the comression.
• Use Publish Setting Applies the current JPEG Quality setting from the Publish Settings.
• Custom Lets you specify a separate specific quality setting.
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Chapter 5: Creating and Editing Artwork
Drawing in Flash
About drawing
The drawing tools in Adobe® Flash® Professional CS5 let you create and modify lines and shapes for the artwork in
your documents. The lines and shapes you create in Flash Pro are all lightweight vector graphics, which help keep your
FLA file size small.
Before you draw and paint in Flash Pro, it is important to understand how Flash Pro creates artwork, and how drawing,
painting, and modifying shapes can affect other shapes on the same layer.
The following video tutorials demonstrate how to use the drawing tools in Flash Pro. Some videos may show the Flash
Pro CS3 or CS4 workspace, but are still applicable to Flash Pro CS5.
• Using the drawing tools (1:55)
• Using the drawing tools (CS3) (5:03)
• Object and merge drawing (2:09)
Vector and bitmap graphics
Computers display graphics in either vector or bitmap format. Understanding the difference between the two formats
helps you work more efficiently. Using Flash Pro, you can create and animate compact vector graphics. Flash Pro also
imports and manipulates vector and bitmap graphics that were created in other applications.
Vector graphics
Vector graphics describe images by using lines and curves, called vectors, that also include color and position
properties. For example, the image of a leaf is described by points through which lines pass, creating the leaf’s outline.
The color of the leaf is determined by the color of the outline and the color of the area enclosed by the outline.
Lines in vector art.
When you edit a vector graphic, you modify the properties of the lines and curves that describe its shape. Move, resize,
reshape, and change the color of a vector graphic without changing the quality of its appearance. Vector graphics are
resolution independent; that is, they can be displayed on output devices of varying resolutions without losing any
quality.
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Bitmap graphics
Bitmap graphics describe images using colored dots, called pixels, arranged in a grid. For example, the image of a leaf
is described by the specific location and color value of each pixel in the grid, creating an image in much the same
manner as a mosaic.
Pixels in bitmap art.
When you edit a bitmap graphic, you modify pixels rather than lines and curves. Bitmap graphics are resolution
dependent, because the data describing the image is fixed to a grid of a particular size. Editing a bitmap graphic can
change the quality of its appearance. In particular, resizing a bitmap graphic can make the edges of the image ragged
as pixels are redistributed within the grid. Displaying a bitmap graphic on an output device that has a lower resolution
than the image itself also degrades its quality.
Paths
Whenever you draw a line or shape in Flash, you create a line called a path. A path is made up of one or more straight
or curved segments. The beginning and end of each segment is denoted by anchor points, which work like pins holding
a wire in place. A path can be closed (for example, a circle), or open, with distinct endpoints (for example, a wavy line).
You change the shape of a path by dragging its anchor points, the direction points at the end of direction lines that
appear at anchor points, or the path segment itself.
A
C
B
E
D
F
Components of a path
A. Selected (solid) endpoint B. Selected anchor point C. Unselected anchor point D. Curved path segment E. Direction point F. Direction line.
Paths can have two kinds of anchor points: corner points and smooth points. At a corner point, a path abruptly changes
direction. At a smooth point, path segments are connected as a continuous curve. You can draw a path using any
combination of corner and smooth points. If you draw the wrong type of point, you can always change it.
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A
B
C
Points on a path
A. Four corner points B. Four smooth points C. Combination of corner and smooth points.
A corner point can connect any two straight or curved segments, while a smooth point always connects two curved
segments.
A corner point can connect both straight segments and curved segments.
Note: Don’t confuse corner and smooth points with straight and curved segments.
A path outline is called a stroke. A color or gradient applied to an open or closed path interior area is called a fill. A
stroke can have weight (thickness), color, and a dash pattern. After you create a path or shape, you can change the
characteristics of its stroke and fill.
Direction lines and direction points
When you select an anchor point that connects curved segments (or select the segment itself), the anchor points of the
connecting segments display direction handles, which consist of direction lines that end in direction points. The angle
and length of the direction lines determine the shape and size of the curved segments. Moving the direction points
reshapes the curves. Direction lines don’t appear in the final output.
After selecting an anchor point (left), direction lines appear on any curved segments connected by the anchor point (right).
A smooth point always has two direction lines, which move together as a single, straight unit. When you move a
direction line on a smooth point, the curved segments on both sides of the point are adjusted simultaneously,
maintaining a continuous curve at that anchor point.
In comparison, a corner point can have two, one, or no direction lines, depending on whether it joins two, one, or no
curved segments, respectively. Corner point direction lines maintain the corner by using different angles. When you
move a direction line on a corner point, only the curve on the same side of the point as that direction line is adjusted.
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Adjusting direction lines on a smooth point (left) and a corner point (right).
Direction lines are always tangent to (perpendicular to the radius of) the curve at the anchor points. The angle of each
direction line determines the slope of the curve, and the length of each direction line determines the height, or depth,
of the curve.
Moving and resizing direction lines changes the slope of curves.
Drawing modes and graphic objects
In Flash Pro, you can create several different kinds of graphic objects by using different drawing modes and drawing
tools. Each kind has its own advantages and disadvantages. By understanding the capabilities of the different graphic
object types, you can make good decisions about which types of objects to use in your work.
Note: In Flash Pro, graphic objects are items on the Stage. Flash lets you move, copy, delete, transform, stack, align, and
group graphic objects. “Graphic objects” in Flash are different from “ActionScript objects,” which are part of the
ActionScript® programming language. Do not confuse the two uses of the term “objects.” For more information on objects
in the programming language, see About Data Types in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash, or Data types in the
ActionScript 3.0 Developer’s Guide.
The following video tutorials demonstrate the drawing modes in Flash Pro. Some videos show the Flash Pro CS3 or
CS4 workspace, but are still applicable to Flash Pro CS5.
• Object and merge drawing (2:09)
• Using the drawing tools (CS3) (5:03)
Merge Drawing mode
The default drawing mode automatically merges shapes that you draw when you overlap them. When you draw shapes
that overlap each other in the same layer, the top-most shape cuts away the part of the shape underneath it that it
overlaps. In this way, drawing shapes is a destructive drawing mode. For example, if you draw a circle and overlay a
smaller circle on top of it, and then select the smaller circle and move it, the portion of the second circle that overlaid
the first circle is removed.
When a shape has both a stroke and a fill, they are considered separate graphic elements that can be selected and moved
independently.
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Shapes created with the Merge Drawing mode merge together when they overlap. Selecting a shape and moving it results in the overlaid shape
being altered.
Enter Merge Drawing mode
1 Select the Merge Drawing option in the Tools panel.
2 Select a drawing tool from the Tools panel and draw on the Stage
Note: By default, Flash Pro uses the Merge Drawing mode.
Object Drawing mode
Creates shapes referred to as drawing objects. Drawing objects are separate graphic objects that do not automatically
merge together when overlaid. This lets you overlap shapes without altering their appearance if you move them apart,
or rearrange their appearance. Flash Pro creates each shape as a separate object that you can individually manipulate.
When a drawing tool is in Object Drawing mode, the shapes you create with it are self-contained. The stroke and fill
of a shape are not separate elements, and shapes that overlap do not alter one another. When you select a shape created
using Object Drawing mode, Flash Pro surrounds the shape with a rectangular bounding box to identify it.
Note: Set preferences for contact sensitivity when selecting shapes created using the Object Drawing mode.
Shapes created with the Object Drawing mode remain separate objects that you can manipulate individually.
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Enter Object Drawing mode
To draw shapes using Object Drawing mode, you must explicitly enable it.
1 Select a drawing tool that supports Object Drawing mode (the Pencil, Line, Pen, Brush, Oval, Rectangle, and
Polygon tools).
2 Select the Object Drawing button
from the Options category of the Tools panel, or press the J key to toggle
between the Merge and Object Drawing modes. The Object Drawing button toggles between the Merge and Object
Drawing modes. You can set preferences for contact sensitivity when you select shapes created with Object
Drawing mode.
3 Draw on the Stage.
Convert a Merge Drawing mode created shape to an Object Drawing mode shape
1 Select the shape on the Stage.
2 To convert the shape into an Object Drawing mode shape, select Modify > Combine Objects > Union. After
conversion, the shape is treated like a vector-based drawing object that does not alter its appearance by interacting
with other shapes.
Note: To join two or more shapes into a single, object-based shape, use the Union command.
Primitive objects
Primitive objects are shapes that let you adjust their characteristics in the Property inspector. You can precisely control
the size, corner radius, and other properties of the shape at any time after you have created it without having to draw
it from scratch.
Two types of primitives are available, rectangles and ovals.
1 Select the Rectangle Primitive Tool
or Oval Primitive Tool
from the Tools panel.
2 Draw on the Stage.
Overlapping shapes
When you draw a line across another line or painted shape in Merge Drawing mode, the overlapping lines are divided
into segments at the intersection points. To select, move, and reshape each segment individually, use the Selection tool.
A fill; the fill with a line drawn through it; and the three line segments created by segmentation.
When you paint on top of shapes and lines, the portion underneath is replaced by whatever is on top. Paint of the same
color merges together. Paint of different colors remains distinct. To create masks, cutouts, and other negative images,
use these features. For example, the following cutout is made by moving the ungrouped kite image onto the green
shape, deselecting the kite, and then moving the filled portions of the kite away from the green shape.
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Making a cutout with the kite image.
To avoid inadvertently altering shapes and lines by overlapping them, group the shapes or use layers to separate them.
More Help topics
“Group objects” on page 126
“Create and organize layers” on page 181
Drawing preferences
Set drawing settings to specify snapping, smoothing, and straightening behaviors. Change the tolerance setting for
each option, and turn each option off or on. Tolerance settings are relative, depending on the resolution of your
computer screen and the current magnification of the scene. By default, each option is on and set to Normal tolerance.
Drawing settings
1 Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Flash > Preferences (Macintosh) and select Drawing.
2 Under the Drawing category, select from the following options:
Pen tool Lets you set options for the Pen tool. Select Show Pen Preview to display a preview line from the last clicked
point to the current location of the pointer. Select Show Solid Points to display control points as small filled squares
instead of unfilled squares. Select Show Precise Cursors to display a crosshair cursor instead of the Pen tool icon when
using the Pen tool. This option lets you see the exact target of clicks more easily.
Connect Lines Determines how close the end of a line being drawn must be to an existing line segment before the end
point snaps to the nearest point on the other line. This setting also controls horizontal and vertical line recognition—
that is, how nearly horizontal or vertical a line must be drawn before Flash Pro makes it exactly horizontal or vertical.
When Snap To Objects is turned on, this setting controls how close objects must be to snap to one another.
Smooth Curves Specifies the amount of smoothing applied to curved lines drawn with the Pencil tool when the
drawing mode is set to Straighten or Smooth. (Smoother curves are easier to reshape, whereas rougher curves match
the original line strokes more closely.)
Note: To further smooth existing curved segments, use Modify > Shape > Smooth and Modify > Shape > Optimize.
Recognize Lines Defines how nearly straight a line segment drawn with the Pencil tool must be before Flash Pro
recognizes it as a straight line and makes it perfectly straight. If Recognize Lines is off while you draw, straighten lines
later by selecting one or more line segments and selecting Modify > Shape > Straighten.
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Recognize Shapes Controls how precisely to draw circles, ovals, squares, rectangles, and 90° and 180° arcs for them to
be recognized as geometric shapes and redrawn accurately. The options are Off, Strict, Normal, and Tolerant. Strict
requires that the shape be drawn very close to straight; Tolerant specifies that the shape can be somewhat rough, and
Flash redraws the shape. If Recognize Shapes is off while you draw, straighten lines later by selecting one or more
shapes (for example, connected line segments) and selecting Modify > Shape > Straighten.
Click Accuracy Specifies how close to an item the pointer must be before Flash Pro recognizes the item.
Selection, Subselection, and Lasso tool contact options
Specify the Selection, Subselection, and Lasso tool contact-sensitivity options when you create shapes using Object
Drawing mode. By default, objects are only selected when the tool’s marquee rectangle completely surrounds the
object. Deselecting this option selects entire objects when they are only partially enclosed by the selection marquee of
the Selection, Subselection, or Lasso tools.
1 Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Flash > Preferences (Macintosh).
2 In the General category, do one of the following:
• To select only objects and points that are completely enclosed by the selection marquee, deselect Contact-Sensitive
Selection and Lasso tools. Points that lie within the selection area are still selected.
• To select objects or groups that are only partially enclosed by the selection marquee, select Contact-Sensitive
Selection and Lasso tools.
Note: The Subselection tools use the same contact-sensitive setting.
Draw simple lines and shapes
The following video tutorials demonstrate how to use the drawing tools in Flash Pro. Some videos may show the Flash
Pro CS3 or CS4 workspace, but are still applicable to Flash Pro CS5.
• Using the drawing tools (1:55)
• Using the drawing tools (CS3) (5:03)
• Object and merge drawing (2:09)
Draw straight lines with the Line Segment tool
To draw one straight line segment at a time, use the Line tool.
1 Select the Line tool
.
2 Select Window > Properties and select stroke attributes.
Note: You cannot set fill attributes for the Line tool.
3 Click the Object Drawing button
in the Options section of the Tools panel to select either Merge or Object
Drawing mode. When the Object Drawing button is depressed, the Line tool is in Object Drawing mode.
4 Position the pointer where the line is to begin, and drag to where the line is to end. To constrain the angle of the
line to multiples of 45°, Shift-drag.
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More Help topics
“Adjust Stroke and Fill color” on page 136
“Drawing modes and graphic objects” on page 92
Draw rectangles and ovals
The Oval and Rectangle tools let you create these basic geometric shapes, and apply strokes, fills, and specify rounded
corners. In addition to the Merge and Object drawing modes, the Oval and Rectangle tools also provide the Primitive
Object drawing mode.
When you create rectangles or ovals using the Rectangle Primitive or Oval Primitive tools, Flash draws the shapes as
separate objects not unlike the shapes you create using Object Drawing mode. The primitive shape tools let you specify
the corner radius of rectangles, and the start and end angle and the inner radius of ovals using controls in the Property
inspector. After you create a primitive shape, alter the radius and dimensions by selecting the shape on the Stage and
adjusting the controls in the Property inspector.
Note: When either of the Primitive Object drawing tools is selected, the Property inspector retains the values of the last
primitive object that you edited. For example, if you modify a rectangle and then draw a second rectangle.
More Help topics
“Adjust Stroke and Fill color” on page 136
Draw rectangle primitives
1 To select the Rectangle Primitive tool, click and hold the mouse button on the Rectangle tool
Rectangle Primitive tool
, and select the
from the pop-up menu.
2 To create a rectangle primitive, drag with the Rectangle Primitive tool on the Stage.
Note: To change the corner radius while dragging with the Rectangle primitive tool, press the Up Arrow key or Down
Arrow key. When the corners achieve the desired roundness, release the key.
3 With the rectangle primitive selected, you can use the controls in the Property inspector to further modify the shape
or specify fill and stroke colors.
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Properties for a rectangle primitive.
Theses Property inspector controls are specific to the Rectangle Primitive tool:
Rectangle Corner Radius Controls Let you specify the corner radiuses for the rectangle. You can enter a numeric
value for the inner radius in each text box. Entering a negative value creates an inverse radius. You can also deselect
the constrain corner radius icon, and adjust each corner radius individually.
Reset Resets all of the Rectangle Primitive tool controls, and restores the rectangle primitive shape drawn on the Stage
to its initial size and shape.
4 To specify a different corner radius for each corner, deselect the Lock icon in the Rectangle Options area of the
Property inspector. When locked, the radius controls are restrained so that each corner uses the same radius.
5 To reset the corner radii, click the Reset button in the Property inspector.
Draw oval primitives
1 Click and hold the mouse button on the Rectangle tool
, and select the Oval Primitive tool
.
2 To create an oval primitive, drag the Primitive Oval tool on the Stage. To constrain the shape to a circle, Shift-drag.
3 With the oval primitive selected on the Stage, you can use the controls found in the Property inspector to further
modify the shape or specify fill and stroke colors.
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Properties for an oval primitive.
These Property inspector controls are specific to the Oval Primitive tool:
Start Angle/End Angle The angle of the start point and end point of the oval. Using these controls, you can easily
modify the shape of ovals and circles into pie slices, half circles, and other creative shapes.
Inner Radius An inner radius (or oval) within the oval. You can either enter a numeric value for the inner radius in
the box or click the slider and interactively adjust the size of the inner radius. You can enter values from 0 to 99
representing the percentage of fill that is removed.
Close Path Determines whether the path (or paths, if you are specifying an inner radius) of the oval is closed. If you
specify an open path, no fill is applied to the resulting shape, only the stroke is drawn. Close Path is selected by default.
Reset Resets all of the Oval Primitive tool controls and restores the oval primitive shape drawn on the Stage to its initial
size and shape.
Draw ovals and rectangles
The Oval and Rectangle tools create these basic geometric shapes.
1 To select the Rectangle tool
or Oval tool
, click and hold the mouse button on the Rectangle tool and drag.
2 To create a rectangle or oval, drag the Rectangle or Oval tool on the Stage.
3 For the Rectangle tool, specify rounded corners by clicking the Round Rectangle modifier and entering a corner
radius value. A value of zero (0) creates square corners.
4 Drag on the Stage. If you are using the Rectangle tool, press the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys while dragging
to adjust the radius of rounded corners.
For the Oval and Rectangle tools, Shift-drag to constrain the shapes to circles and squares.
5 To specify a specific size of oval or rectangle, select the Oval or Rectangle tool and press the Alt key (Windows) or
Option key (Macintosh). Then click the Stage to display the Oval And Rectangle Settings dialog box.
• For ovals, specify the width and height in pixels and whether to draw the oval from the center.
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• For rectangles, specify the width and height in pixels, the radius of the rounded corners, and whether to draw the
rectangle from the center.
Draw polygons and stars
1 Select the PolyStar tool
by clicking and holding the mouse button on the Rectangle tool and selecting from the
pop-up menu that appears.
2 Select Window > Properties and select fill and stroke attributes.
3 Click Options and do the following:
• For Style, select Polygon or Star.
• For Number Of Sides, enter a number from 3 through 32.
• For Star Point Size, enter a number from 0 through 1 to specify the depth of the star points. A number closer to 0
creates deeper points (like needles). If you are drawing a polygon, leave this setting unchanged. (It does not affect
the polygon shape.)
4 Click OK.
5 Drag on the Stage.
Draw with the Pencil tool
To draw lines and shapes, use the Pencil tool, in much the same way that you use a real pencil to draw. To apply
smoothing or straightening to the lines and shapes as you draw, select a drawing mode for the Pencil tool.
1 Select the Pencil tool
.
2 Select Window > Properties and select a stroke color, line weight, and style.
3 Select a drawing mode under Options in the Tools panel:
• To draw straight lines and convert approximations of triangles, ovals, circles, rectangles, and squares into these
common geometric shapes, select Straighten
.
• To draw smooth curved lines, select Smooth .
• To draw freehand lines with no modification applied, select Ink
.
Lines drawn with Straighten, Smooth, and Ink mode, respectively.
4 To draw with the Pencil tool, Shift-drag to constrain lines to vertical or horizontal directions, click the Stage, and drag.
Paint with the Brush tool
The Brush tool
draws brush-like strokes. It creates special effects, including calligraphic effects. Select a brush size
and shape using the Brush tool modifiers.
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Brush size for new strokes remains constant even when you change the magnification level for the Stage, so the same
brush size appears larger when the Stage magnification is lower. For example, suppose you set the Stage magnification
to 100% and paint with the Brush tool using the smallest brush size. Then, you change the magnification to 50% and
paint again using the smallest brush size. The new stroke that you paint appears 50% thicker than the earlier stroke.
(Changing the magnification of the Stage does not change the size of existing brush strokes.)
Use an imported bitmap as a fill when painting with the Brush tool. See “Break apart groups and objects” on page 127.
If you have a Wacom pressure-sensitive tablet connected to your computer, vary the width and angle of the brush
stroke by using the Brush tool Pressure and Tilt modifiers, and varying pressure on the stylus.
The Pressure modifier varies the width of brush strokes when you vary the pressure on the stylus. The Tilt modifier
varies the angle of brush strokes when you vary the angle of the stylus on the tablet. The Tilt modifier measures the
angle between the top (eraser) end of the stylus and the top (north) edge of the tablet. For example, if you hold the pen
vertically against the tablet, the Tilt is 90. The Pressure and Tilt modifiers are both fully supported for the eraser
function of the stylus.
A variable-width brush stroke drawn with a stylus.
1 Select the Brush tool
.
2 Select Window > Properties and select a fill color.
3 Click the Brush Mode modifier and select a painting mode:
Paint Normal Paints over lines and fills on the same layer.
Paint Fills Paints fills and empty areas, leaving lines unaffected.
Paint Behind Paints in blank areas of the Stage on the same layer, leaving lines and fills unaffected.
Paint Selection Applies a new fill to the selection when you select a fill in the Fill Color control or the Fill box of the
Property inspector, the same as selecting a filled area and applying a new fill.
Paint Inside Paints the fill in which you start a brush stroke and never paints lines. If you start painting in an empty
area, the fill doesn’t affect any existing filled areas.
4 Select a brush size and brush shape from the Brush tool modifiers.
5 If a Wacom pressure-sensitive tablet is attached to your computer, select the Pressure modifier, the Tilt modifier,
or both, to modify brush strokes.
• Select the Pressure modifier to vary the width of your brush strokes by varying the pressure on your stylus.
• To vary the angle of your brush strokes by varying the angle of the stylus on the Wacom pressure-sensitive tablet,
select the Tilt modifier.
6 Drag on the Stage. To constrain brush strokes to horizontal and vertical directions, Shift-drag.
More Help topics
“Adjust Stroke and Fill color” on page 136
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Drawing with the Pen tool
To draw precise paths as straight lines or smooth, flowing curves, use the Pen tool. When you draw with the Pen tool,
click to create points on straight line segments and drag to create points on curved line segments. Adjust straight and
curved line segments by adjusting points on the line.
The following video tutorial demonstrates how to use Pen tool in Flash Pro:
• Adobe Flash CS4 basics : 0102 Pen Tool (10:55) (YouTube.com)
Pen tool drawing states
The Pen tool provides feedback about its current drawing state by displaying different pointers. The various drawing
states are indicated by the following pointers:
Initial Anchor Point pointer
The first pointer you see when you select the Pen tool. Indicates that the next mouse
click on the Stage will create an initial anchor point, which is the beginning of a new path (all new paths begin with an
initial anchor point). Any existing drawing paths are terminated.
Sequential Anchor Point pointer Indicates that the next mouse click will create an anchor point with a line
connecting it to the previous anchor point. This pointer is displayed during the creation of all user-defined anchor
points except the initial anchor point of a path.
Indicates that the next mouse click will add an anchor point to an existing path. To add
an anchor point, the path must be selected, and the Pen tool must not be over an existing anchor point. The existing
path is redrawn based on the additional anchor point. Only one anchor point can be added at a time.
Add Anchor Point pointer
Delete Anchor Point pointer
Indicates that the next mouse click on an existing path will remove an anchor point.
To remove an anchor point, the path must be selected with the Selection tool, and the pointer must be over an existing
anchor point. The existing path is redrawn based on the removal of the anchor point. Only one anchor point can be
removed at a time.
Continue Path pointer
Extends a new path from an existing anchor point. For this pointer to be activated, the
mouse must be over an existing anchor point on a path. This pointer is only available when you are not currently
drawing a path. The anchor point does not have to be one of the terminal anchor points of a path; any anchor point
can be the location of a continued path.
Closes the path you’re drawing on the starting point of the path. You can only close a path that
you are currently drawing, and the existing anchor point must be the starting anchor point of the same path. The
resulting path does not have any specified fill color settings applied to the enclosed shape; apply fill color separately.
Close Path pointer
Similar to the Close Path Tool except that the mouse must not be over the initial anchor point
of the same path. The pointer must be over either of the terminal points of a unique path. The segment may or may
not be selected.
Join Paths pointer
Note: Joining paths may or may not result in a closed shape.
Appears when the mouse is over an anchor point whose Bezier handles are
displayed. Clicking the mouse retracts the Bezier handles and causes the curved path across the anchor point to revert
to straight segments.
Retract Bezier Handle pointer
Converts a corner point without direction lines to a corner point with independent
direction lines. To enable the Convert Anchor Point pointer, use the Shift + C modifier keys to toggle the Pen tool.
Convert Anchor Point pointer
For a video tutorial about the Pen tool, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0120.
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More Help topics
“Reshape lines and shapes” on page 115
Draw straight lines with the Pen tool
The simplest path you can draw with the Pen tool is a straight line, made by clicking the Pen tool to create two anchor
points. Continue to click to create a path made of straight line segments connected by corner points.
1 Select the Pen tool
.
2 Position the Pen tool where the straight segment is to begin, and click to define the first anchor point. If direction
lines appear, you accidentally dragged the Pen tool; choose Edit > Undo and click again.
Note: The first segment you draw is not visible until you click a second anchor point (unless you’ve specified Show Pen
Preview in the Drawing category of the Preferences dialog box).
3 Click again where you want the segment to end (Shift-click to constrain the angle of the segment to a multiple of
45°).
4 Continue clicking to set anchor points for additional straight segments.
Clicking Pen tool creates straight segments.
5 To complete the path as an open or closed shape, do one of the following:
• To complete an open path, double-click the last point, click the Pen tool in the Tools panel, or Control-click
(Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) anywhere away from the path.
• To close the path, position the Pen tool over the first (hollow) anchor point. A small circle appears next to the Pen
tool pointer when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.
• To complete the shape as is, select Edit > Deselect All, or select a different tool in the Tools panel.
More Help topics
“Adjust Stroke and Fill color” on page 136
Draw curves with the Pen tool
To create a curve, add an anchor point where a curve changes direction and drag the direction lines that shape the
curve. The length and slope of the direction lines determine the shape of the curve.
Curves are easier to edit and your system can display and print them faster if you draw them using as few anchor points
as possible. Using too many points can also introduce unwanted bumps in a curve. Instead, draw widely spaced anchor
points, and practice shaping curves by adjusting the length and angles of the direction lines.
1 Select the Pen tool
.
2 Position the Pen tool where the curve is to begin, and hold down the mouse button.
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The first anchor point appears, and the Pen tool pointer changes to an arrowhead. (In Photoshop, the pointer changes
only after you’ve started dragging.)
3 Drag to set the slope of the curve segment you’re creating, and then release the mouse button.
In general, extend the direction line about one third of the distance to the next anchor point you plan to draw. (You
can adjust one or both sides of the direction line later.)
Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45°.
A
B
C
Drawing the first point in a curve
A. Positioning Pen tool B. Starting to drag (mouse button pressed) C. Dragging to extend direction lines.
4 Position the Pen tool where the curve segment is to end, and do one of the following:
• To create a C-shaped curve, drag in a direction opposite to the previous direction line and release the mouse button.
A
B
C
Drawing the second point in a curve
A. Starting to drag second smooth point B. Dragging away from previous direction line, creating a C curve C. Result after releasing mouse
button.
• To create an S-shaped curve, drag in the same direction as the previous direction line and release the mouse button.
A
B
C
Drawing an S curve
A. Starting to drag new smooth point B. Dragging in the same direction as previous direction line, creating an S curve C. Result after releasing
mouse button.
5 To create a series of smooth curves, continue dragging the Pen tool from different locations. Place anchor points at
the beginning and end of each curve, not at the tip of the curve.
To break out the direction lines of an anchor point, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Macintosh) direction lines.
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6 To complete the path, do one of the following:
• To close the path, position the Pen tool over the first (hollow) anchor point. A small circle appears next to the Pen
tool pointer
when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.
• To leave the path open, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) anywhere away from all objects,
select a different tool, or choose Edit > Deselect All.
Add or delete anchor points
Adding anchor points can give you more control over a path or it can extend an open path. However, it’s a good idea
not to add more points than necessary. A path with fewer points is easier to edit, display, and print. To reduce the
complexity of a path, delete unnecessary points.
The toolbox contains three tools for adding or deleting points: the Pen tool
Delete Anchor Point tool .
, the Add Anchor Point tool
, and the
By default, the Pen tool changes to the Add Anchor Point tool as you position it over a selected path, or to the Delete
Anchor Point tool as you position it over an anchor point.
Note: Don’t use the Delete, Backspace, and Clear keys or the Edit > Cut or Edit > Clear commands to delete anchor
points; these keys and commands delete the point and the line segments that connect to that point.
1 Select the path to modify.
2 Click and hold the mouse button on the Pen tool
Delete Anchor Point tool
, then select the Pen tool
, Add Anchor Point tool
, or the
.
3 To add an anchor point, position the pointer over a path segment, and click. To delete an anchor point, position
the pointer over an anchor point, and click.
Adjust anchor points on paths
When you draw a curve with the Pen tool, you create smooth points—anchor points on a continuous, curved path.
When you draw a straight line segment or a straight line connected to a curved segment, you create corner points—
anchor points on a straight path or at the juncture of a straight and a curved path.
By default, selected smooth points appear as hollow circles, and selected corner points appear as hollow squares.
Dragging a direction point out of a corner point to create a smooth point.
Move or add anchor points
• To move an anchor point, drag the point with the Subselection tool
.
• To nudge an anchor point or points, select the point or points with the Subselection tool and use the arrow keys to
move the point or points. Shift-click to select multiple points.
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• To add an anchor point, click a line segment with the Pen tool. A plus (+) sign appears next to the Pen tool
if an
anchor point can be added to the selected line segment. If the line segment is not yet selected, click it with the Pen
tool to select it, and then add an anchor point.
Delete anchor points
Deleting unneeded anchor points on a curved path optimizes the curve and reduces the resulting SWF file size.
• To delete a corner point, click the point once with the Pen tool. A minus (-) sign appears next to the Pen tool if an
anchor point can be deleted from the selected line segment. If the line segment is not yet selected, click it with the
Pen tool to select it, and then delete the anchor point.
• To delete a smooth point, click the point once with the Pen tool. A minus (-) sign appears next to the Pen tool if an
anchor point can be deleted from the selected line segment. If the line segment is not yet selected, click it with the
Pen tool to select it, and then delete the corner point. (Click once to convert the point to a corner point, and once
more to delete the point.)
Convert segments between straight and curved
To convert segments in a line from straight segments to curve segments, convert corner points to smooth points. You
can also do the reverse.
• To convert a corner point to a smooth point, use the Subselection tool to select the point, then Alt-drag (Windows)
or Option-drag (Macintosh) the point to place the tangent handles.
• To convert a smooth point to a corner point, click the point with the Pen tool. The carat ^ marker next to the
pointer
indicates when it is over the smooth point.
Adjust segments
To change the angle or length of the segment or adjust curved segments to change the slope or direction of the curve,
adjust straight segments.
When you move a tangent handle on a smooth point, the curves on both sides of the point adjust. When you move a
tangent handle on a corner point, only the curve on the same side of the point as the tangent handle adjusts.
• To adjust a straight segment, select the Subselection tool
, and select a straight segment. Use the Subselection tool
to drag an anchor point on the segment to a new position.
• To adjust a curve segment, select the Subselection tool and drag the segment.
Note: When you click the path, Flash Pro shows the anchor points. Adjusting a segment with the Subselection tool can
add points to the path.
• To adjust points or tangent handles on a curve, select the Subselection tool, and select an anchor point on a curved
segment.
• To adjust the shape of the curve on either side of the anchor point, drag the anchor point, or drag the tangent
handle. To constrain the curve to multiples of 45º, Shift-drag. To drag tangent handles individually, Alt-drag
(Windows) or Option-drag (Macintosh).
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Drag the anchor point, or drag the direction point.
Pen tool preferences
Specify preferences for the appearance of the Pen tool pointer, for previewing line segments as you draw, and for the
appearance of selected anchor points. Selected line segments and anchor points use the outline color of the layer on
which the lines and points appear.
1 Select the Pen tool
, then select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Flash > Preferences (Macintosh).
2 In the Category list, select Drawing.
3 Set the following options for the Pen tool:
Show Pen Preview Previews line segments as you draw. A preview of the line segment appears as you move the pointer
around the Stage, before you click to create the end point of the segment. If this option is not selected, a line segment
does not appear until you create the end point.
Show Solid Points Displays selected anchor points as hollow and deselected anchor points as solid. If this option is not
chosen, selected anchor points are solid, and deselected anchor points are hollow.
Show Precise Cursors Specifies that the Pen tool pointer appears as a cross-hair pointer rather than the default Pen tool
icon, for more precise placement of lines. To display the default Pen tool icon with the Pen tool, deselect the option.
Note: To switch between the cross-hair pointer and the default Pen tool icon, press Caps Lock.
4 Click OK.
Apply patterns with the Spray Brush tool
The Spray Brush acts like a particle sprayer, letting you “brush” a pattern of shapes onto the Stage at one time. By
default, the Spray Brush emits a spray of dot particles using the currently selected fill color. However, you can use the
Spray Brush tool to apply a movie clip or graphic symbol as a pattern.
1 Select the Spray Brush tool.
2
In the Spray Brush tool Property inspector, select a fill color for the default spray of dots. Or, click Edit to select a
custom symbol from the library.
You can use any movie clip or graphic symbol in the library as a “particle.” These symbol-based particles give you a
great deal of creative control over artwork you create in Flash.
3 Click or drag on the Stage where you want the pattern to appear.
More Help topics
“Create symbols” on page 151
“Working with the library” on page 159
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Spray Brush tool options
The Spray Brush tool options appear in the Property inspector when you select the Spray Brush from the Tools panel.
Edit Opens the Select Symbol dialog box, from which you select a movie clip or graphic symbol to use as a spray brush
particle. When a symbol in the library is selected, its name appears next to the edit button.
Color selector Select a fill color for the default particle spray. The color selector is disabled when you use a symbol in
the library as a spray particle.
Scale This property only appears when not using a symbol from the Library as the particle. Scale the symbol used as
a spray particle. For example, a value of 10% makes the symbol 10% smaller. A value of 200% makes the symbol 200%
larger.
Scale width This property only appears when using a symbol as the particle. Scale the width of a symbol used as a spray
particle. For example, a value of 10% makes the symbol 10% narrower. A value of 200% makes the symbol 200% wider.
Scale height This property only appears when using a symbol as the particle. Scales the height of a symbol used as a
spray particle. For example, a value of 10% makes the symbol 10% shorter. A value of 200% makes the symbol 200%
taller.
Random scaling Specifies that each symbol-based spray particle is placed on Stage at a random scale, altering the size
of each particle. This option is disabled when using the default spray of dots.
Rotate symbol This property only appears when using a symbol as the particle. Rotates the symbol-based spray
particle around a center point.
Random rotation This property only appears when using a symbol as the particle. Specifies that each symbol-based
spray particle is placed on Stage at a random degree of rotation. This option is disabled when you use the default spray
of dots.
Width The width of the spray particle when not using a symbol from the Library.
Height The height of the spray particle when not using a symbol from the Library.
Brush Angle The amount of clock-wise rotation to apply to the spray particle when not using a symbol from the
Library.
Drawing patterns with the Decorative drawing tool
The Decorative drawing tool lets you create complex, geometric shapes and patterns. The Decorative drawing tools
use algorithmic calculations—known as procedural drawing.
Videos and tutorials
• Video: Using the decorative drawing tools (5:36)
• Video: Flash Downunder – The Bone tool and the Deco tool (22:00)
• Video: Using the Deco tool (Length = 4:28, Peachpit.com)
• Jonathan Duran has provided an in-depth article entitled Using the Deco tool and Spray Brush for creating
complex, geometric patterns in Flash at www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/deco_intro.html.
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Apply the Symmetry Brush effect
Use the Symmetry Brush effect to arrange symbols symmetrically around a central point. When you draw the symbols
on the Stage, a set of handles appears. Use the handles to control the symmetry by increasing the number of symbols,
adding symmetries, or editing and modifying the effect.
Use the Symmetry Brush effect to create circular user interface elements (such as an analog clock face or dial gauge)
and swirl patterns. The default symbol for the Symmetry Brush effect is a black rectangle shape with no stroke that is
25 x 25 pixels.
1 Select the Deco Drawing tool, and select Symmetry Brush from the Drawing Effect menu in the Property inspector.
2 In the Deco Drawing tool Property inspector, select a fill color to use for the default rectangle shape. Or, click Edit
to select a custom symbol from the library.
You can use any movie clip or graphic symbol in the library with the Symmetry Brush effect. These symbol-based
particles give you a great deal of creative control over artwork you create.
3 The Symmetry Brush advanced options appear in the Property inspector when you select Symmetry Brush from
the Drawing Effect pop-up menu in the Property inspector.
Rotate Around Rotates the shapes in the symmetry around a fixed point that you designate. The default reference
point is the center point of the symmetry. To rotate the object around its center point, drag in a circular motion.
Reflect Across Line Flips the shapes an equal distance apart across an invisible line that you specify.
Reflect Around Point Places two shapes an equal distance apart around a fixed point that you specify.
Grid Translation Creates a grid using the shapes in the Symmetry effect you are drawing. Each click of the Deco
Drawing tool on the Stage creates a grid of shapes. Adjust the height and width of the shapes using the x and y
coordinates defined by the Symmetry Brush handles.
Test Collisions Prevents shapes in the Symmetry effect you are drawing from colliding with one another, regardless of
how you increase the number of instances within the Symmetry effect. Deselect this option to overlap the shapes in the
Symmetry effect.
4 Click the Stage where you want the Symmetry Brush artwork to appear.
5 Use the Symmetry Brush handles to adjust the size of the symmetry and the number of symbol instances.
Apply the Grid Fill effect
The Grid Fill effect lets you fill the Stage, a symbol, or closed region with a symbol from the library. After the Grid Fill
is drawn to the Stage, if the filled symbol is moved or resized, the Grid Fill will move or resize accordingly.
Use the Grid Fill effect to create a checkerboard, a tiled background, or area or shape with a custom pattern. The default
symbol for the Symmetry effect is a black rectangle shape with no stroke that is 25 x 25 pixels.
1 Select the Deco Drawing tool, and select Grid Fill from the Drawing Effect menu in the Property inspector.
2 In the Property inspector, select a fill color for the default rectangle shape. Or click Edit to select a custom symbol
from the library.
You can use up to 4 movie clip or graphic symbols in the library with the Grid Fill effect. The symbols alternate as Flash
fills the grid.
3 Choose a Layout for the grid fill. There are 3 options for Layout.
Tile Pattern The symbols are arranged in a simple grid pattern.
Brick Pattern The symbols are arranged in a horizontally offset grid pattern.
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Floor Pattern The symbols are arranged in a horizontally and vertically offset grid pattern.
4 To allow the fill to overlap the edge of the containing symbol, shape, or the Stage, select the Paint Over Edge option.
5 To allow the symbols to be distributed randomly within the grid, select the Random Order option.
6 You can specify the horizontal and vertical spacing and the scale of the fill shape. Once the Grid Fill effect is applied,
you cannot change the advanced options in the Property inspector afterwards to alter the fill pattern.
Horizontal spacing Specifies the horizontal distance in pixels between symbols used in the Grid Fill.
Vertical spacing Specifies the vertical distance in pixels between symbols used in the Grid Fill.
Pattern scale Enlarges or shrinks the symbols horizontally (along the x axis), and vertically (along the y axis).
7 Click the Stage or within the shape or symbol where you want the Grid Fill pattern to appear.
Apply the Vine Fill effect
The Vine Fill effect lets you fill the Stage, a symbol, or closed region with a vine pattern. You can substitute your own
artwork for the leaves and flowers by selecting symbols from the library. The resulting pattern is contained in a movie
clip that itself contains the symbols that make up the pattern.
1 Select the Deco Drawing tool, and select Vine Fill from the Drawing Effect menu in the Property inspector.
2 In the Deco Drawing tool Property inspector, select a fill color for the default flower and leaf shapes. Or, click Edit
to select a custom symbol from the library to replace one or both of the default flower and leaf symbols.
You can use any movie clip or graphic symbol in the library to replace the default flower and leaf symbols with the
Vine Fill effect.
3 You can specify the horizontal and vertical spacing and the scale of the fill shape. After you apply the Vine Fill effect,
you cannot change the advanced options in the Property inspector afterward to alter the fill pattern.
Branch angle Specifies the angle of the branch pattern.
Branch color Specifies the color to use for the branch.
Pattern scale Scaling an object enlarges or reduces it both horizontally (along the x axis), and vertically (along the y
axis).
Segment length Specifies the length of the segments between leaf and flower nodes.
Animate pattern Specifies that each iteration of the effect is drawn to a new frame in the timeline. This option creates
a frame-by-frame animated sequence of the flower pattern as it's drawn.
Frame step Specifies how many frames to span per second of the effect being drawn.
4 Click the Stage or within the shape or symbol where you want the Grid Fill pattern to appear.
Apply the Particle System effect
Using the Particle System effect, you can create particle animations such as fire, smoke, water, bubbles, and other
effects.
To use the particle system effect:
1 Select the Deco tool in the Tools panel.
2 Set the properties for the effect in the Properties panel.
3 Click the Stage in the location where you want to the effect to appear.
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Flash creates a frame-by-frame animation of the particle effect according to the properties you set. The particles
generated on Stage are contained in a group in each frame of the animation.
The Particle System effect has the following properties:
Particle 1 This is the first of 2 symbols you can assign to be used as particles. If you do not specify a symbol, a small
black square is used. By choosing graphics wisely, you can generate very interesting and realistic effects.
Particle 2 This is the second symbol that you can assign as a particle.
Total Length The duration of the animation in frames, starting from the current frame.
Particle Generation The number of frames in which particles are generated. If the number of frames is less than the
Total Length property, the tool stops making new particles in the remaining frames, but the particles already generated
continue to animate.
Rate per Frame The number of particles generated per frame.
Life Span The number of frames that an individual particle is visible on the Stage.
Initial Speed The speed of movement of each particle at the beginning of its life span. The unit of speed is pixels per
frame.
Initial Size The scaling of each particle at the beginning of its life span.
Min Initial Direction The minimum of the range of possible directions of movement of each particle at the beginning
of its life span. The measurement is in degrees. Zero is upward; 90 is to thr right; 180 is downward, 270 is to the left,
and 360 is also upward. Negative numbers are allowed.
Max Initial Direction The maximum of the range of possible directions of movement of each particle at the beginning
of its life span. The measurement is in degrees. Zero is upward; 90 is to thr right; 180 is downward, 270 is to the left,
and 360 is also upward. Negative numbers are allowed.
Gravity When this number is positive, the particles change direction to downward and their speed increases, as if they
are falling. If Gravity is negative, the particles change direction to upward.
Rotation Rate The degrees of rotation to apply to each particle per frame.
Apply the 3D Brush effect
The 3D Brush effect allows you to paint multiple instances of a symbol on the Stage, with 3D perspective. Flash creates
3D perspective by scaling the symbols down near the top of the Stage (the background), and up near the bottom of the
Stage (the forground). Symbols drawn closer to the bottom of the Stage are drawn on top of symbols nearer the top of
the Stage, regardless the order in which they are drawn.
You can include from 1 to 4 symbols in the painting pattern. Each symbol instance that appears on the Stage is in its
own group. You can paint directly on the Stage, or inside a shape or symbol. If the first click of the 3D brush occurs
inside a shape, the 3D brush is active only within the shape.
To use the 3D Brush effect:
1 Click the Deco tool in the Tools panel.
2 Select the 3D Brush effect from the Drawing effect menu in the Property inspector.
3 Select from 1 to 4 symbols that you want to include in the painting pattern.
4 Set the other properties for the effect in the Property inspector. Be sure the Perspective property is selected to create
a 3D effect.
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5 Drag on the Stage to begin painting. Move the cursor toward the top of the Stage to paint smaller instances. Move
the cursor toward the bottom of the Stage to paint larger instances.
The 3D Brush effect has the following properties:
Max objects The maximum number of objects to paint.
Spray area The maximum distance from the cursor that instances are painted.
Perspective This toggles the 3D effect. To paint instances of a consistent size, deselect this option.
Distance scale This property determines the amount of the 3D perspective effect. Increase the value to increase the
scaling caused by moving the cursor up or down.
Random scale range This property allows the scaling to be randomly determined for each instance. Increase the value
to increase the range of scale values that can be applied to each instance.
Random rotation range This property allows the rotation to be randomly determined for each instance. Increase the
value to increase the maximum possible rotation for each instance.
Apply the Building Brush effect
The Building Brush effect allows you to draw buildings on the Stage. The appearance of the buildings depends on
values you choose for the building properties.
To draw a building on the Stage:
1 Click the Deco tool in the Tools panel.
2 In the Property inspector, choose Building Brush from the Drawing Effect menu.
3 Set the properties of the Building Brush effect.
4 Starting where you want the bottom of the building, drag the cursor upwards vertically to the height you want for
your finished building.
The Building Brush effect has the following properties:
Building type The style of building to create.
Building size The width of the building. Larger values create wider buildings.
Apply the Decorated Brush effect
The Decorated brush effect allows you to draw decorative lines, such as dotted lines, wavy lines, and others.
Experiment with the effect to discover which setting work for your intended designs.
To use the Decorated Brush effect:
1 Click the Deco tool in the Tools panel.
2 Set the properties for the effect in the Property inspector.
3 Drag the cursor on the Stage.
The Decorated Brush effect creates a styled line that follows the path of the cursor.
The Decorated Brush effect has the following properties:
Line style The style of line to draw. Experiment with all 20 choices to see the various effects.
Pattern color The color of the line.
Pattern size The size of the selected pattern.
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Pattern width The width of the selected pattern.
Apply the Fire Animation effect
The Fire Animation effect creates stylized frame-by-frame fire animation.
To use the Fire Animation effect:
1 Click the Deco tool in the Tools panel.
2 Choose Fire Animation from the Drawing Effect menu in the Property inspector.
3 Set the properties for the Fire Animation effect.
4 Drag on the Stage to create the animation.
Flash adds frames to the timeline while you hold the mouse button.
In most situations, it is best to place your fire animation inside its own symbol, such as a movie clip symbol.
The Fire Animation effect has the following properties:
Fire size The width and height of the flames. Higher values create larger flames.
Fire speed The speed of the animation. Larger values create faster flames.
Fire duration The number of frames created in the timeline during the animation.
End animation Select this option to create an animation of the fire burning out instead of burning continuously. Flash
adds additional frames after the specified Fire duration to accommodate the burning-out effect. If you want to loop
the finished animation to create a continuous burning effect, do not select this option.
Flame color The color of the tips of the flames.
Flame core color The color of the base of the flames.
Fire spark The number of individual flames at the base of the fire.
Apply the Flame Brush effect
The Flame Brush effect allows you to draw flames on the Stage in the current frame of the timeline
To use the Flame Brush effect:
1 Click the Deco tool in the Tools panel.
2 Choose Flame Brush from the Drawing Effect menu in the Property inspector.
3 Set the properties for the Flame Brush effect.
4 Drag on the Stage to draw flames.
The Flame Brush effect has the following properties:
Flame size The width and height of the flames. Higher values create larger flames.
Flame color The color of the center of the flames. As you draw, the flames change from the selected color to black.
Apply the Flower Brush effect
The Flower Brush effect allows you to draw stylized flowers in the current frame of the timeline.
To use the Flower Brush effect:
1 Click the Deco tool in the Tools panel.
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2 Choose Flower Brush from the Drawing Effect menu in the Property inspector.
3 Select a flower from the Flower Type menu.
4 Set the properties for the Flower Brush effect.
5 Drag on the Stage to draw flowers.
The Flower Brush effect has the following properties:
Flower color The color of the flowers.
Flower size The width and height of the flowers. Higher values create larger flowers.
Leaf color The color of the leaves.
Leaf size The width and height of the leaves. Higher values create larger leaves.
Fruit color The color of the fruit.
Branch Select this option to draw branches in addition to the flowers and leaves.
Branch color The color of the branches.
Apply the Lightning Brush effect
The Lightning Brush effect lets you create lightning bolts. You can also create animated lighting.
To use the Lightning Brush effect:
1 Click the Deco tool in the Tools panel.
2 Select the Lightning Brush effect from the Drawing Effect menu in the Property inspector.
3 Set the Properties for the Lightning Brush effect.
4 Drag on the Stage. Flash draws lightning toward the direction you move the mouse.
The Lightning Brush effect has the following properties:
Lightning color The color of the lightning.
Lightning scale The length of the lightning.
Animation This option allows you to create frame-by-frame animation of the lightning. Flash adds frames to the
current layer in the Timeline while the lightning is being drawn.
Beam width the thickness of the lightning at its root.
Complexity The number of times each branch divides. Higher values create longer lightning with more branches.
Apply the Smoke Animation effect
The Smoke Animation effect creates stylized frame-by-frame smoke animation.
To use the Smoke Animation effect:
1 Click the Deco tool in the Tools panel.
2 Choose Smoke Animation from the Drawing Effect menu in the Property inspector.
3 Set the properties for the Smoke Animation effect.
4 Drag on the Stage to create the animation.
Flash adds frames to the timeline while you hold the mouse button.
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In most situations, it is best to place your smoke animation inside its own symbol, such as a movie clip symbol.
The Smoke Animation effect has the following properties:
Smoke size The width and height of the smoke. Higher values create larger flames.
Smoke speed The speed of the animation. Larger values create faster smoke.
Smoke duration The number of frames created in the timeline during the animation.
End animation Select this option to create an animation of the smoke burning out instead of smoking continuously.
Flash adds additional frames after the specified Smoke duration to accommodate the burning-out effect. If you want
to loop the finished animation to create a continuous smoking effect, do not select this option.
Smoke color The color of the smoke.
Background color The background color of the smoke. The smoke changes to this color as it dissipates.
Apply the Tree Brush effect
The Tree Brush effect allows you to quickly create tree artwork.
To use the Tree Brush effect:
1 Click the Deco tool in the Tools panel.
2 In the Property inspector, select the Tree Brush effect from the Drawing Effect menu.
3 Set the properties for the Tree Brush effect.
4 Drag on the Stage to create a tree.
Create large branches by dragging. Create smaller branches by keeping the cursor in one place.
Flash creates branches that are contained in groups on the Stage.
The Tree Brush effect has the following properties:
Tree style The kind of tree to create. Each tree style is based on an actual tree species.
Tree Scale The size of the tree. Values must be between 75-100. Higher values create larger trees.
Branch color The color of the tree stems.
Leaf Color The color of the leaves.
Flower/Fruit color The color of the flowers and fruit.
Reshape lines and shapes
Display and adjust points with the Subselection tool
1 Select the Subselection tool
.
2 Click the line or shape outline.
More Help topics
“Adjust anchor points on paths” on page 105
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Reshape a line or shape
To reshape a line or shape outline, drag any point on a line using the Selection tool. The pointer changes to indicate
what type of reshaping it can perform on the line or fill.
Flash Pro adjusts the curve of the line segment to accommodate the new position of the moved point. If the
repositioned point is an end point the line will lengthen or shorten. If the repositioned point is a corner, the line
segments forming the corner remain straight as they become longer or shorter.
When a corner appears next to the pointer, you can change an end point. When a curve appears next to the pointer, you can adjust a curve.
Some brush stroke areas are easier to reshape if you view them as outlines.
If you are having trouble reshaping a complex line, smooth it to remove some of its details, making reshaping easier.
Increasing the magnification can also make reshaping easier and more accurate.
1 Select the Selection tool
.
2 Do one of the following:
• To reshape the segment, drag from any point.
• To drag a line to create a new corner point, control-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macintosh).
Straighten and smooth lines
Straightening makes small straightening adjustments to lines and curves you already drew. It has no effect on segments
that are already straight.
Note: To adjust the degree of automatic smoothing and straightening, specify preferences for drawing settings.
To make Flash Pro recognize shapes, use the straightening technique. If you draw any oval, rectangular, or triangular
shapes with the Recognize Shapes option turned off, use the Straightening option to make the shapes geometrically
perfect. Shapes that are touching, and thus connected to other elements, are not recognized.
Shape recognition turns the top shapes into the bottom shapes.
Smoothing softens curves and reduces bumps or other variations in a curve’s overall direction. It also reduces the
number of segments in a curve. Smoothing is relative, however, and has no effect on straight segments. It is particularly
useful when you are having trouble reshaping a number of very short curved line segments. Selecting all the segments
and smoothing them reduces the number of segments, producing a gentler curve that is easier to reshape.
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Repeated application of smoothing or straightening makes each segment smoother or straighter, depending on how
curved or straight each segment was originally.
• To smooth the curve of each selected stroke, select the Selection tool and click the Smooth modifier
in the
Options section of the Tools panel. Each click of the Smooth modifier button makes the selected stroke
progressively smoother.
• To enter specific parameters for a smoothing operation, choose Modify > Shape > Smooth. In the Smooth dialog
box, enter values for the Smooth Angles Above, Smooth Angles Below, and Smoothing Strength parameters.
• To make small straightening adjustments on each selected fill outline or curved line, select the Selection tool
click the Straighten modifier
and
in the Options section of the Tools panel.
• To enter specific parameters for a straightening operation, choose Modify > Shape > Straighten. In the Straighten
dialog box, enter a value for the Straighten Strength parameter.
• To use shape recognition, select the Selection tool
and click the Straighten modifier
, or select Modify >
Shape > Straighten.
More Help topics
“Drawing preferences” on page 95
Optimize curves
Optimizing smooths curves by refining curved lines and filling outlines, reducing the number of curves used to define
these elements. Optimizing curves also reduces the size of the Flash Pro document (FLA file) and the exported Flash
Pro application (SWF file). Apply optimization to the same elements multiple times.
1 Select the drawn elements to optimize and select Modify > Shape > Optimize.
2 To specify the degree of smoothing, drag the Optimization Strength slider. The results depend on the curves
selected. Generally, optimizing produces fewer curves, with less resemblance to the original outline.
3 To display a message indicating the number of segments in the selection before and after the optimization, select
the Show Totals Message option. Flash Pro displays the message after the operation completes.
4 Click OK.
Modify shapes
1 To convert lines to fills, select a line or multiple lines and select Modify > Shape > Convert Lines To Fills. Selected
lines are converted to filled shapes, which allows you to fill lines with gradients or to erase a portion of a line.
Converting lines to fills can make file sizes larger, but it can also speed up drawing for some animations.
2 To expand the shape of a filled object, select a filled shape, and select Modify > Shape > Expand Fill. Enter a value
in pixels for Distance and select Expand or Inset For Direction. Expand enlarges the shape, and Inset reduces it.
This feature works best on a single, small, filled color shape with no stroke, that does not contain many small details.
3 To soften the edges of an object, select a filled shape, and select Modify > Shape > Soften Fill Edges. Set the following
options:
Distance The width, in pixels, of the soft edge.
Number Of Steps Controls how many curves are used for the soft edge effect. The more steps you use, the smoother
the effect. Increasing steps also creates larger files and slows drawing.
Expand Or Inset Controls whether the shape is enlarged or reduced to soften the edges.
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This feature works best on a single filled shape that has no stroke, and can increase the file size of a Flash Pro document
and the resulting SWF file.
Delete everything on the Stage
❖ Double-click the Eraser tool
in the toolbar. This erases all types of content on the Stage and pasteboard.
Remove stroke segments or filled areas
1 Select the Eraser tool, and then click the Faucet modifier
.
2 Click the stroke segment or filled area to delete.
Erase by dragging
1 Select the Eraser tool.
2 Click the Eraser Mode modifier and select an erasing mode:
Erase Normal Erases strokes and fills on the same layer.
Erase Fills Erases only fills; strokes are not affected.
Erase Lines Erases only strokes; fills are not affected.
Erase Selected Fills Erases only the currently selected fills and does not affect strokes, selected or not. (Select the fills
to erase before using the Eraser tool in this mode.)
Erase Inside Erases only the fill on which you begin the Eraser stroke. If you begin erasing from an empty point,
nothing is erased. Strokes are unaffected by the eraser in this mode.
3 Click the Eraser Shape modifier and select an eraser shape and size. Make sure that the Faucet modifier is not
selected.
4 Drag on the Stage.
Transforming and combining graphic objects
Transforming objects
You can transform graphic objects, as well as groups, text blocks, and instances, by using the Free Transform tool or
the options in the Modify > Transform menu. Depending on the type of element you select, you can transform, rotate,
skew, scale, or distort the element. You can change or add to a selection during a transformation operation.
When you transform an object, group, text box, or instance, the Property inspector for that item displays any changes
made to the item’s dimensions or position.
A bounding box appears during transform operations that involve dragging. The bounding box is rectangular (unless
it was modified with the Distort command or the Envelope modifier), with its edges initially aligned parallel to the
edges of the Stage. Transformation handles are located on each corner and in the middle of each side. As you drag, the
bounding box previews the transformations.
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Move, realign, change, and track the transformation point
During a transformation, a transformation point appears at the center of a selected element. The transformation point
is initially aligned with the object’s center point. You can move the transformation point, return it to its default
location, and move the default point of origin.
For scaling, skewing, or rotating graphic objects, groups, and text blocks, the point opposite the point you drag is the
point of origin by default. For instances, the transformation point is the point of origin by default. You can move the
default point of origin for a transformation.
1 Select the Free Transform tool
, or select one of the Modify > Transform commands.
Once you have begun a transformation, you can track the location of the transformation point in the Info panel and
in the Property inspector.
2 Do one of the following:
• To move the transformation point, drag it from within the selected graphic object.
• To realign the transformation point with the element’s center point, double-click the transformation point.
• To switch the point of origin for a scale or skew transformation, hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key
(Macintosh) while dragging your chosen object control point during the transformation.
• To display the transformation point coordinates in the Info panel, click the Registration/Transformation Point
button in the Info panel. The lower-right square in the button becomes a circle to indicate the registration point
coordinates are being displayed.
When you select the center square, the X and Y values to the right of the coordinate grid in the Info panel display the
x and y coordinates of the transformation point. In addition, the X and Y values for the transformation point appear
in the Property inspector for the symbol.
Coordinate grid; Info panel with Registration/Transformation Point button in transformation mode, and with x and y coordinates of the
selection transformation point visible.
By default, the Registration/Transformation Point button is in registration mode, and the X and Y values display the
location of the upper-left corner of the current selection, relative to the upper-left corner of the Stage.
Note: For symbol instances, the X and Y values display the location of the symbol registration point, or the location of the
upper-left corner of the symbol instance.
Use the Free Transform tool
You can perform individual transformations or combine several transformations, such as moving, rotating, scaling,
skewing, and distortion.
Note: The Free Transform tool cannot transform symbols, bitmaps, video objects, sounds, gradients, or text. If a multiple
selection contains any of these items, only the shape objects are distorted. To transform a text block, first convert the
characters to shape objects.
1 Select a graphic object, group, instance, or text block on the Stage.
2 Click the Free Transform tool
.
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Moving the pointer over and around the selection changes the pointer to indicate which transformation function is
available.
3 To transform the selection, drag the handles:
• To move the selection, position the pointer over the object within the bounding box, and drag the object to a new
position. Do not drag the transformation point.
• To set the center of rotation or scaling, drag the transformation point to a new location.
• To rotate the selection, position the pointer just outside a corner handle and drag. The selection rotates around the
transformation point. Shift-drag to rotate in 45° increments.
• To rotate around the opposite corner, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Macintosh).
• To scale the selection, drag a corner handle diagonally to scale in two dimensions. Shift-drag to resize
proportionally.
• To scale in the respective direction only, drag a corner handle or a side handle horizontally or vertically.
• To skew the selection, position the pointer on the outline between the transformation handles and drag.
• To distort shapes, press Control (Windows) or Command (Macintosh) and drag a corner handle or a side handle.
• To taper the object—to move the selected corner and the adjoining corner equal distances from their origins, ShiftControl-click to drag (Windows) or Shift-Command-click to drag (Macintosh) a corner handle.
4 To end the transformation, click outside the selected item.
Distort objects
When you apply a Distort transformation to a selected object, dragging a corner handle or an edge handle on the
bounding box moves the corner or edge and realigns the adjoining edges. Shift-drag a corner point to constrain the
distortion to a taper—that is, move that corner and the adjoining corner an equal distance and in the opposite direction
from each other. The adjoining corner is the corner on the same axis as the direction you drag. Control-click
(Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) to drag a middle point on an edge to move the entire edge freely.
You can distort graphic objects by using the Distort command. You can also distort objects when performing a free
transform on them.
Note: The Distort command cannot modify symbols, shape primitives, bitmaps, video objects, sounds, gradients, object
groups, or text. If a multiple selection contains any of these items, only the shape objects are distorted. To modify text, first
convert the characters to shape objects.
1 Select a graphic object or objects on the Stage.
2 Select Modify > Transform > Distort.
3 Place the pointer on one of the transformation handles and drag.
4 To end the transformation, click outside the selected object or objects.
Modify shapes with the Envelope modifier
The Envelope modifier lets you warp and distort objects. An envelope is a bounding box that contains one or more
objects. Changes made to an envelope’s shape affect the shape of the objects in the envelope. You edit the shape of an
envelope by adjusting its points and tangent handles.
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Note: The Envelope modifier cannot modify symbols, bitmaps, video objects, sounds, gradients, object groups, or text. If
a multiple selection contains any of these items, only the shape objects are distorted. To modify text, first convert the
characters to shape objects.
1 Select a shape on the Stage.
2 Select Modify > Transform > Envelope.
3 Drag the points and tangent handles to modify the envelope.
Scale objects
Scaling an object enlarges or reduces the object horizontally, vertically, or both.
1 Select a graphic object or objects on the Stage.
2 Select Modify > Transform > Scale.
3 Do one of the following:
• To scale the object both horizontally and vertically, drag one of the corner handles. Proportions are maintained as
you scale. Shift-drag to scale nonuniformly.
• To scale the object either horizontally or vertically, drag a center handle.
4 To end the transformation, click outside the selected object or objects.
Note: When you increase the size of a number of items, items near the edges of the bounding box might be moved off the
Stage. If this occurs, select View > Pasteboard to see the elements that are beyond the edges of the Stage.
More Help topics
“About 9-slice scaling and movie clip symbols” on page 171
“Edit movie clip symbols with 9-slice scaling” on page 172
Rotate and skew objects
Rotating an object turns it around its transformation point. The transformation point is aligned with the registration
point, which defaults to the center of the object, but you can move the point by dragging it.
You can rotate an object by the following methods:
• Dragging with the Free Transform tool
(you can skew and scale the object in the same operation).
• By specifying an angle in the Transform panel (you can scale the object in the same operation).
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Rotate and skew objects by dragging
1 Select the object or objects on the Stage.
2 Select Modify > Transform > Rotate And Skew.
3 Do one of the following:
• Drag a corner handle to rotate the object.
• Drag a center handle to skew the object.
4 To end the transformation, click outside the selected object or objects.
Rotate objects by 90°
1 Select the object or objects.
2 Select Modify > Transform > Rotate 90° CW to rotate clockwise, or Rotate 90° CCW to rotate counterclockwise.
Skew objects
Skewing an object transforms it by slanting it along one or both axes. You can skew an object by dragging or by
entering a value in the Transform panel.
1 Select the object or objects.
2 Select Window > Transform.
3 Click Skew.
4 Enter angles for the horizontal and vertical values.
Flip objects
You can flip objects across their vertical or horizontal axis without moving their relative position on the Stage.
1 Select the object.
2 Select Modify > Transform > Flip Vertical or Flip Horizontal.
Restore transformed objects
When you use the Free Transform tool or the Transform panel to scale, rotate, and skew instances, groups, and text,
Flash saves the original size and rotation values with the object. This lets you remove the transformations you applied
and restore the original values.
You can undo only the most recent transformation when you select Edit > Undo. You can remove all transformations
by clicking the Remove Transform button in the panel before you deselect the object. After you deselect the object the
original values are lost and the transformation cannot be removed.
Restore a transformed object to its original state
1 Ensure the transformed object is still selected.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the Remove Transform button
in the Transform panel
• Select Modify > Transform > Remove Transform
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Combining objects
To create new shapes by combining or altering existing objects, use the Combine Objects commands in the Modify
menu (Modify > Combine Objects). In some cases, the stacking order of selected objects determines how the operation
works.
Each command applies to specific types of graphic objects, which are noted below. A merge shape is a shape drawn
with a tool set to Merge Drawing mode. A drawing Object is a shape drawn with a tool set to Object Drawing mode.
The Combine Objects commands are:
Union Joins two or more merge shapes or drawing objects. The result is a single Object Drawing mode shape
consisting of all the portions visible on the shapes before they were unified. The unseen, overlapping portions of the
shapes are deleted.
Note: Unlike when you use the Group command (Modify > Group), you cannot break apart shapes joined by using the
Union command.
Intersect Creates an object from the intersection of two or more drawing objects. The resulting Object Drawing shape
consists of the overlapping portions of the combined shapes. Any part of the shape that doesn’t overlap is deleted. The
resulting shape uses the fill and stroke of the top-most shape in the stack.
Punch Removes portions of a selected drawing object as defined by the overlapping portions of another selected
drawing object positioned in front of it. Any part of a drawing object that is overlapped by the top-most object is
deleted, and the top-most object is deleted entirely. The resulting objects remain separate and are not combined into
a single object (unlike the Union or Intersect commands, which join the objects together).
Crop Uses the outline of one drawing object to crop another drawing object. The front or top-most object defines the
shape of the cropped area. Any part of an underlying drawing object that overlaps with the top-most object remains,
while all other portions of the underlying objects are deleted, and the top-most object is deleted entirely. The resulting
objects remain separate, and are not combined into a single object (unlike the Union or Intersect commands, which
join the objects).
Selecting objects
To modify an object, select it first. Select objects with the Pointer, Subselection, and Lasso tools. You can group
individual objects to manipulate them as a single object. Modifying lines and shapes can alter other lines and shapes
on the same layer. When you select objects or strokes, Flash highlights them with a marquee.
You can choose to select only an object’s strokes or only its fills. You can hide selection highlighting to edit objects
without viewing highlighting.
When you select an object, the Property inspector displays the following:
• The object’s stroke and fill, its pixel dimensions, and the x and y coordinates of the object’s transformation point
• A mixed selection, if you select multiple items. The pixel dimensions and x and y coordinates of the selected set of
items.
You can use a shape’s Property inspector to change that object’s stroke and fill.
To prevent a group or symbol from being selected and accidentally changed, lock the group or symbol.
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More Help topics
“Creating and Editing Artwork” on page 89
“Color” on page 131
“Group objects” on page 126
“About symbols” on page 150
Select objects with the Selection tool
The Selection tool lets you select entire objects by clicking an object or dragging to enclose the object within a
rectangular selection marquee.
Note: To select the Selection tool, you can also press the V key. To temporarily switch to the Selection tool when another
tool is active, hold down the Control key (Windows) or Command key (Macintosh).
To disable the Shift-selecting option, deselect the option in Flash General Preferences. See “Set preferences in Flash”
on page 32. Instances, groups, and type blocks must be completely enclosed to be selected.
• To select a stroke, fill, group, instance, or text block, click the object.
• To select connected lines, double-click one of the lines.
• To select a filled shape and its stroked outline, double-click the fill.
• To select objects within a rectangular area, drag a marquee around the object or objects to select.
• To add to a selection, hold down the Shift key while making additional selections.
• To select everything on every layer of a scene, select Edit > Select All, or press Control+A (Windows) or
Command+A (Macintosh). Select All doesn’t select objects on locked or hidden layers, or layers not on the current
Timeline.
• To deselect everything on every layer, select Edit > Deselect All, or press Control+Shift+A (Windows) or
Command+Shift+A (Macintosh).
• To select everything on one layer between keyframes, click a frame in the Timeline.
• To lock or unlock a group or symbol, select the group or symbol, and then select Modify > Arrange > Lock. Select
Modify > Arrange > Unlock All to unlock all locked groups and symbols.
Draw a freehand selection area
1 Drag the Lasso tool
around the area.
2 End the loop approximately where you started, or let Flash automatically close the loop with a straight line.
Draw a straight-edged selection area
1 Select the Lasso tool’s Polygon Mode modifier
in the options area of the Tools panel.
2 Click to set the starting point.
3 Position the pointer where you want the first line to end, and click. Continue setting end points for additional line
segments.
4 To close the selection area, double-click.
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Draw a selection area with both freehand and straight-line edges
When you use the Lasso tool and its Polygon Mode modifier, you can switch between the freehand and straight-edged
selection modes.
1 Deselect the Polygon Mode modifier of the Lasso tool.
2 To draw a freehand segment, drag the Lasso tool on the Stage.
3 To draw straight-edged segments, hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Macintosh) and click to set
start and end points for each new line segment.
4 To close the selection area, do one of the following:
• Release the mouse button; Flash Pro will close the selection area for you.
• Double-click on the starting end of the selection area line.
Hide selection highlighting
Hiding highlighting while you are selecting and editing objects lets you see how artwork appears in its final state.
❖ Select View > Hide Edges.
Select the command again to show selection highlighting.
Set custom bounding box colors for selected objects
You can set different colors to be used for the bounding box rectangles that appear around different kinds of selected
objects on the Stage.
1 Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Flash > Preferences (Macintosh).
2 Click the General category.
3 In the Highlight Color section, select a color for each type of object and click OK.
Set preferences for selecting
The Pointer, Subselection, and Lasso tools select objects by clicking on them. The Pointer and Subselection tools select
objects by dragging a rectangular selection marquee around the object. The Lasso tool selects objects by dragging a
free-form selection marquee around the object. When an object is selected, a rectangular box appears around the
object.
1 Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Flash > Preferences (Macintosh).
2 In the General category of the Preferences dialog box, do one of the following:
• To select only objects and points that are completely enclosed by the selection marquee, deselect Contact-Sensitive
Selection and Lasso tools. Points that lie within the selection area will still be selected.
• To select objects or groups that are only partially enclosed by the selection marquee, select Contact-Sensitive
Selection and Lasso tools.
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Arranging objects
Stack objects
In a layer, Flash stacks objects in the order in which they are created, placing the most recently created object at the
top of the stack. The stacking order of objects determines how they appear when they overlap. You can change the
stacking order of objects at any time.
Drawn lines and shapes always appear below groups and symbols on the stack. To move them up the stack, you must
group them or make them into symbols.
Layers also affect the stacking order. Everything on Layer 2 appears in front of everything on Layer 1, and so on. To
change the order of layers, drag the layer name in the Timeline to a new position.
1 Select the object.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select Modify > Arrange > Bring To Front Or Send To Back to move the object or group to the top or bottom of
the stacking order.
• Select Modify > Arrange > Bring Forward Or Send Backward to move the object or group forward or backward one
position in the stacking order.
If more than one group is selected, the groups move in front of or behind all unselected groups, while maintaining their
order relative to each other.
More Help topics
“Create and organize layers” on page 181
Align objects
The Align panel lets you align selected objects along the horizontal or vertical axis. You can align objects vertically
along the right edge, center, or left edge of the selected objects, or horizontally along the top edge, center, or bottom
edge of the selected objects.
For a tutorial about the layout tools in Flash, see Use Layout Tools on the Flash Tutorials page at
www.adobe.com/go/learn_fl_tutorials.
1 Select the objects to align.
2 Select Window > Align.
3 To apply alignment modifications relative to Stage dimensions, in the Align panel, select To Stage.
4 To modify the selected object(s), select the alignment buttons.
Group objects
To manipulate elements as a single object, group them. For example, after creating a drawing, you might group the
elements of the drawing so that you can easily select and move the drawing as a whole.
When you select a group, the Property inspector displays the x and y coordinates of the group and its pixel dimensions.
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You can edit groups without ungrouping them. You can also select an individual object in a group for editing without
ungrouping the objects.
❖ Select the objects to group. You can select shapes, other groups, symbols, text, and so on.
• To group objects, select Modify > Group, or press Control+G (Windows) or Command+G (Macintosh).
• To ungroup objects, select Modify > Ungroup, or press Control+Shift+G (Windows) or Command+Shift+G
(Macintosh).
Edit a group or an object within a group
1 Select the group, and then select Edit > Edit Selected, or double-click the group with the Selection tool.
Everything on the page that is not part of the group is dimmed, indicating that elements outside the group are
inaccessible.
2 Edit any element within the group.
3 Select Edit > Edit All, or double-click a blank spot on the Stage with the Selection tool.
Flash restores the group to its status as a single entity, and you can work with other elements on the Stage.
Break apart groups and objects
To separate groups, instances, and bitmaps into ungrouped, editable elements, you break them apart, which
significantly reduces the file size of imported graphics.
Although you can select Edit > Undo immediately after breaking apart a group or object, breaking apart is not entirely
reversible. It affects objects as follows:
• Severs a symbol instance’s link to its master symbol
• Discards all but the current frame in an animated symbol
• Converts a bitmap to a fill
• Places each character into a separate text block when applied to text blocks
• Converts characters to outlines when applied to a single text character.
Do not confuse the Break Apart command with the Ungroup command. The Ungroup command separates
grouped objects, returning grouped elements to the state they were in before grouping. It does not break apart
bitmaps, instances, or type, or convert type to outlines.
1 Select the group, bitmap, or symbol to break apart.
2 Select Modify > Break Apart.
Note: Breaking apart animated symbols, or groups in an interpolated animation is not recommended and might have
unpredictable results. Breaking apart complex symbols and large blocks of text can take a long time. You might need to
increase the application’s memory allocation to properly break apart complex objects.
Snapping art into position
To automatically align graphic elements with one another, use snapping. Flash Pro provides three ways for you to align
objects on the Stage:
• Object snapping snaps objects directly to other objects along their edges.
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• Pixel snapping snaps objects directly to individual pixels or lines of pixels on the Stage.
• Snap alignment snaps objects to a specified snap tolerance, a preset boundary between objects and other objects or
between objects and the edge of the Stage.
Note: You can also snap to the grid or to guides.
More Help topics
“About the main toolbar and edit bar” on page 17
“Drawing preferences” on page 95
Turn object snapping on or off
To turn on object snapping, use the Snap To Objects modifier for the Selection tool, or the Snap To Objects command
in the View menu.
If the Snap To Objects modifier for the Selection tool is on, a small black ring appears under the pointer when you drag
an element. The small ring changes to a larger ring when the object is within snapping distance of another object.
❖ Select View > Snapping > Snap To Objects. A check mark appears next to the command when it is on.
When you move or reshape an object, the position of the Selection tool on the object provides the reference point for
the snap ring. For example, if you move a filled shape by dragging near its center, the center point snaps to other
objects. This is particularly useful for snapping shapes to motion paths for animating.
Note: For better control of object placement when snapping, begin dragging from a corner or center point.
Adjust object snapping tolerances
1 Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Flash > Preferences (Macintosh), and click Drawing.
2 Under Drawing Settings, adjust the Connect Lines setting.
Use pixel snapping
To turn on pixel snapping, use the Snap To Pixels command in the View menu. If Snap To Pixels is on, a pixel grid
appears when the view magnification is set to 400% or higher. The pixel grid represents the individual pixels that
appear in your Flash Pro application. When you create or move an object, it is constrained to the pixel grid.
If you create a shape whose edges fall between pixel boundaries—for example, if you use a stroke with a fractional
width, such as 3.5 pixels—Snap To Pixels snaps to pixel boundaries, not to the edge of the shape.
• To turn pixel snapping on or off, select View > Snapping > Snap To Pixels. If the magnification is set to 400% or
higher, a pixel grid is displayed. A check mark appears next to the command when it is on.
• To turn pixel snapping on or off temporarily, press the C key. When you release the C key, pixel snapping returns
to the state you selected with View > Snapping > Snap To Pixels.
• To temporarily hide the pixel grid, press the X key. When you release the X key, the pixel grid reappears.
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Select settings for Snap Alignment
When you select Snap Alignment settings, set the snap tolerance between horizontal or vertical edges of objects, and
between objects’ edges and the Stage border. You can also turn on snap alignment between the horizontal and the
vertical centers of objects. All Snap Alignment settings are measured in pixels.
1 Select View > Snapping > Edit Snapping.
2 In the Edit Snapping dialog box, select the types of objects to want to snap to.
3
Click the Advanced button and select any of the following:
• To set the snap tolerance between objects and the Stage border, enter a value for Movie Border.
• To set the snap tolerance between the horizontal or vertical edges of objects, enter a value for Horizontal, Vertical,
or both.
• To turn on Horizontal or Vertical Center Alignment, select Horizontal or Vertical Center Alignment or both.
Turn on Snap Alignment
When Snap Alignment is turned on, dotted lines appear on the Stage when you drag an object to the specified snap
tolerance. For example, if you set Horizontal snap tolerance to 18 pixels (the default setting), a dotted line appears
along the edge of the object you are dragging when the object is exactly 18 pixels from another object. If you turn on
Horizontal Center Alignment, a dotted line appears along the horizontal center vertices of two objects when you
precisely align the vertices.
❖ Select View > Snapping > Snap Align. A check mark appears next to the command when it is on.
Create a guide layer
For help in aligning objects when drawing, create guide layers and align objects on other layers to the objects you create
on the guide layers. Guide layers are not exported and do not appear in a published SWF file. Any layer can be a guide
layer. Guide layers are indicated by a guide icon to the left of the layer name.
❖ Select the layer and Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) and select Guide from the context menu.
To change the layer back to a normal layer, select Guide again.
Moving and copying objects
Move objects by dragging
1 Select an object or multiple objects.
2 Select the Selection tool
, position the pointer over the object, and do one of the following:
• To move the object, drag it to the new position.
• To copy the object and move the copy, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Macintosh).
• To constrain the object’s movement to multiples of 45°, Shift-drag.
Move objects by using the arrow keys
1 Select an object or multiple objects.
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2 Do one of the following:
• To move the selection 1 pixel at a time, press the arrow key for the direction in which you want the object to move.
• To move the selection 10 pixels at a time, press Shift+arrow key.
Note: When Snap To Pixels is selected, the arrow keys move objects by pixel increments on the document’s pixel grid, not
by pixels on the screen.
Move objects by using the Property inspector
1 Select an object or multiple objects.
2 If the Property inspector is not visible, select Window > Properties.
3 Enter x and y values for the location of the upper-left corner of the selection.
The units are relative to the upper-left corner of the Stage.
Note: The Property inspector uses the units specified for the Ruler Units option in the Document Properties dialog box.
Move objects by using the Info panel
1 Select an object or multiple objects.
2 If the Info Panel is not visible, select Window > Info.
3 Enter x and y values for the location of the upper-left corner of the selection.
The units are relative to the upper-left corner of the Stage.
Move and copy objects by pasting
To move or copy objects between layers, scenes, or other Flash files, use the pasting technique. You can paste an object
in a position relative to its original position.
1 Select an object or multiple objects.
2 Select Edit > Cut or Edit > Copy.
3 Select another layer, scene, or file, and then select Edit > Paste In Place to paste the selection in the same position
relative to the Stage. Select Edit > Paste In Center to paste the selection in the center of the work area.
Copying objects with the clipboard
Elements copied to the clipboard are anti-aliased, so they look as good in other applications as they do in Flash. This
feature is useful for frames that include a bitmap image, gradients, transparency, or a mask layer.
Graphics pasted from other Flash documents or programs are placed in the current frame of the current layer. How a
graphic element is pasted into a Flash scene depends on the type of element it is, its source, and the preferences you
have set:
• Text from a text editor becomes a single text object.
• Vector-based graphics from any drawing program become a group that can be ungrouped and edited.
• Bitmaps become a single grouped object just like imported bitmaps. You can break apart pasted bitmaps or convert
pasted bitmaps to vector graphics.
Note: Before pasting graphics from Illustrator into Flash, convert colors to RGB in Illustrator.
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Copy transformed objects
You can create a scaled, rotated, or skewed copy of an object.
1 Select an object.
2 Select Window > Transform.
3 Enter scale, rotation, or skew values.
4 Click the Duplicate Selection and Transform button
in the Transform panel.
Color
Color models describe the colors we see and work with in digital graphics. Each color model, such as RGB, HSB, or
CMYK, represents a different method for describing and classifying color. Color models use numeric values to
represent the visible spectrum of color. A color space is a variant of a color model and has a specific gamut (range) of
colors. For example, within the RGB color model are a number of color spaces: Adobe® RGB, sRGB, and Apple® RGB.
While each of these color spaces defines color using the same three axes (R, G, and B), their gamuts are different.
When you work with the colors in a graphic, you are actually adjusting numerical values in the file. It’s easy to think
of a number as a color, but these numerical values are not absolute colors in themselves—they only have a color
meaning within the color space of the device that is producing the color.
Because each device has its own color space, it can reproduce colors only in its gamut. When an image moves from one
device to another, image colors may change because each device interprets the RGB or HSB values according to its own
color space. For example, it is impossible for all the colors viewed on a monitor to be identically matched in a print
from a desktop printer. A printer operates in a CMYK color space and a monitor operates in an RGB color space. Their
gamuts are different. Some colors produced by inks cannot be displayed on a monitor, and some colors that can be
displayed on a monitor cannot be reproduced using inks on paper.
When creating colors for use in Flash documents, keep in mind that even though it is impossible to perfectly match all
colors on different devices, you can achieve good results by considering the graphic display capabilities of the devices
in use by your target audience.
Adobe® Flash® Professional CS5 lets you apply, create, and modify colors using the RGB or HSB color models. Using
the default palette or a palette you create, you can choose colors to apply to the stroke or fill of an object you are about
to create, or an object already on the Stage.
When applying a stroke color to a shape, you can do any of the following:
• Apply a solid color, gradient, or bitmap to a shape’s fill. To apply a bitmap fill to a shape, you must import a bitmap
into the current file. Select any solid color, gradient, and the style and weight of the stroke.
• Create an outlined shape with no fill by using No Color as a fill.
• Create a filled shape with no outline by using No Color as an outline.
• Apply a solid color fill to text.
With the Color panel, you can create and edit solid colors and gradient fills in RGB and HSB modes.
To access the system color picker, select the Color Picker icon
Color panel, the Tools panel or Shape Property inspector.
from the Stroke Color or Fill Color control in the
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The Color panel
The Color panel lets you modify the color palette of a FLA and change the color of strokes and fills, including the
following:
• Import, export, delete, and otherwise modify the color palette for a FLA file by using the Swatches panel.
• Select colors in hexadecimal mode.
• Create multicolor gradients.
• Use gradients to produce a wide range of effects, such as giving an illusion of depth to a two-dimensional object.
The Color panel contains the following controls:
Stroke Color Changes the color of the stroke, or the border, of a graphic object.
Fill Color Changes the color of the fill. The fill is the area of color that fills up the shape.
Color Type menu Changes the fill style:
• None Removes the fill.
• Solid Color Provides a solid, single fill color.
• Linear Gradient Produces a gradient that blends on a linear path.
• Radial Gradient Produces a gradient that blends outward in a circular path from a central focal point.
• Bitmap Fill Tiles the selected fill area with a bitmap image that you can select. When you choose Bitmap, a dialog
box lets you select a bitmap image on your local computer, and add it to the library. You can apply this bitmap as a fill;
the appearance is similar to a mosaic tile pattern with the image repeated within the shape.
HSB Lets you change the Hue, Saturation, and Brightness of the colors in a fill.
RGB Lets you change the density of the red, green, and blue (RGB) colors in a fill.
Alpha Sets the opacity for a solid fill, or the currently selected slider for a gradient fill. An alpha value of 0% creates an
invisible (or transparent) fill; an alpha value of 100% creates an opaque fill.
Current Color Swatch Displays the currently selected color. If you select a gradient fill type (Linear or Radial) from the
fill Type menu, the Current Color Swatch displays the color transitions within the gradient you create.
System Color Picker Lets you select a color visually. Click System Color Picker and drag the cross-hair pointer until
you find the color you want.
Hexadecimal value Displays the current color’s hexadecimal value. To change the color using the hexadecimal value,
type in a new value. Hexadecimal color values (also called hex values) are 6-digit alphanumeric combinations that
represent a color.
Flow Lets you control colors applied past the limits of a linear or radial gradient.
• Extend Color (Default) Applies the colors you specify past the end of the gradient.
• Reflect Color Causes the gradient colors to fill the shape using a reflective mirroring effect. The gradients you
specify are repeated in a pattern from the beginning of the gradient to the end, and then repeated in the opposite
sequence from the end of the gradient to the beginning, and then back to the beginning of the gradient to the end until
the selected shape is filled.
• Repeat Color Repeats the gradient from the beginning of the gradient to the end until the selected shape is filled.
Note: Overflow modes are supported only in Adobe Flash Player 8 and later.
Linear RGB Creates a SVG-compliant (Scalable Vector Graphics) linear or radial gradient.
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Color palettes
Each Flash Pro file contains its own color palette, stored in the Flash Pro document. Flash Pro displays a file’s palette
as swatches in the Fill Color and Stroke Color controls and in the Swatches panel. The default color palette is the websafe palette of 216 colors. To add colors to the current color palette, use the Color panel.
You can import and export both solid and gradient color palettes between Flash Pro files, as well as between Flash Pro
and other applications.
More Help topics
“Create or edit a solid color” on page 134
The default palette and the web-safe palette
Save the current palette as the default palette, replace the current palette with the default palette defined for the file, or
load the web-safe palette to replace the current palette.
• To load or save the default palette, in the Swatches panel, select one of the following commands from the menu in
the upper-right corner:
Load Default Colors Replaces the current palette with the default palette.
Save As Default Saves the current color palette as the default palette. The new default palette is used when you create
new files.
• To load the web-safe 216-color palette, in the Swatches panel, select Web 216 from the menu in the upper-right
corner
Sort color by hue in the palette
To make it easier to locate a color, sort colors in the palette by hue.
❖ In the Swatches panel, select Sort by Color from the menu in the upper-right corner.
Import and export color palettes
To import and export both RGB colors and gradients between Flash Pro files, use Flash Pro Color Set files (CLR files).
Import and export RGB color palettes by using Color Table files (ACT files). You can also import color palettes, but
not gradients, from GIF files. You cannot import or export gradients from ACT files.
Import a color palette
1 In the Swatches panel, select one of the following commands from the menu in the upper-right corner:
• To append the imported colors to the current palette, select Add Colors.
• To replace the current palette with the imported colors, select Replace Colors.
2 Navigate to the desired file, select it, and click OK.
Export a color palette
1 In the Swatches panel, select Save Colors from the menu in the upper-right corner and enter a name for the color
palette.
2 For Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Macintosh), select Flash Color Set or Color Table. Click Save.
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Create or edit a solid color
You can create any color using the Color panel. If an object is selected on the Stage, the color modifications you make
in the Color panel are applied to the selection. You can select colors in RGB or HSB, or you can expand the panel to
use hexadecimal mode. You can also specify an alpha value to define the degree of transparency for a color. In addition,
you can select a color from the existing color palette.
You can expand the Color panel to display a larger color space in place of the color bar, a split color swatch showing
the current and previous colors, and a Brightness slider to modify color brightness in all color modes.
1 To apply the color to existing artwork, select an object or objects on the Stage, and select Window > Color.
2 Click the Stroke or Fill icon to specify which attribute to modify.
Note: Click the icon, not the Color control, or the Color Picker opens.
3 If you selected the Fill icon in step 3, verify that Solid is selected in the Type menu.
4 If an object is selected on the Stage, the color modifications you make in the Color panel are applied to the selection.
Do one of the following:
• To select a color, click in the color space in the Color panel. To adjust the brightness of the color, drag the
Brightness slider.
Note: To create colors other than black or white, make sure the Brightness slider is not set to either extreme.
• Enter values in the color value boxes: Red, Green, and Blue values for RGB display; Hue, Saturation, and
Brightness values for HSB display; or hexadecimal values for hexadecimal display. Enter an Alpha value to
specify the degree of transparency, from 0 for complete transparency to 100 for complete opacity.
• To return to the default color settings, black and white (black stroke and white fill), click the Black and White
button
.
• To swap colors between the fill and the stroke, click the Swap Colors button
• To apply no color to the fill or stroke, click the No Color button
.
.
Note: You cannot apply a stroke or fill of No Color to an existing object. Instead, select the existing stroke or fill,
and delete it.
• Click the Stroke or Fill Color control, and select a color.
5 To add the new color to the color swatch list for the current document, select Add Swatch from the menu in the
upper-right corner.
Duplicate, delete, and clear colors
Duplicate colors in the palette, delete individual colors, or clear all colors from the palette.
• To duplicate or delete a color, select Window > Swatches, click the color to duplicate or delete, and select Duplicate
Swatch or Delete Swatch from the panel menu. When duplicating a swatch, the paint bucket appears. Click in the
empty area of the Swatches panel with the paint bucket to make a duplicate of the selected color.
• To clear all colors from the color palette, in the Swatches panel, select Clear Colors from the panel menu. All colors
except black and white are removed from the palette.
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Strokes, fills, and gradients
Create or edit a gradient fill
A gradient is a multicolor fill in which one color gradually changes into another color. Flash Pro lets you apply up to
15 color transitions to a gradient. Creating a gradient is a good way to create a smooth color gradation across one or
more objects. You can save a gradient as a swatch to make it easy to apply the gradient to multiple objects. Flash Pro
can create two types of gradients:
Linear gradients change color along a single axis (horizontal or vertical).
Radial gradients change color in an outward direction starting from a central focal point. You can adjust the direction
of a gradient, its colors, the location of the focal point, and many other properties of the gradient.
Adobe® Flash® Professional CS5 provides additional control over linear and radial gradients for use with Flash Player.
These controls, called overflow modes, let you specify how colors are applied beyond the gradient.
For a sample of gradients, see the Flash Samples page at www.adobe.com/go/learn_fl_samples. Download and
decompress the Samples zip file and navigate to the Graphics\AnimationAndGradients folder to access the sample.
1 To apply a gradient fill to existing artwork, select an object or objects on the Stage.
2 If the Color panel is not visible, select Window > Color.
3 To select a color display mode, select RGB (the default setting) or HSB from the panel menu.
4 Select a gradient type from the Type menu:
Linear Creates a gradient that shades from the starting point to the end point in a straight line.
Radial Produces a gradient that blends outward in a circular path from a central focal point.
Note: When you select a linear or radial gradient, the Color panel also includes two other options if you are publishing
for Flash Player 8 or later. First, the Overflow menu is enabled below the Type menu. Use the Overflow menu to control
the colors applied past the limits of the gradient. Second, the gradient definition bar appears, with pointers below the
bar indicating the colors in the gradient.
5 (Optional) From the Overflow menu, select an overflow mode to apply to the gradient: Extend (the default mode),
Reflect, or Repeat.
6 (Optional) To create an SVG-compliant (Scalable Vector Graphics) linear or radial gradient, select the Linear RGB
check box. This will allow the gradient to look smooth when scaled to different sizes after it is first applied.
7 To change a color in the gradient, select one of the color pointers below the gradient definition bar (the triangle at
the top of the selected color pointer will turn black). Then click in the color space pane that appears above the
gradient bar. Drag the Brightness slider to adjust the lightness of the color.
8 To add a pointer to the gradient, click on or below the gradient definition bar. Select a color for the new pointer, as
described in the previous step.
You can add up to 15 color pointers, letting you create a gradient with up to 15 color transitions.
9 To reposition a pointer on the gradient, drag the pointer along the gradient definition bar. Drag a pointer down
and off of the gradient definition bar to remove it.
10 To save the gradient, click the triangle in the upper-right corner of the Color panel, and select Add Swatch from the
menu.
The gradient is added to the Swatches panel for the current document.
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11 To transform the gradient, such as to make a vertical gradient instead of a horizontal one, use the Gradient
Transform tool. See “Transform gradient and bitmap fills” on page 138 for more information.
Adjust Stroke and Fill color
You can specify the stroke and fill color of graphic objects and shapes using either the Stroke Color and Fill Color
controls in the Tools panel, or the Stroke Color and Fill Color controls in the Property inspector.
The Stroke Color and Fill Color section of the Tools panel contains controls for activating the Stroke Color and Fill
Color boxes, which in turn determine whether the strokes or fills of selected objects are affected by color choices. Also,
the Colors section has controls for quickly resetting colors to the default, setting the stroke and fill color settings to
None, and swapping fill and stroke colors.
In addition to letting you select a stroke and fill color for a graphic object or shape, the Property inspector provides
controls for specifying the stroke width and style.
To use these controls to change the painting attributes of existing objects, first select the objects on the Stage.
Adjust stroke and fill color using the Tools panel
The Tools panel Stroke Color and Fill Color controls set the painting attributes of new objects you create with the
drawing and painting tools. To use these controls to change the painting attributes of existing objects, first select the
objects on the Stage.
• Click the Stroke or Fill Color control, and select a color swatch.
• Click the System Color Picker button in the pop-up window, and select a color.
• Type a color’s hexadecimal value in the box.
• To return to the default color settings (white fill and black stroke), click the Black And White button in the Tools
panel.
• To remove any stroke or fill, click the No Color button.
Note: The No Color button appears only when you are creating an oval or rectangle. You can create an object without
a stroke or fill, but you cannot use the No Color button with an existing object. Instead, select the existing stroke or fill
and delete it.
• To Swap colors between the fill and the stroke, click the Swap Colors button in the Tools panel.
Apply a solid color fill using the Property inspector
1 Select a closed object or objects on the Stage.
2 Select Window > Properties.
3 To select a color, click the Fill Color control and do one of the following:
• Select a color swatch from the palette.
• Type a color’s hexadecimal value in the box.
Select a stroke color, style, and weight using the Property inspector
To change the stroke color, style, and weight for a selected object, use the Stroke Color control in the Property
inspector. For stroke style, choose from styles that are preloaded with Flash Pro, or create a custom style. To select a
solid color fill, use the Fill Color control in the Property inspector.
1 Select an object or objects on the Stage (for symbols, first double-click to enter symbol-editing mode).
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2 Select Window > Properties.
3 To select a stroke style, click the Style menu and select an option. To create a custom style, click Custom in the
Property inspector, select options in the Stroke Style dialog box, and click OK.
Note: Selecting a stroke style other than Solid can increase file size.
4 To select a stroke weight, set the Stroke slider or enter a value in the text box.
5 To enable stroke hinting, select the Stroke Hinting check box. Stroke hinting adjusts line and curve anchors on full
pixels, preventing blurry vertical or horizontal lines.
6 To set the style for a path end, select a Cap option:
None Is flush with the path’s end.
Round Adds a round cap that extends beyond the path end by half the stroke width.
Square Adds a square cap that extends beyond the path by half the stroke width.
7 (Optional) If you are drawing lines using the Pencil or Brush tools with the drawing mode set to Smooth, use the
Smoothing slider to specify the degree to which Flash Pro smooths the lines you draw.
By default, the Smoothing value is set to 50, but you can specify a value from 0 to 100. The greater the smoothing value,
the smoother the resulting line.
Note: When the drawing mode is set to Straighten or Ink, the Smoothing slider is disabled.
8 To define how two path segments meet, select a Join option. To change the corners in an open or closed path, select
a path and select another join option.
Miter, round, and bevel joins.
9 To avoid beveling a Miter join, enter a Miter limit.
Line lengths exceeding this value are squared instead of pointed. For example, a Miter limit of 2 for a 3-point stroke
means that when the length of the point is twice the stroke weight, Flash Pro removes the limit point.
Applying a Miter limit.
Adjust the strokes of multiple lines or shapes
To change the stroke color, width, and style of one or more lines or shape outlines, use the Ink Bottle tool. You can
apply only solid colors, not gradients or bitmaps, to lines or shape outlines.
Using the Ink Bottle tool, rather than selecting individual lines, makes it easier to change the stroke attributes of
multiple objects at one time.
1 Select the Ink Bottle tool from the Tools panel.
2 Select a stroke color.
3 Select a stroke style and stroke width from the Property inspector.
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4 To apply the stroke modifications, click an object on the Stage.
Copy strokes and fills
Use the Eyedropper tool to copy fill and stroke attributes from one object and immediately apply them to another
object. The Eyedropper tool also lets you sample the image in a bitmap to use as a fill.
1 To apply the attributes of a stroke or filled area to another stroke or filled area, select the Eyedropper tool and click
the stroke or filled area whose attributes you want to apply.
When you click a stroke, the tool automatically changes to the Ink Bottle tool. When you click a filled area, the tool
automatically changes to the Paint Bucket tool with the Lock Fill modifier turned on.
2 Click another stroke or filled area to apply the new attributes.
More Help topics
“Break apart groups and objects” on page 127
Modifying painted areas
The Paint Bucket tool fills enclosed areas with color. This tool lets you do the following:
• Fill empty areas, and change the color of already painted areas.
• Paint with solid colors, gradients, and bitmap fills.
• Use the Paint Bucket tool to fill areas that are not entirely enclosed.
• Have Flash Pro close gaps in shape outlines as you use the Paint Bucket tool.
1 Select the Paint Bucket tool from the Tools panel.
2 Select a fill color and style.
3 Click the Gap Size modifier that appears at the bottom of the Tools panel and select a gap size option:
• Don’t Close Gaps to close gaps manually before filling the shape. Closing gaps manually can be faster for complex
drawings.
• A Close option to have Flash Pro fill a shape that has gaps.
Note: If gaps are too large, you might have to close them manually.
4 Click the shape or enclosed area to fill.
More Help topics
“Adjust Stroke and Fill color” on page 136
“Work with imported bitmaps” on page 65
Transform gradient and bitmap fills
You can transform a gradient or bitmap fill by adjusting the size, direction, or center of the fill.
1 Select the Gradient Transform tool
from the Tools panel. If you do not see the Gradient Transform tool in the
Tools panel, click and hold on the Free Transform tool and then select the Gradient Transform tool from the menu
that appears.
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2 Click an area filled with a gradient or bitmap fill. A bounding box with editing handles appears. When the pointer
is over any one of these handles, it changes to indicate the function of the handle.
Center point The rollover icon for the center point handle is a four-way arrow.
Focal point The focal point handle appears only when you select a radial gradient. The rollover icon for the focal point
handle is an inverted triangle.
Size The rollover icon for the size handle (middle handle icon on the edge of the bounding box) is a circle with an
arrow inside of it.
Rotation Adjusts the rotation of the gradient. The rollover icon for the rotation handle (the bottom handle icon on the
edge of the bounding box) is four arrows in the shape of a circle.
Width Adjusts the width of the gradient. The rollover icon for the width handle (the square handle) is a double-ended
arrow.
A
B
C
D
E
Radial gradient controls
A. Center point B. Width C. Rotation D. Size E. Focal point.
Press Shift to constrain the direction of a linear gradient fill to multiples of 45°.
3 Reshape the gradient or fill in any of the following ways:
• To reposition the center point of the gradient or bitmap fill, drag the center point.
• To change the width of the gradient or bitmap fill, drag the square handle on the side of the bounding box. (This
option resizes only the fill, not the object containing the fill.)
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• To change the height of the gradient or bitmap fill, drag the square handle at the bottom of the bounding box.
• To rotate the gradient or bitmap fill, drag the circular rotation handle at the corner. You can also drag the lowest
handle on the bounding circle of a circular gradient or fill.
• To scale a linear gradient or a fill, drag the square handle at the center of the bounding box.
• To change the focal point of a circular gradient, drag the middle circular handle on the bounding circle.
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• To skew or slant a fill within a shape, drag one of the circular handles on the top or right side of the bounding box.
• To tile a bitmap inside a shape, scale the fill.
Note: To see all the handles when working with large fills or fills close to the edge of the Stage, select View > Pasteboard.
Lock a gradient or bitmap to fill the Stage
You can lock a gradient or bitmap fill to make it appear that the fill extends over the entire Stage and that the objects
painted with the fill are masks revealing the underlying gradient or bitmap.
When you select the Lock Fill modifier with the Brush or Paint Bucket tool and paint with the tool, the bitmap or
gradient fill extends across the objects you paint on the Stage.
Using the Lock Fill modifier creates the appearance of a single gradient or bitmap fill being applied to separate objects on the Stage.
More Help topics
“Modifying painted areas” on page 138
Use a locked gradient fill
1 Select the Brush or Paint Bucket tool and select a gradient or bitmap as a fill.
2 Select Linear or Radial from the Type menu in the Color panel.
3 Click the Lock Fill modifier
.
4 First paint the areas where you want to place the center of the fill, and then move to other areas.
Use a locked bitmap fill
1 Select the bitmap to use.
2 Select Bitmap from the Type menu in the Color panel.
3 Select the Brush or Paint Bucket tool.
4 Click the Lock Fill modifier
.
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5 First paint the areas where you want to place the center of the fill, and then move to other areas.
3D graphics
About 3D graphics in Flash
Flash Pro allows you to create 3D effects by moving and rotating movie clips in 3D space on the Stage. Flash Pro
represents 3D space by including a z axis in the properties of each movie clip instance. You add 3D perspective effects
to movie clip instances by moving them along their x axis or rotating them around their x or y axis using the 3D
Translation and 3D Rotation tools. In 3D terminology, moving an object in 3D space is called a translation and rotating
an object in 3D space is called a transformation. Once you have applied either of these effects to a movie clip, Flash Pro
considers it a 3D movie clip and a colored axes indicator appears overlaid onto the movie clip whenever it is selected.
To make an object appear nearer or further away from the viewer, move it along its z axis with the 3D Translation tool
or the Property inspector. To give the impression of an object that is at an angle to the viewer, rotate the movie clip
around its z axis with the 3D Rotation tool. By using these tools in combination, you can create realistic perspective
effects.
Both the 3D Translation and the 3D Rotation tools allow you to manipulate objects in global or local 3D space. Global
3D space is the Stage space. Global transforms and translations are relative to the Stage. Local 3D space is the movie
clip space. Local transforms and translations are relative to the movie clip space. For example, if you have a movie clip
containing several nested movie clips, local 3D transforms of the nested movie clips are relative to the drawing area
inside the container movie clip. The default mode of the 3D Translation and Rotation tools is global. To use them in
local mode, click the Global toggle button in the Options section of the Tools panel.
The Stage with a movie clip rotated in global 3D space.
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The Stage with a movie clip containing a nested movie clip rotated in local 3D space.
By using the 3D properties of movie clip instances in your FLA file, you can create a variety of graphic effects without
duplicating movie clips in the library. However, when you edit a movie clip from the library, 3D transforms and
translations that have been applied are not visible. When editing the contents of a movie clip, only 3D transforms of
nested movie clips are visible.
Note: Once a 3D transform is added to a movie clip instance, its parent movie clip symbol cannot be edited in Edit in
Place mode.
If you have 3D objects on the Stage, you can add certain 3D effects to all of those objects as a group by adjusting the
Perspective Angle and Vanishing Point properties of your FLA file. The Perspective Angle property has the effect of
zooming the view of the Stage. The Vanishing Point property has the effect of panning the 3D objects on the Stage.
These settings only affect the appearance of movie clips that have a 3D transform or translation applied to them.
In the Flash Pro authoring tool, you can control only one viewpoint, or camera. The camera view of your FLA file is
the same as the Stage view. Each FLA file has only one perspective Angle and Vanishing Point setting.
To use the 3D capabilities of Flash Pro, the publish settings of your FLA file must be set to Flash Player 10 and
ActionScript 3.0. Only movie clip instances can be rotated or translated along the z axis. Some 3D capabilities are
available through ActionScript that are not available directly in the Flash Pro user interface, such as multiple Vanishing
Points and separate cameras for each movie clip. Using ActionScript 3.0, you can apply 3D properties to objects such
as text, FLV Playback components, and buttons, in addition to movie clips.
Note: The 3D tools cannot be used on objects on mask layers and layers containing 3D objects cannot be used as mask
layers. For more information about mask layers, see “Using mask layers” on page 235.
Additional resources
The following resources provide additional detailed information about working with 3D graphics in Flash Pro:
Video tutorials:
• Working with 3D art (5:02) (Adobe.com)
• Flash Downunder – 3D rotation and 3D translation (25:50) (Adobe.com)
• Layers TV – Episode 74: 3D tools and sound (23:09) (Adobe.com)
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Articles:
• Mariko Ogawa has written a detailed article titled Exploring the new 3D features in Flash Professional in the Adobe
Flash Developer Center. The article describes using the 3D tools, animating 3D properties, and working with 3D in
ActionScript 3.0.
Move objects in 3D space
You move movie clip instances in 3D space with the 3D Translation tool . When you select a movie clip with the
tool, its three axes, X, Y, and Z, appear on the Stage on top of the object. The x axis is red, the y axis is green, and the z
axis is blue.
The default mode of the 3D Translation tool is global. Moving an object in global 3D space is the same as moving it
relative to the Stage. Moving an object in local 3D space is the same as moving it relative to its parent movie clip if it
has one. To toggle the 3D Translation tool between global and local modes, click the Global toggle button in the
Options section of the Tools panel while the 3D Translation tool is selected. You can temporarily toggle the mode from
global to local by pressing the D key while dragging with the 3D Translation tool.
The 3D Translation and Rotation tools occupy the same space in the Tools panel. Click and hold the active 3D tool
icon in the Tools panel to select the currently inactive 3D tool.
By default, selected objects that have 3D translation applied appear with a 3D axis overlay on the Stage. You can turn
off this overlay in the General section of Flash Preferences.
The 3D Translation tool overlay.
Note: Changing the z axis position of a 3D movie clip will cause the movie clip to appear to change its x and y position as
well. This is because movement along the z axis follows the invisible perspective lines which radiate from the 3D vanishing
point (set in the 3D symbol instance Property inspector) to the edges of the Stage.
Move a single object in 3D space
1 Select the 3D Translation tool
in the Tools panel (or press the G key to select it).
2 Set the tool to Local or Global mode.
Be sure that the tool is in the mode you want mode by checking the Global toggle button in the Options section of the
Tools panel. Click the button or press the D key to toggle the mode.
3 Select a movie clip with the 3D Translation tool
.
4 To move the object by dragging with the tool, move the pointer over the x-, y-, or z-axis controls. The pointer
changes when over any of the controls.
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The x- and y-axis controls are the arrow tips on each axis. Drag one of these controls in the direction of its arrow to
move the object along the selected axis. The z-axis control is the black dot at the center of the movie clip. Drag the zaxis control up or down to move the object on the z axis.
5 To move the object using the Property inspector, enter a value for X, Y, or Z in the 3D Position and View section
of the Property inspector.
When you move an object on the z axis, its apparent size changes. The apparent size appears in the Property inspector as
the Width and Height values in the 3D Position and View section of the Property inspector. These values are read-only.
Move a multiple-object selection in 3D space
When you select multiple movie clips, you can move one of the selected objects with the 3D Translation tool
the others move in the same way.
and
• To move each object in the group in the same way in global 3D space, set the 3D Translation tool to global mode
and then drag one of the objects with the axis controls. Shift-double-click one of the selected objects to move the
axis controls to that object.
• To move each object in the group in the same way in local 3D space, set the 3D Translation tool to local mode and
then drag one of the objects with the axis controls. Shift-double-click one of the selected objects to move the axis
controls to that object.
You can also move the axis controls to the center of the multiple selection by double-clicking the z-axis control. Shiftdouble-click one of the selected objects to move the axis controls to that object.
Rotate objects in 3D space
You rotate movie clip instances in 3D space with the 3D Rotation tool . A 3D rotation control appears on top of
selected objects on the Stage. The X control is red, the Y control is green, and the Z control is blue. Use the orange free
rotate control to rotate around the X and Y axes at the same time.
The default mode of the 3D Rotation tool is global. Rotating an object in global 3D space is the same as moving it
relative to the Stage. Rotating an object in local 3D space is the same as moving it relative to its parent movie clip if it
has one. To toggle the 3D Rotation tool between global and local modes, click the Global toggle button in the Options
section of the Tools panel while the 3D Rotation tool is selected. You can temporarily toggle the mode from global to
local by pressing the D key while dragging with the 3D Rotation tool.
The 3D Rotation and Translation tools occupy the same space in the Tools panel. Click and hold the active 3D tool
icon in the Tools panel to select the currently inactive 3D tool.
By default, selected objects that have 3D rotation applied appear with a 3D axis overlay on the Stage. You can turn off
this overlay in the General section of Flash Preferences.
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The Global 3D Rotation tool overlay.
The Local 3D Rotation tool overlay.
Rotate a single object in 3D space
1 Select the 3D Rotation tool
in the Tools panel (or press the W key).
Verify that the tool is in the mode that you want by checking the Global toggle button in the Options section of the
Tools panel. Click the button or press the D key to toggle the mode between global and local.
2 Select a movie clip on the Stage.
The 3D Rotation controls appear overlaid on selected object. If the controls appear in a different location, double-click
the control center point to move it to the selected object.
3 Place the pointer over one of the four rotation axis controls.
The pointer changes when over one of the four controls.
4 Drag one of the axis controls to rotate around that axis, or the free rotate control (outer orange circle) to rotate x
and y simultaneously.
Drag the X axis control left or right to rotate around the x axis. Drag the y-axis control up or down to rotate around
the y axis. Drag the z-axis control in a circular motion to rotate around the z axis.
5 To relocate the rotation control center point relative to the movie clip, drag the center point. To constrain the
movement of the center point to 45° increments, press the Shift key while dragging.
Moving the rotation control center point lets you control the effect of the rotation on the object and its appearance.
Double-click the center point to move it back to the center of the selected movie clip.
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The location of the rotation control center point for the selected object appears in the Transform panel as the 3D
Center Point property. You can modify the location of the center point in the Transform panel.
Rotate a multiple-object selection in 3D space
1 Select the 3D Rotation tool
in the Tools panel (or press the W key).
Verify that the tool is in the mode that you want by checking the Global toggle button in the Options section of the
Tools panel. Click the button or press the D key to toggle the mode between global and local.
2 Select multiple movie clips on the Stage.
The 3D Rotation controls appear overlaid on the most recently selected object.
3 Place the pointer over one of the four rotation axis controls.
The pointer changes when over one of the four controls.
4 Drag one of the axis controls to rotate around that axis, or the free rotate control (outer orange circle) to rotate X
and Y simultaneously.
Drag the x-axis control left or right to rotate around the x axis. Drag the y-axis control up or down to rotate around
the y axis. Drag the z-axis control in a circular motion to rotate around the z axis.
All of the selected movie clips rotate around the 3D center point which appears at the center of the rotation controls.
5 To relocate the 3D rotation control center point, do one of the following:
• To move the center point to an arbitrary location, drag the center point.
• To move the center point to the center of one of the selected movie clips, Shift-double-click the movie clip.
• To move the center point to the center of the group of selected movie clips, double-click the center point.
Changing the location of the 3D rotation center point lets you control the effect of the rotation on the objects.
The location of the rotation control center point for the selected object appears in the Transform panel as the 3D
Center Point. You can modify the location of the center point in the Transform panel.
Rotate a selection with the Transform panel
1 Open the Transform panel (Window > Transform).
2 Select one or more movie clips on the Stage.
3 In the Transform panel, enter the desired values in the 3D Rotation X, Y, and Z fields to rotate the selection. These
fields contain hot text, so you can drag the values to change them.
Note: The 3D rotation takes place in global or local 3D space, depending on the current mode of the 3D Rotation tool in
the Tools panel.
4 To move the 3D rotation point, enter the desired values in the 3D Center Point X, Y, and Z fields.
Adjusting the Perspective Angle
The Perspective Angle property of a FLA file controls the apparent angle of view of 3D movie clips on the Stage.
Increasing or decreasing the Perspective Angle affects the apparent size of 3D movie clips and their location relative
to the edges of the Stage. By increasing the Perspective Angle, you make 3D objects appear closer to the viewer. By
decreasing the Perspective Angle property, you make 3D objects appear further away. The effect is like zooming in or
out with a camera lens which changes the angle of view through the lens.
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The Stage with a Perspective Angle of 55.
The Stage with a Perspective Angle of 110.
The Perspective Angle property affects all movie clips with 3D translation or rotation applied to them. The Perspective
Angle does not affect other movie clips. The default Perspective Angle is 55° of view, like a normal camera lens. The
range of values is from 1° to 180°.
To view or set the Perspective Angle in the Property inspector, a 3D movie clip must be selected on Stage. Changes to
the Perspective Angle are visible on the Stage immediately.
The Perspective Angle changes automatically when you change the Stage size so that the appearance of 3D objects does
not change. You can turn off this behavior in the Document Properties dialog box.
To set the Perspective Angle:
1 On the Stage, select a movie clip instance that has 3D rotation or translation applied to it.
2 In the Property inspector, enter a new value in the Perspective Angle field, or drag the hot text to change the value.
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Adjust the Vanishing Point
The Vanishing Point property of a FLA file controls the orientation of the z axis of 3D movie clips on the Stage. The z
axes of all 3D movie clips in a FLA file recede toward the Vanishing Point. By relocating the Vanishing Point, you
change the direction that an object moves when translated along its z axis. By adjusting the position of the Vanishing
Point, you can precisely control the appearance of 3D objects and animation on the Stage.
For example, if you locate the Vanishing Point at the upper-left corner of the Stage (0, 0), then increasing the value of
the Z property of a movie clip moves the movie clip away from the viewer and toward the upper-left corner of the Stage.
Because the Vanishing Point affects all 3D movie clips, changing it also changes the position of all movie clips that have
a z-axis translation applied.
The Vanishing Point is a document property that affects all movie clips that have z-axis translation or rotation applied
to them. The Vanishing Point does not affect other movie clips. The default location of the Vanishing Point is the
center of the Stage.
To view or set the Vanishing Point in the Property inspector, a 3D movie clip must be selected on Stage. Changes to
the Vanishing Point are visible on the Stage immediately.
To set the Vanishing Point:
1 On the Stage, select a movie clip that has 3D rotation or translation applied to it.
2 In the Property inspector, enter a new value in the Vanishing Point field, or drag the hot text to change the value.
Guides indicating the location of the Vanishing Point appear on the Stage while dragging the hot text.
3 To move the Vanishing Point back to the center of the Stage, click the Reset button in the Property inspector.
Note: If you resize the Stage, the Vanishing Point does not update automatically. To maintain the 3D look created by a
specific placement of the Vanishing Point, you will need to reposition the Vanishing Point relative to the new Stage size.
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Chapter 6: Symbols, instances, and library
assets
Working with symbols
About symbols
A symbol is a graphic, button, or movie clip that you create once in the Flash Pro authoring environment or by using
the Button (AS 2.0), SimpleButton (AS 3.0), and MovieClip classes. You can then reuse the symbol throughout your
document or in other documents.
A symbol can include artwork that you import from another application. Any symbol that you create automatically
becomes part of the library for the current document.
An instance is a copy of a symbol located on the Stage or nested inside another symbol. An instance can be different
from its parent symbol in color, size, and function. Editing the symbol updates all of its instances, but applying effects
to an instance of a symbol updates only that instance.
Using symbols in your documents dramatically reduces file size; saving several instances of a symbol requires less
storage space than saving multiple copies of the contents of the symbol. For example, you can reduce the file size of
your documents by converting static graphics, such as background images, into symbols and then reusing them. Using
symbols can also speed SWF file playback, because a symbol needs to be downloaded to Flash® Player only once.
Share symbols among documents as shared library assets during authoring or at runtime. For runtime shared assets,
you can link assets in a source document to any number of destination documents, without importing the assets into
the destination document. For assets shared during authoring, you can update or replace a symbol with any other
symbol available on your local network.
If you import library assets with the same name as assets already in the library, you can resolve naming conflicts
without accidentally overwriting existing assets.
Additional introductory instruction about symbols is available from these resources:
• Adobe TV: Understanding symbols (2:28)
• Adobe Video Workshop: Creating and using symbols and instances (CS3) (7:12) (This video focuses on Flash
Professional CS3, but the information is still relevant.)
• Flash Professional Design Center article: Using Flash for the first time – Part 1: Building a banner
Types of symbols
Each symbol has a unique Timeline and Stage, complete with layers. You can add frames, keyframes, and layers to a
symbol Timeline, just as you can to the main Timeline. When you create a symbol you choose the symbol type.
• Use graphic symbols
for static images and to create reusable pieces of animation that are tied to the main
Timeline. Graphic symbols operate in sync with the main Timeline. Interactive controls and sounds won’t work in
a graphic symbol’s animation sequence. Graphic symbols add less to the FLA file size than buttons or movie clips
because they have no timeline.
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• Use button symbols
to create interactive buttons that respond to mouse clicks, rollovers, or other actions. You
define the graphics associated with various button states, and then assign actions to a button instance. For more
information, see Handling events in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash or Handling events in the
ActionScript 3.0 Developer’s Guide.
• Use movie clip symbols
to create reusable pieces of animation. Movie clips have their own multiframe Timeline
that is independent from the main Timeline—think of them as nested inside a main Timeline that can contain
interactive controls, sounds, and even other movie clip instances. You can also place movie clip instances inside the
Timeline of a button symbol to create animated buttons. In addition, movie clips are scriptable with ActionScript®.
• Use font symbols to export a font and use it in other Flash Pro documents.
Flash Pro provides built-in components, movie clips with defined parameters, that you can use to add user interface
elements, such as buttons, checkboxes, or scroll bars, to your documents. For more information, see About
Components in Using ActionScript 2.0 Components, or About ActionScript 3.0 Components in Using ActionScript
3.0 Components.
Note: To preview animation in component instances and scaling of 9-slice-scaled movie clips in the Flash Pro
authoring environment, select Control > Enable Live Preview.
More Help topics
“Creating buttons” on page 168
“Sharing library assets at runtime” on page 164
“Work with libraries” on page 159
“Embed fonts for consistent text appearance” on page 282
Create symbols
You can create a symbol from selected objects on the Stage, create an empty symbol and make or import the content
in symbol-editing mode, and create font symbols in Flash Pro. Symbols can contain all the functionality that Flash Pro
can create, including animation.
Using symbols that contain animation lets you create Flash Pro applications with a lot of movement while minimizing
file size. Consider creating animation in a symbol that has a repetitive or cyclic action—the up-and-down motion of a
bird’s wings, for example.
To add symbols to your document, use shared library assets during authoring or at runtime.
More Help topics
“Editing instance properties” on page 155
“Sharing library assets at runtime” on page 164
“Embed fonts for consistent text appearance” on page 282
Convert selected elements to a symbol
1 Select an element or several elements on the Stage. Do one of the following:
• Select Modify > Convert To Symbol.
• Drag the selection to the Library panel.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) and select Convert To Symbol from the context menu.
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2 In the Convert To Symbol dialog box, type the name of the symbol and select the behavior.
3 Click in the registration grid to position the registration point for the symbol.
4 Click OK.
Flash Pro adds the symbol to the library. The selection on the Stage becomes an instance of the symbol. Once you have
created a symbol, you can edit it in symbol edit mode by choosing Edit > Edit Symbols, or you can edit it in the context
of the Stage by choosing Edit > Edit In Place. You can also change the registration point of a symbol.
Create an empty symbol
1 Do one of the following:
• Select Insert > New Symbol.
• Click the New Symbol button at the lower left of the Library panel.
• Select New Symbol from the Library Panel menu in the upper-right corner of the Library panel.
2 In the Create New Symbol dialog box, type the name of the symbol and select the behavior.
3 Click OK.
Flash Pro adds the symbol to the library and switches to symbol-editing mode. In symbol-editing mode, the name of
the symbol appears above the upper-left corner of the Stage, and a cross hair indicates the symbol’s registration point.
4 To create the symbol content, use the Timeline, draw with the drawing tools, import media, or create instances of
other symbols.
5 To return to document-editing mode, do one of the following:
• Click the Back button.
• Select Edit > Edit Document.
• Click the scene name in the Edit bar.
When you create a symbol, the registration point is placed at the center of the window in symbol-editing mode. You
can place the symbol contents in the window in relation to the registration point. To change the registration point,
when you edit a symbol, move the symbol contents in relation to the registration point.
Convert animation on the Stage into a movie clip symbol
To reuse an animated sequence on the Stage, or to manipulate it as an instance, select it and save it as a movie clip
symbol.
1 On the main Timeline, select every frame in every layer of the animation on the Stage that you want to use. For
information on selecting frames, see “Insert frames in the Timeline” on page 179.
2 Do one of the following to copy the frames:
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) any selected frame, and select Copy Frames from the context
menu. To delete the sequence after converting it to a movie clip, select Cut.
• Select Edit > Timeline > Copy Frames. To delete the sequence after converting it to a movie clip, select Cut Frames.
3 Deselect your selection and make sure nothing on the Stage is selected. Select Insert > New Symbol.
4 Name the symbol. For Type, select Movie Clip, then click OK.
5 On the Timeline, click Frame 1 on Layer 1, and select Edit > Timeline > Paste Frames.
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This action pastes the frames (and any layers and layer names) you copied from the main Timeline to the Timeline of
this movie clip symbol. Any animation, buttons, or interactivity from the frames you copied now becomes an
independent animation (a movie clip symbol) that you can reuse.
6 To return to document-editing mode, do one of the following:
• Click the Back button.
• Select Edit > Edit Document.
• Click the scene name in the Edit bar above the Stage.
Duplicate symbols
Duplicating a symbol lets you use an existing symbol as a starting point for creating a symbol.
To create versions of the symbol with different appearances, also use instances.
Duplicate a symbol using the Library panel
❖ Select a symbol in the Library panel and do one of the following:
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and select Duplicate from the context menu.
• Select Duplicate from the Library Panel menu.
Duplicate a symbol by selecting an instance
1 Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage.
2 Select Modify > Symbol > Duplicate Symbol.
The symbol is duplicated, and the instance is replaced with an instance of the duplicate symbol.
Edit symbols
When you edit a symbol, Flash Pro updates all the instances of that symbol in your document. Edit the symbol in the
following ways:
• In context with the other objects on the Stage by using the Edit In Place command. Other objects are dimmed to
distinguish them from the symbol you are editing. The name of the symbol you are editing appears in an Edit bar
at the top of the Stage, to the right of the current scene name.
• In a separate window, using the Edit In New Window command. Editing a symbol in a separate window lets you
see the symbol and the main Timeline at the same time. The name of the symbol you are editing appears in the Edit
bar at the top of the Stage.
You edit the symbol by changing the window from the Stage view to a view of only the symbol, using symbolediting mode. The name of the symbol you are editing appears in the Edit bar at the top of the Stage, to the right of
the current scene name.
When you edit a symbol, Flash Pro updates all instances of the symbol throughout the document to reflect your
edits. While editing a symbol, use any of the drawing tools, import media, or create instances of other symbols.
• Change the registration point of a symbol (the point identified by the coordinates 0, 0) by using any symbol-editing
method.
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Edit a symbol in place
1 Do one of the following:
• Double-click an instance of the symbol on the Stage.
• Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and select
Edit in Place.
• Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage, and select Edit > Edit In Place.
2 Edit the symbol.
3 To change the registration point, drag the symbol on the Stage. A cross hair indicates the location of the registration
point.
4 To exit edit-in-place mode and return to document-editing mode, do one of the following:
• Click the Back button.
• Select the current scene name from the Scene menu in the Edit bar.
• Select Edit > Edit Document.
• Double-click outside the symbol content.
Edit a symbol in a new window
1 Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and select
Edit In New Window.
2 Edit the symbol.
3 To change the registration point, drag the symbol on the Stage. A cross hair indicates the location of the registration
point.
4 Click the Close box in the upper-right corner (Windows) or upper-left corner (Macintosh) to close the new
window, and click in the main document window to return to editing the main document.
Edit a symbol in symbol-editing mode
1 Do one of the following to select the symbol:
• Double-click the symbol’s icon in the Library panel.
• Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage, and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and select
Edit from the context menu.
• Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage and select Edit > Edit Symbols.
• Select the symbol in the Library panel and select Edit from the Library Panel menu, or right-click (Windows) or
Control-click (Macintosh) the symbol in the Library panel and select Edit.
2 Edit the symbol.
3 To exit symbol-editing mode and return to editing the document, do one of the following:
• Click the Back button at the left of the Edit bar at the top of the Stage.
• Select Edit > Edit Document.
• Click the scene name in the Edit bar at the top of the Stage.
• Double-click outside the symbol content.
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Working with symbol instances
Create instances
After you create a symbol, you can create instances of that symbol throughout your document, including inside other
symbols. When you modify the symbol, Flash Pro updates all instances of the symbol.
You can give names to instances from the Property inspector. Use the instance name to refer to an instance in
ActionScript. To control instances with ActionScript®, give each instance within a single timeline a unique name. For
more information, see Handling events in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash or Handling events in the
ActionScript 3.0 Developer’s Guide.
To specify color effects, assign actions, set the graphic display mode, or change the behavior of new instances, use the
Property inspector. The behavior of the instance is the same as the symbol behavior, unless you specify otherwise. Any
changes you make affect only the instance and not the symbol.
Create an instance of a symbol
1 Select a layer in the Timeline. Flash Pro can place instances only in keyframes, always on the current layer. If you
don’t select a keyframe, Flash Pro adds the instance to the first keyframe to the left of the current frame.
Note: A keyframe is a frame in which you define a change in the animation. For more information, see “Insert frames
in the Timeline” on page 179.
2 Select Window > Library.
3 Drag the symbol from the library to the Stage.
4 If you created an instance of a graphic symbol, to add the number of frames that will contain the graphic symbol,
select Insert > Timeline > Frame.
Apply a custom name to an instance
1 Select the instance on the Stage.
2 Select Window > Properties, and enter a name in the Instance Name box.
Editing instance properties
Each symbol instance has its own properties that are separate from the symbol. You can change the tint, transparency,
and brightness of an instance; redefine how the instance behaves (for example, change a graphic to a movie clip); and
specify how an animation plays inside a graphic instance. You can also skew, rotate, or scale an instance without
affecting the symbol.
In addition, you can name a movie clip or button instance so that you can use ActionScript to change its properties.
For more information, see Classes in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash or Objects and classes in Learning
ActionScript 3.0. To edit instance properties, you use the Property inspector (Windows > Properties).
The properties of an instance are saved with it. If you edit a symbol or relink an instance to a different symbol, any
instance properties you’ve changed still apply to the instance.
Set the visibilty of an instance (CS5.5 only)
You can make a symbol instance on the Stage invisible by turning off the Visible property. Using the Visible property
provides faster rendering performance than setting the symbol’s Alpha property to 0.
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The Visible property requires a Player setting of Flash Player 10.2 or later and is only compatible with movie clip,
button, and component instances.
1 Select the instance on the Stage.
2 In the Display section of the Properties panel, deselect the Visible property.
Change the color and transparency of an instance
Each instance of a symbol can have its own color effect. To set color and transparency options for instances, use the
Property inspector. Settings in the Property inspector also affect bitmaps placed in symbols.
When you change the color and transparency for an instance in a specific frame, Flash Pro makes the change as soon
as it displays that frame. To make gradual color changes, apply a motion tween. When tweening color, you enter
different effect settings in starting and ending keyframes of an instance, and then tween the settings to make the
instance’s colors shift over time.
Tweening gradually changes an instance’s color or transparency.
Note: If you apply a color effect to a movie clip symbol that has multiple frames, Flash Pro applies the effect to every frame
in the movie clip symbol.
1 Select the instance on the Stage, and select Window > Properties.
2 In the Property inspector, select one of the following options from the Style menu in the Color Effect section:
Brightness Adjusts the relative lightness or darkness of the image, measured on a scale from black (–100%) to white
(100%). To adjust brightness, click the triangle and drag the slider or enter a value in the box.
Tint Colors the instance with the same hue. To set the tint percentage from transparent (0%) to completely saturated
(100%), use the Tint slider in the Property inspector. To adjust tint, click the triangle and drag the slider or enter a
value in the box. To select a color, enter red, green, and blue values in the respective boxes, or click the Color control
and select a color from the Color Picker.
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Alpha Adjusts the transparency of the instance, from transparent (0%) to completely saturated (100%). To adjust the
alpha value, click the triangle and drag the slider or enter a value in the box.
Advanced Separately adjusts the red, green, blue, and transparency values of an instance. This is most useful to create
and animate subtle color effects on objects such as bitmaps. The controls on the left let you reduce the color or
transparency values by a specified percentage. The controls on the right let you reduce or increase the color or
transparency values by a constant value.
The current red, green, blue, and alpha values are multiplied by the percentage values, and then added to the constant
values in the right column, producing the new color values. For example, if the current red value is 100, setting the left
slider to 50% and the right slider to 100% produces a new red value of 150 ([100 x .5] + 100 = 150).
Note: The Advanced settings in the Effect panel implement the function (a * y+ b)= x where a is the percentage specified
in the left set of boxes, y is the color of the original bitmap, b is the value specified in the right set of boxes, and x is the
resulting effect (between 0 and 255 for RGB, and 0 and 100 for alpha transparency).
You can also change the color of an instance using the ActionScript ColorTransform object. For detailed information
on the Color object, see ColorTransform in ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference or ActionScript 3.0 Language and
Components Reference.
More Help topics
“Add classic tween animation to an instance, a group, or text” on page 225
Swap one instance for another
To display a different instance on the Stage and preserve all the original instance properties, such as color effects or
button actions, assign a different symbol to an instance.
For example, suppose you’re creating a cartoon with a rat symbol for your character, but decide to change the character
to a cat. You could replace the rat symbol with the cat symbol and have the updated character appear in roughly the
same location in all your frames.
Assign a different symbol to an instance
1 Select the instance on the Stage, and select Window > Properties.
2 Click the Swap button in the Property inspector.
3 Select a symbol to replace the symbol currently assigned to the instance. To duplicate a selected symbol, click
Duplicate Symbol and click OK.
Duplicating lets you base a new symbol on an existing one in the library and minimizes copying if you’re making
several symbols that differ slightly.
Replace all instances of a symbol
❖ Drag a symbol with the same name as the symbol you are replacing from one Library panel into the Library panel
of the FLA file you are editing and click Replace. If you have folders in the library, the new symbol must be dragged
into the same folder as the symbol you are replacing.
More Help topics
“Creating buttons” on page 168
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Change an instance’s type
To redefine an instance’s behavior in a Flash Pro application, change its type. For example, if a graphic instance
contains animation that you want to play independently of the main Timeline, redefine the graphic instance as a movie
clip instance.
1 Select the instance on the Stage, and select Window > Properties.
2 Select Graphic, Button, or Movie Clip from the menu in the Property inspector.
Set looping for a graphic instance
To determine how animation sequences inside a graphic instance play in your Flash Pro application, set options in the
Property inspector.
An animated graphic symbol is tied to the Timeline of the document in which the symbol is placed. In contrast, a
movie clip symbol has its own independent Timeline. Animated graphic symbols, because they use the same Timeline
as the main document, display their animation in document-editing mode. Movie clip symbols appear as static objects
on the Stage and do not appear as animations in the Flash Pro editing environment.
1 Select a graphic instance on the Stage, and select Window > Properties.
2 Select an animation option from the Options menu in the Looping section of the Property inspector:
Loop Loops all the animation sequences contained in the current instance for as many frames as the instance occupies.
Play Once Plays the animation sequence beginning from the frame you specify to the end of the animation and then
stops.
Single Frame Displays one frame of the animation sequence. Specify which frame to display.
3 To specify the first frame of the graphic symbol to display when looping, enter a frame number in the First text box.
The Single Frame option also uses the frame number you specify here.
Break apart a symbol instance
To break the link between an instance and a symbol and make the instance into a collection of ungrouped shapes and
lines, you break apart the instance. This feature is useful for changing the instance substantially without affecting any
other instance. For example, you must break apart an instance before applying a shape tween to it.
Changes to the source symbol for an instance do not affect an instance after it has been broken apart.
1 Select the instance on the Stage.
2 Select Modify > Break Apart. This action breaks the instance into its component graphic elements.
3 To modify these elements, use the painting and drawing tools.
Get information about instances on the Stage
The Property inspector and Info panel display the following information about instances selected on the Stage:
• In the Property inspector, view the instance’s behavior and settings—for all instance types, color effect settings,
location, and size; for graphics, the loop mode and first frame that contains the graphic; for buttons, the instance
name (if assigned) and tracking option; for movie clips, the instance name (if assigned). For location, the Property
inspector displays the x and y coordinates of either the symbol’s registration point or the symbol’s upper-left corner,
depending on which option is selected in the Info panel.
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• In the Info panel, view the instance’s size and location; the location of its registration point; its red (R), green (G),
blue (B), and alpha (A) values (if the instance has a solid fill); and the location of the pointer. The Info panel also
displays the x and y coordinates of either the symbol’s registration point or the symbol’s upper-left corner,
depending on which option is selected. To display the coordinates of the registration point, click the center square
in the Coordinate grid in the Info panel. To display the coordinates of the upper-left corner, click the upper-left
square in the Coordinate grid.
• In the Movie Explorer, view the contents of the current document, including instances and symbols.
View any actions assigned to a button or movie clip in the Actions panel.
Get information about an instance
1 Select the instance on the Stage.
2 Display the Property inspector (Window > Properties) or panel to use:
• To display the Info panel, select Window > Info.
• To display the Movie Explorer, select Window > Movie Explorer.
• To display the Actions panel, select Window > Actions.
View the symbol definition for the selected symbol in the Movie Explorer
1 Click the Show Buttons, Movie Clips, and Graphics button at the top of the Movie Explorer.
2 Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and select Show Symbol Instances and Go To Symbol
Definition; or select these options from the menu in the upper-right corner of the Movie Explorer.
Jump to the scene containing instances of a selected symbol
1 Display the symbol definitions.
2 Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and select Show Movie Elements and Go To Symbol
Definition; or select these options from the menu in the upper-right corner of the Movie Explorer.
Working with the library
Work with libraries
The library in a Flash Pro document stores media assets that you create in the Flash Pro authoring environment or
import to use in the document. You can create vector artwork or text directly in Flash Pro; import vector artwork,
bitmaps, video, and sound; and create symbols. A symbol is a graphic, a button, a movie clip, or text that you create
once and can reuse multiple times. You can also use ActionScript to add media content to a document dynamically.
The library also contains any components that you have added to your document. Components appear in the library
as compiled clips.
You can open the library of any Flash Pro document while you are working in Flash Pro, to make the library items
from that file available for the current document.
You can create permanent libraries in your Flash Pro application that are available whenever you start Flash Pro. Flash
Pro also includes several sample libraries containing buttons, graphics, movie clips, and sounds.
You can export library assets as a SWF file to a URL to create a runtime-shared library. This lets you link to the library
assets from Flash Pro documents that import symbols using runtime sharing.
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The Library panel (Window > Library) displays a scroll list with the names of all items in the library, which lets you
view and organize these elements as you work. An icon next to an item’s name in the Library panel indicates the item’s
file type.
More Help topics
“Working with Text Layout Framework (TLF) text” on page 258
“Using imported artwork” on page 61
“Sound” on page 299
“Video” on page 309
“Symbols, instances, and library assets” on page 150
Open a library in another Flash file
1 From the current document, select File > Import > Open External Library.
2 Navigate to the Flash Pro file whose library you want to open and click Open.
The selected file’s library opens in the current document, with the filename at the top of the Library panel. To use items
from the selected file’s library in the current document, drag the items to the current document’s Library panel or to
the Stage.
Resize the Library panel
❖ Do one of the following:
• Drag the lower-right corner of the panel.
• Click the Wide State button to enlarge the Library panel so it shows all the columns.
• Click the Narrow State button to reduce the width of the Library panel.
Change the width of columns
❖ Position the pointer between column headers and drag to resize.
You cannot change the order of columns.
Work with folders in the Library panel
You can organize items in the Library panel using folders. When you create a new symbol, it is stored in the selected
folder. If no folder is selected, the symbol is stored at the root of the library.
Create a new folder
❖ Click the New Folder button
at the bottom of the Library panel.
Open or close a folder
❖ Double-click the folder, or Select the folder and select Expand Folder or Collapse Folder from the Panel menu for
the Library panel.
Open or close all folders
❖ Select Expand All Folders or Collapse All Folders from the Panel menu for the Library panel.
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Move an item between folders
❖ Drag the item from one folder to another.
If an item with the same name exists in the new location, Flash Pro prompts you to replace it with the item you are
moving.
Sort items in the Library panel
Columns in the Library panel list the name of an item, its type, the number of times it’s used in the file, its linkage status
and identifier (if the item is associated with a shared library or is exported for ActionScript), and the date on which it
was last modified.
You can sort items in the Library panel alphanumerically by any column. Items are sorted within folders.
❖ Click the column header to sort by that column. Click the triangle button to the right of the column headers to
reverse the sort order.
Work with common libraries
You can use the sample common libraries included with Flash Pro to add buttons or sounds to your documents. You
can also create custom common libraries, which you can then use with any documents that you create.
Use an item from a common library in a document
1 Select Window > Common Libraries, and select a library from the submenu.
2 Drag an item from the common library into the library for the current document.
Create a common library for your SWF application
1 Create a Flash Pro file with a library containing the symbols that you want to include in the common library.
2 Place the Flash Pro file in the user-level Libraries folder on your hard disk.
• On Windows® XP, the path is C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application
Data\Adobe\Flash CS5\language\Configuration\Libraries\.
• On Windows® Vista®, the path is C:\Users\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\Flash
CS5\language\Configuration\Libraries\.
• On Mac OS, the path is Hard Disk/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash
CS5/language/Configuration/Libraries/.
More Help topics
“Configuration folders installed with Flash (CS5)” on page 398
Conflicts between library assets
If you import or copy a library asset into a document that already contains a different asset of the same name, choose
whether to replace the existing item with the new item. This option is available with all the methods for importing or
copying library assets.
The Resolve Library Items dialog box appears when you attempt to place items that conflict with existing items in a
document. A conflict exists when you copy an item from a source document that already exists in the destination
document and the items have different modification dates. Avoid naming conflicts by organizing your assets inside
folders in your document’s library. The dialog box also appears when you paste a symbol or component into your
document’s Stage and you already have a copy of the symbol or component that has a different modification date from
the one you’re pasting.
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If you choose not to replace the existing items, Flash Pro attempts to use the existing item instead of the conflicting
item that you are pasting. For example, if you copy a symbol named Symbol 1 and paste the copy into the Stage of a
document that already contains a symbol named Symbol 1, Flash Pro creates an instance of the existing Symbol 1.
If you choose to replace the existing items, Flash Pro replaces the existing items (and all their instances) with the new
items of the same name. If you cancel the Import or Copy operation, the operation is canceled for all items (not just
those items that conflict in the destination document).
Only identical library item types may be replaced with each other. That is, you cannot replace a sound named Test with
a bitmap named Test. In such cases, the new items are added to the library with the word Copy appended to the name.
Note: Replacing library items using this method is not reversible. Save a backup of your FLA file before you perform
complex paste operations that are resolved by replacing conflicting library items.
If the Resolve Library Conflict dialog box appears when you are importing or copying library assets into a document,
resolve the naming conflict.
Resolve naming conflicts between library assets
❖ Do one of the following in the Resolve Library Conflict dialog box:
• To preserve the existing assets in the destination document, click Don’t Replace Existing Items.
• To replace the existing assets and their instances with the new items of the same name, click Replace Existing
Items.
Work with library items
When you select an item in the Library panel, a thumbnail preview of the item appears at the top of the Library panel.
If the selected item is animated or is a sound file, you can use the Play button in the library preview window or the
Controller to preview the item.
Use a library item in the current document
❖ Drag the item from the Library panel onto the Stage.
The item is added to the current layer.
Convert an object on the Stage to a symbol in the library
❖ Drag the item from the Stage onto the current Library panel.
Use a library item from the current document in another document
❖ Drag the item from the Library panel or Stage into the Library panel or Stage of another document.
Copy library items from a different document
1 Select the document that contains the library items.
2 Select the library items in the Library panel.
3 Select Edit > Copy.
4 Select the document that you want to copy the library items to.
5 Select that document’s Library panel.
6 Select Edit > Paste.
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Edit a library item
1 Select the item in the Library panel.
2 Select one of the following from the Panel menu for the Library panel:
• To edit an item in Flash Pro, select Edit.
• To edit an item in another application, select Edit With and then select an external application.
Note: When starting a supported external editor, Flash Pro opens the original imported document.
Rename a library item
Changing the library item name of an imported file does not change the filename.
1 Do one of the following:
• Double-click the item’s name.
• Select the item and select Rename from the Panel menu for the Library panel.
• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the item and select Rename from the context menu.
2 Enter the new name in the box.
Delete a library item
When you delete an item from the library, all instances or occurrences of that item in the document are also deleted.
❖ Select the item and click the Trash Can icon at the bottom of the Library panel.
Find unused library items
To organize your document, you can find unused library items and delete them.
Note: It is not necessary to delete unused library items to reduce a Flash Pro document’s file size, because unused library
items are not included in the SWF file. However, items linked for export are included in the SWF file.
❖ Do one of the following:
• Select Unused Items from the Panel menu for the Library panel.
• Sort library items by the Use Count column, which indicates whether an item is in use.
More Help topics
“Sharing library assets at runtime” on page 164
Update imported files in the library
If you use an external editor to modify files that you have imported into Flash Pro, such as bitmaps or sound files, you
can update the files in Flash Pro without reimporting them. You can also update symbols that you have imported from
external Flash Pro documents. Updating an imported file replaces its contents with the contents of the external file.
1 Select the imported file in the Library panel.
2 Select Update from the Panel menu for the Library panel.
Copy library assets between documents
You can copy library assets from a source document into a destination document in a variety of ways. You can also
share symbols between documents as shared library assets during authoring or at runtime.
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If you attempt to copy assets that have the same name as existing assets in the destination document, the Resolve
Library Conflicts dialog box lets you choose whether to overwrite the existing assets or to preserve the existing assets
and add the new assets with modified names. Organize library assets in folders to minimize name conflicts when
copying assets between documents.
Copy a library asset by copying and pasting
1 Select the asset on the Stage in the source document.
2 Select Edit > Copy.
3 Make the destination document the active document.
4 To paste the asset in the center of the visible pasteboard, place the pointer on the Stage and select Edit > Paste In
Center. To place the asset in the same location as in the source document, select Edit > Paste In Place.
Copy a library asset by dragging
❖ With the destination document open, select the asset in the Library panel in the source document and drag the asset
into the Library panel in the destination document.
Copy a library asset by opening the source document library in the destination document
1 With the destination document active, select File > Import > Open External Library.
2 Select the source document, and click Open.
3 Drag an asset from the source document library onto the Stage or into the library of the destination document.
More Help topics
“Work with folders in the Library panel” on page 160
“Creating buttons” on page 168
“Sharing library assets at runtime” on page 164
Sharing library assets across files
Sharing library assets at runtime
About runtime shared library assets
Shared library assets let you use assets from one FLA file in another FLA file. This can be useful in these situations:
• When more than one FLA file needs to use the same artwork or other assets.
• When a designer and a developer want to be able to edit artwork and ActionScript code in separate FLA files for a
joint project.
Sharing library assets works like this:
• For runtime shared assets, assets from a source document are linked as external files in a destination document.
Runtime assets are loaded into the destination document during document playback—that is, at runtime. The
source document containing the shared asset does not need to be available on your local network when you author
the destination document. The source document must be posted to a URL for the shared asset to be available to the
destination document at runtime.
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Tutorials and videos
• Tutorial: Runtime Shared Library Tutorial (Flash CS4, includes some ActionScript 3.0, source: slekx.com)
Working with runtime shared assets
Using runtime shared library assets involves two procedures. First, the author of the source document defines a shared
asset in the source document and enters an identifier string for the asset and a URL (HTTP or HTTPS only) where the
source document will be posted.
Second, the author of the destination document defines a shared asset in the destination document and enters an
identifier string and URL identical to those used for the shared asset in the source document. Alternatively, the
destination document author can drag the shared assets from the posted source document into the destination
document library. The ActionScript version set in the Publish settings must match that of the source document.
In either scenario, the source document must be posted to the specified URL for the shared assets to be available for
the destination document.
Define runtime shared assets in a source document
To define sharing properties for an asset in a source document and make the asset accessible for linking to destination
documents, use the Symbol Properties dialog box or the Linkage Properties dialog box.
1 With the source document open, select Window > Library:
2 Do one of the following:
• Select a movie clip, button, or graphic symbol in the Library panel, and select Properties from the Library Panel
menu. Click Advanced.
• Select a font symbol, sound, or bitmap, and select Linkage from the Library Panel menu.
3 For Linkage, select Export For Runtime Sharing to make the asset available for linking to the destination document.
4 Enter an identifier for the symbol. Do not include spaces. This is the name Flash Pro uses to identify the asset when
linking to the destination document.
Note: Flash Pro also uses the linkage identifier to identify a movie clip or button that is used as an object in ActionScript.
See Working with movie clips in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash or Working with movie clips in the
ActionScript 3.0 Developer’s Guide.
5 Enter the URL where the SWF file containing the shared asset will be posted, and click OK.
When you publish the SWF file, you must post the SWF file to the URL you specified so that the shared assets are
available to destination documents.
Link to runtime shared assets from a destination document
You can link to a shared asset by entering its URL or by dragging the asset into the destination document.
Link a shared asset to a destination document by entering the identifier and URL
1 In the destination document, select Window > Library.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select a movie clip, button, graphic symbol, bitmap, or sound in the Library panel, and select Properties from the
Library Panel menu. Click Advanced.
• Select a font symbol, and select Linkage from the Library Panel menu.
3 For Linkage, select Import For Runtime Sharing to link to the asset in the source document.
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4 Enter an identifier for the symbol, bitmap, or sound that is identical to the identifier used for the symbol in the
source document. Do not include spaces.
5 Enter the URL where the SWF source file containing the shared asset is posted, and click OK.
Link a shared asset to a destination document by dragging
1 In the destination document, do one of the following:
• Select File > Open.
• Select File > Import > Open External Library.
2 Select the source document and click Open.
3 Drag the shared asset from the source document Library panel into the Library panel or onto the Stage in the
destination document.
Turn off sharing for a symbol in a destination document
1 In the destination document, select the linked symbol in the Library panel and do one of the following:
• If the asset is a movie clip, button, or graphic symbol, select Properties from the Library Panel menu.
• If the asset is a font symbol, select Linkage from the Library Panel menu.
2 Deselect Import For Runtime Sharing, and click OK.
Sharing library assets at author-time
Sharing assets at author-time has these advantages:
• Allows you to avoid the need for redundant copies of assets used in more than one FLA file. For example, if you are
developing a FLA for web browsers, another for iOS and another for Android, you can share assets among the 3
files.
• When you edit a shared asset in one FLA file, the changes are reflected in other FLA files that use the asset when
they are opened or brought into focus.
There are 2 ways of sharing library assets during authoring:
• Using symbols from external FLA files by linking to them from symbols in another FLA file.
• (CS5.5 only) Sharing symbols among FLA files that are part of the same Flash project in the Project panel. For
information about using the Project panel, see “Working with Flash projects” on page 49.
Sharing by linking to symbols in separate FLA files works like this:
• For shared assets during authoring, update or replace any symbol in a FLA file you are authoring with any symbol
in any other FLA file available on your local network.
• Update the symbol in the destination document as you author the document.
• The symbol in the destination document retains its original name and properties, but its contents are updated or
replaced with those of the symbol you select.
Sharing symbols using the Project panel works like this (CS5.5 only):
• You create a project in the Project panel and create a FLA file in the project.
• In that FLA file, you specify which symbols you want to share with other files by checking the sharing checkbox for
each item in the Library panel.
• Create a second FLA file in the project.
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• Copy and paste layers, frames, or items on the Stage from the first FLA file to the second.
• Flash moves the shared library items in the pasted elements to a separate file called AuthortimeSharedAssets.FLA
within the project folder.
The following assets types are sharable within a project:
Asset type
Sharable on its own?
Sharable if inside a movie clip?
Movie clip
symbol
Yes
Yes
Graphic symbol
Yes
Yes
Button symbol
Yes
Yes
Font symbol
No
Yes
FLV video
No
Yes
Embeded video
No
Yes
Sound (any
format)
No
Yes
Bitmap (any
format)
No
Yes
Compiled clip
(SWC)
No
Yes
Component
(symbol-based)
Yes
Yes
Update or replace shared symbols
You can update or replace a movie clip, button, or graphic symbol in a document with any other symbol in a FLA file
accessible on your local network. The original name and properties of the symbol in the destination document are
preserved, but the contents of the symbol are replaced with the contents of the symbol you select. Any assets that the
selected symbol uses are also copied into the destination document.
1 With the document open, select a movie clip, button, or graphic symbol in the Library panel and select Properties
from the panel Options menu.
2 If the Linkage and Source areas of the Symbol Properties dialog box are not showing, click Advanced.
3 To select a new FLA file, click Browse.
4 Navigate to a FLA file that contains the symbol to use to update or replace the selected symbol in the Library panel,
and click Open.
5 Navigate to a symbol, and click OK.
6 Do one of the following:
• CS5: In the Symbol Properties dialog box, under Source, select Always Update Before Publishing and click OK.
• CS5.5: In the Symbol Properties dialog box, under Authortime Sharing, select Update Automatically and click OK
Define assets for sharing in a project (CS5.5 only)
Sharing assets among FLA files in a project allows you to edit the asset in one file and see the changes reflected in the
other FLA files that use the asset.
1 Create a Flash project. See “Create projects” on page 49.
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2 In a FLA file in the project, for each library asset you want to share with other FLA files in the project, do one of the
following:
• Open the Library panel and select the Link checkbox next to the asset name.
• With the asset selected in the Library panel, choose Properties from the panel Options menu and then click the
Share with Project button.
3 In the Timeline or on the Stage, copy layers, frames, or Stage items containing shared assets.
4 In a separate FLA file in the same project, paste the layers, frames, or stage items into a separate FLA filer in the
same project.
Videos and tutorials
• Video: Flash Professional CS5.5 - Sharing assets across projects (3:51, Paul Trani, Adobe TV)
• Tutorial: Creating mobile projects with shared assets and the Project panel (Yuki Shimizu, Adobe.com)
Creating buttons
Basic steps for creating buttons
1 Decide what button type best suits your needs.
Button symbol Most people choose button symbols for their flexibility. Button symbols contain a specialized
internal timeline for button states. You can easily create visually different Up, Down, and Over states. Button
symbols also change their state automatically as they react to user actions.
Movie clip button You can use a movie clip symbol to create sophisticated button effects. Movie clip symbols can
contain almost any type of content, including animation. However, movie clip symbols do not have built-in Up,
Down, and Over states. You create those states yourself, using ActionScript. A disadvantage is that movie clip files
are larger than button files. Use these resources to learn how to create a button with a movie clip symbol:
• Tutorial: Movie Clip Buttons (ActionScript 3.0, Schoolofflash.com)
• Video: Creating a Movie Clip Button (ActionScript 2.0, Kirupa.com)
ActionScript button component Use a button component if you require only a standard button or a toggle, and you
don’t want to customize it extensively. Both ActionScript 2.0 and 3.0 button components come with built-in code
that enables state changes. So, you don’t have to define the look and behavior of button states. Simply drag the
component onto the Stage.
• ActionScript 3.0 button components allow for some customization. You can bind the button to other
components, and share and display application data. They have built-in features, such as accessibility support.
Button, RadioButton, and CheckBox components are available. For details, see Use the Button component in
Using Adobe ActionScript 3.0 Components. For examples of how to use Button components, see AS3 Button
Component Quick Start.
• ActionScript 2.0 button components are not customizable. The component enables state changes. For details,
see Button component.
2 Define your button states.
Up frame The appearance of the button when the user is not interacting with it.
Over frame fThe appearance of the button as the user is about to select it.
Down frame The appearance of the button as the user selects it.
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Hit frame The area that is responsive to clicks by the user. Defining this Hit frame is optional. If your button is
small, or if its graphic area is not contiguous, defining this frame can be useful.
• The contents of the Hit frame are not visible on the Stage during playback.
• The graphic for the Hit frame is a solid area large enough to encompass all graphic elements of the Up, Down,
and Over frames.
• If you don’t specify a Hit frame, the image for the Up state is used.
You can make a button that responds when a different area of the stage is clicked or rolled over (also called a
disjoint rollover). Place the Hit frame graphic in a different location than the other button frame graphics.
3 Associate an action with the button.
To make something happen when the user selects a button, you add ActionScript code to the Timeline. Place the
ActionScript code in the same frames as the buttons. The Code Snippets panel has pre-written ActionScript 3.0
code for many common button uses. See “Add interactivity with code snippets” on page 353.
Important: ActionScript 2.0 is not compatible with ActionScript 3.0. If your version of Flash uses ActionScript 3.0,
you can’t paste ActionScript 2.0 code into your button (and vice versa). Before you paste ActionScript from another
source into your buttons, verify that the version is compatible.
Create a button with a button symbol
To make a button interactive, you place an instance of the button symbol on the Stage and assign actions to the
instance. You assign the actions to the root timeline of the FLA file. Do not add actions to the timeline of the button
symbol. To add actions to the button timeline, use a movie clip button instead.
1 Choose Edit > Deselect All, or click an empty area of the Stage to ensure that nothing is selected on the Stage.
2 Choose Insert > New Symbol.
3 In the Create New Symbol dialog box, enter a name. For the symbol Type, select Button.
Flash Pro switches to symbol-editing mode. The Timeline changes to display four consecutive frames labeled Up,
Over, Down, and Hit. The first frame, Up, is a blank keyframe.
4 To create the Up state button image, select the Up frame in the Timeline. Then use the drawing tools, import a
graphic, or place an instance of another symbol on the Stage.
You can use graphic symbols or movie clip symbols inside a button, but you cannot use another button symbol.
5 In the Timeline, click the Over frame, and then choose Insert > Timeline > Keyframe.
Flash Pro inserts a keyframe that duplicates the contents of the preceding Up frame.
6 With the Over frame still selected, change or edit the button image on the Stage to create the appearance you want
for the Over state.
7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the Down frame and the optional Hit frame.
8 To assign a sound to a state of the button, select that state’s frame in the Timeline and choose Window > Properties.
Then select a sound from the Sound menu in the Property inspector. Only sounds you have already imported
appear in the Sound menu.
9 When you finish, choose Edit > Edit Document. Flash returns you to the main timeline of your FLA file. To create
an instance of the button you created on the Stage, drag the button symbol from the Library panel to the Stage.
10 To test a button’s functionality, use the Control > Test Movie > Test command. You can also preview the states of
a button symbol on the Stage by choosing Control > Enable Simple Buttons. This command allows you to see the
up, over, and down states of a button symbol without using Control > Test Movie > Test.
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Button symbol tutorials and examples
Some of these items show Flash CS3 or CS4, but still apply to Flash CS5.
• Video: Creating Buttons (Length: 9:16, tv.adobe.com)
• Video: Button symbols and interactivity in Flash CS4 (Includes some ActionScript 3.0, tv.adobe.com)
• Tutorial: Button symbols in Flash (Includes some ActionScript 3.0, Kirupa.com)
• Example: Animation portfolio piece (Flash Professional) (Adobe.com)
• Example: ActionScript 3.0 for a button to open a web page (Flashthusiast.com)
• Example: ActionScript 2.0 for a button to open an web page (Adobe.com)
• Example: ActionScript 3.0 for buttons to jump to different scenes in the Timeline (Flashthusiast.com)
• Example: ActionScript 3.0 for multiple buttons on the Stage at the same time (Flashthusiast.com)
• TechNote: How to create a simple button (Adobe.com)
More Help topics
“Using sounds in Flash” on page 299
Enable, edit, and test button symbols
By default, Flash Pro keeps button symbols disabled as you create them. Select and then enable a button to see it
respond to mouse events. Best practice is to disable buttons as you work and enable them to quickly test their behavior.
• To select a button, use the Selection tool to drag a selection rectangle around the button.
• To enable or disable buttons on the Stage, choose Control > Enable Simple buttons. This command acts as a toggle
between the two states.
• To move a button, use the arrow keys.
• To edit a button, use the Property inspector. If it isn’t visible, choose Windows > Properties.
• To test the button in the authoring environment, choose Control > Enable Simple Buttons.
• To test the button in Flash Player, choose Control > Test Movie [or Test Scene] > Test. This method is the only way
to test movie clip buttons.
• To test the button in the Library Preview panel, select the button in the Library and click Play.
Troubleshooting buttons
Use these resources to troubleshoot common problems with buttons:
• TechNote: Button actions are not working (Adobe.com)
• TechNote: Button hotspots are active even though the buttons are covered with other objects (Adobe.com)
• TechNote: Adding actions to shared buttons (Adobe.com)
• Video: Troubleshooting ActionScript 2.0 button symbols (Kirupa.com)
Additional button resources
The following TechNotes contain instructions for some specific button scenarios:
• TechNote: How to create a new button (Adobe.com)
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• TechNote: Creating advanced buttons (Adobe.com)
• TechNote: How to create a roll-out animation for a button (Adobe.com)
• TechNote: How to create a reset button (Adobe.com)
• TechNote: How can one button do different things at different times? (Adobe.com)
• TechNote: How to make a 'Back' button in a SWF file (Adobe.com)
Scaling and caching symbols
Scaling content on the Stage
You can scale items on the stage in these ways:
• Scale individual symbol instances with the Free Transform tool, Properties panel, or Transform panel.
• Scale individual symbol instances with 9-slice scaling and the tools and panels listed above.
• Scaling the entire contents of the Stage when resizing the stage (CS5.5 only).
Scale an individual symbol instance
1 Select the symbol instance on the Stage.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select the Free Transform tool in the Tools panel and then drag the corners or edges of the instance to resize it.
• Open the Properties panel (Window > Properties) and edit the Height and Width properties of the instance.
• Open the Transform panel (Window > Transform) and edit the Scale Width and Scale Height properties of the
instance.
Scale all content when resizing the Stage (CS5.5 only)
1 Choose Modify > Document.
2 In the Document Settings dialog box, enter new values for the Height and Width dimensions of the document. This
is the Stage size.
3 Select the Scale Content with Stage option. Click OK.
Scaling is applied to all content in all frames.
Tutorials and videos
• Video: Flash Professional CS5.5 - Scaling Assets (4:20, Adobe TV)
• ActionScript 3.0 Example: Scaling and resizing assets for use on multiple screens (Paul Trani,
cookbooks.adobe.com)
About 9-slice scaling and movie clip symbols
9-slice scaling allows you to specify how scaling is applied to specific areas of a movie clip. With 9-slice scaling, you
can ensure that the movie clip looks correct when scaled. With normal scaling, Flash Pro scales all parts of a movie clip
equally, and in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. For many movie clips, this equal scaling can make the
clip’s graphics look strange, especially at the corners and edges of rectangular movie clips. This is often true of movie
clips used as user interface elements, such as buttons.
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The movie clip is visually divided into nine sections with a grid-like overlay, and each of the nine areas is scaled
independently. To maintain the visual integrity of the movie clip, corners are not scaled, while the remaining areas of
the image are scaled (as opposed to being stretched) larger or smaller, as needed.
When a movie clip symbol has 9-slice scaling applied, it appears in the Library panel preview with the guides displayed.
If Enable Live Preview is turned on (Control > Enable Live Preview) when you scale instances of the movie clip on the
Stage, you see the 9-slice scaling applied on the Stage.
Note: 9-slice scaling cannot be applied to Graphic or Button symbols. Bitmaps inside 9-slice enabled movie clips are scaled
normally, without 9-slice distortion, while the other movie clip contents are scaled according to the 9-slice guides.
Note: 9-slice scaling is sometimes also referred to as “scale 9.”
A 9-slice-enabled movie clip can contain nested objects within it, but only certain types of objects inside the movie clip
properly scale in the 9-slice manner. To make a movie clip with internal objects that also adhere to 9-slice scaling when
the movie clip is scaled, those nested objects must be shapes, drawing objects, groups, or graphic symbols.
A 9-slice-enabled symbol in the Library panel and scaled on the Stage
For video tutorials about 9-slice scaling, see:
• www.adobe.com/go/vid0204
• www.adobe.com/go/vid0205
Edit movie clip symbols with 9-slice scaling
By default, slice guides are placed at 25% (or one-fourth) of the symbol’s width and height from the edge of the symbol.
In symbol-editing mode, the slice guides appear as dotted lines superimposed on the symbol. The slice guides don’t
snap when you drag them on the pasteboard. The guides do not appear when the symbol is on the Stage.
You cannot edit 9-slice-enabled symbols in place on the Stage. You must edit them in symbol-editing mode.
Note: Instances made from a 9-slice-enabled movie clip symbol can be transformed, but should not be edited. Editing
these instances can have unpredictable results.
For video tutorials about 9-slice scaling, see:
• www.adobe.com/go/vid0204
• www.adobe.com/go/vid0205
Enable 9-slice scaling for an existing movie clip symbol
1 With the source document open, select Window > Library.
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2 Select a movie clip, button, or graphic symbol in the Library panel.
3 Select Properties from the Library Panel menu.
4 Select Enable Guides for 9-slice Scaling.
Edit a 9-slice-enabled movie clip symbol
1 Enter symbol-editing mode by doing one of the following:
• Select an instance of the symbol on the Stage and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and select Edit.
• Select the symbol in the Library panel and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and select Edit.
• Double-click the symbol in the Library panel.
2 To move the horizontal or vertical guides, drag and release a guide. The new position of the guide is updated in the
Library preview for the symbol.
Improving rendering performance with bitmap caching
Runtime bitmap caching lets you optimize playback performance by specifying that a static movie clip (for example, a
background image) or button symbol be cached as a bitmap at runtime. By default, Flash Player redraws each vector
item on the Stage in every frame. Caching a movie clip or button symbol as a bitmap prevents Flash Player from having
to continually redraw the item, because the image is a bitmap and its position on the Stage does not change. This
provides a significant improvement in playback performance.
For example, when you create an animation with a complex background, create a movie clip containing all the items
included in the background. Then select Cache as Bitmap for the background movie clip in the Property inspector.
During playback, the background is rendered as a bitmap stored at the current screen depth. Flash Player draws the
bitmap on the Stage quickly and only once, letting the animation play faster and more smoothly.
Without bitmap caching, the animation might play back too slowly.
Bitmap caching lets you use a movie clip and freeze it in place automatically. If a region changes, vector data updates
the bitmap cache. This process minimizes the number of redraws that Flash Player must perform, and provides
smoother, faster playback performance.
Only use runtime bitmap caching on static, complex movie clips in which the position, but not the content, of the
movie clip changes on each frame in an animation. The playback or runtime performance improvement from using
runtime bitmap caching is only noticeable on complex-content movie clips. Runtime bitmap caching with simple
movie clips does not enhance performance.
For more information, see When to enable caching in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash.
Guy Watson has written a detailed article about using bitmap caching in the Flash Pro Developer Center titled Using
Bitmap Caching in Flash.
The Optimizing animations and FLA files (7:24) (CS3) video tutorial also provides tips on using runtime bitmap
caching.
Note: You can only use the Use Runtime Bitmap Caching option for movie clip and button symbols.
Under the following circumstances, a movie clip does not use a bitmap (even if Use Runtime Bitmap Caching is
selected) but instead renders the movie clip or button symbol by using vector data:
• The bitmap is too large (greater than 2880 pixels in either direction).
• Flash Player fails to allocate memory for the bitmap (producing an out-of-memory error).
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Specify bitmap caching for a symbol instance
1 Select the movie clip or button symbol on the Stage.
2 In the Property inspector, select the Cache as Bitmap option (CS5) or choose Cache as Bitmap from the Render
menu (CS5.5).
Specify a backround color for a cached symbol instance (CS5.5 only)
When Bitmap Caching is turned on for a symbol instance, you can choose an opaque background color for the
instance. By default the background is transparent.
1 Select the instance on the Stage.
2 In the Display section of the Properties panel, select opaque from the Bitmap Background menu.
3 Select a background color from the color picker.
Videos and tutorials
• Video: Flash Professional CS5.5 - Export as bitmap and cache as bitmap (2:06, Adobe TV)
Converting art between vector and bitmap formats
(CS5.5 only)
Advantages of vectors and bitmap formats
For definitions of vector and bitmap art, see “Vector and bitmap graphics” on page 89.
Vector artwork has these advantages:
• Smaller file sizes
• Scalable with no loss of fidelity
Bitmap artwork has these advantages:
• Faster rendering performance
• Requires less CPU speed
• More appropriate for mobile devices with slower processors
Render an instance as a bitmap on the Stage
The Export as Bitmap option allows you to render instances of movie clip and button symbols as bitmaps on the Stage
during authoring. Flash also uses these bitmaps when publishing a SWF file. Playback performance is faster than the
Cache as Bitmap option because it prevents Flash Player from having to do the conversion at runtime. This results in
better rendering on lower-performance devices.
Once you select the Export as Bitmap option, you can still double-click the instance to edit its symbol. The edits are
then reflected in the bitmaps on the Stage.
You can use the Export as Bitmap option on movie clips containing shapes, text, and 3D objects.
1 Select the movie clip or button instance on the Stage.
2 In the Display section of the Property inspector, choose Export as Bitmap from the Render menu.
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3 Choose an option from the Background menu (below the Render menu).
• Transparent
• Opaque - allows you to specify a background color for the bitmap.
Note: When instances of movie clips are rendered as bitmaps on the Stage, only the first frame of the movie clip is
rasterized. Flash preserves all the properties of the movie clip instance on its first frame, including any ActionScript in
frame 1. Also, Export as Bitmap is disabled for tweened symbols.
Create a bitmap from a stage selection
You can create a bitmap and add it to the library by using the Convert to Bitmap command.
1 Select one or more objects on the Stage.
2 Choose Modify > Convert to Bitmap.
Flash converts the selection to a bitmap, adds the bitmap to the library, and replaces the selection on the stage with an
instance of the bitmap.
The bitmap resolution is 24 bit with an alpha channel. The default format is PNG. You can change the format to JPEG
in the properties of the bitmap in the Library panel.
You cannot edit the bitmap in Flash Pro, but you can edit it in Photoshop or another image editor and then reimport
it into Flash Pro.
Videos and tutorials
• Video: Flash Professional CS5.5 - Export as bitmap and cache as bitmap (2:06, Adobe TV)
• Video: Flash Professional CS5.5 - Symbol Rasterization (1:46, Adobe TV)
Symbols and ActionScript
With ActionScript®, you can control symbols at runtime. Using ActionScript allows you to create interaction and other
capabilities in your FLA files that are not possible with the Timeline alone.
Controlling instances and symbols with ActionScript
To control movie clip and button instances, use ActionScript®. The movie clip or button instance must have a unique
instance name to be used with ActionScript. You can write the ActionScript yourself or use the pre-defined behaviors
included with Flash Pro.
For more information, see Handling events in Learning ActionScript 2.0 in Adobe Flash or Handling events in the
ActionScript 3.0 Developer’s Guide.
More Help topics
“Edit symbols” on page 153
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Controlling instances with behaviors
In FLA files where the ActionScript Publish setting is set to ActionScript 2.0, you can use behaviors to control movie
clip and graphic instances in a document without writing ActionScript. Behaviors are prewritten ActionScript scripts
that let you add ActionScript coding to your document without having to create the ActionScript code yourself.
Behaviors are not available for ActionScript 3.0.
You can use behaviors with an instance to arrange it in the stacking order on a frame, as well as to load or unload, play,
stop, duplicate, or drag a movie clip, or to link to a URL.
In addition, you can use behaviors to load an external graphic or an animated mask into a movie clip.
Flash Pro includes the behaviors in the following table.
Behavior
Purpose
Select or input
Load Graphic
Loads an external JPEG file into a movie clip or
screen.
Path and filename of JPEG file.
Loads an external SWF file into a target movie
clip or screen.
URL of external SWF file.
Duplicates a movie clip or screen.
Instance name of movie clip to duplicate.
Load External Movieclip
Duplicate Movieclip
Instance name of movie clip or screen receiving
the graphic.
Instance name of movie clip or screen receiving
the SWF file.
X-offset and Y-offset of pixels from original to
copy.
Goto And Play at frame or label
Plays a movie clip from a particular frame.
Instance name of target clip to play.
Frame number or label to play.
Goto And Stop at frame or label
Stops a movie clip, optionally moving the
playhead to a particular frame.
Instance name of target clip to stop.
Bring To Front
Brings target movie clip or screen to the top of
the stacking order.
Instance name of movie clip or screen.
Bring Forward
Brings target movie clip or screen one position
higher in the stacking order.
Instance name of movie clip or screen.
Send To Back
Sends the target movie clip to the bottom of the Instance name of movie clip or screen.
stacking order.
Send Backward
Sends the target movie clip or screen one
position lower in the stacking order.
Instance name of movie clip or screen.
Start Dragging Movieclip
Starts dragging a movie clip.
Instance name of movie clip or screen.
Stop Dragging Movieclip
Stops the current drag.
Unload Movieclip
Removes a movie clip that was loaded by means Instance name of movie clip.
of loadMovie() from Flash Player.
More Help topics
“Control sounds using behaviors” on page 307
“Control video playback using behaviors” on page 326
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Frame number or label to stop.
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Add and configure a behavior
Be sure you are working in a FLA file whose ActionScript Publish setting is ActionScript 2.0 or earlier.
1 Select the object, such as a button, to trigger the behavior.
2 In the Behaviors panel (Window > Behaviors), click the Add (+) button and select the desired behavior from the
Movieclip submenu.
3 Select the movie clip to control with the behavior.
4 Select a relative or absolute path.
5 If required, select or input settings for the behavior parameters and click OK. Default settings for the behavior
appear in the Behaviors panel.
6 Under Event, click On Release (the default event) and select a mouse event from the menu. To use the On Release
event, leave the option unchanged.
More Help topics
“Relative paths” on page 189
“Absolute paths” on page 188
Create custom behaviors
To write custom behaviors, create an XML file that contains the ActionScript 2.0 code to perform the desired behavior,
and save the file in the Behaviors folder of your local computer. Behaviors are stored in the following location:
• Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\Flash
CS3\language\Configuration\Behaviors
• Windows Vista: C:\Users\user name\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\Flash
CS3\language\Configuration\Behaviors
• Macintosh: Macintosh HD/Users/user name/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash
CS3/language/Configuration/Behaviors/
Before you create your own behaviors, examine the Behavior XML files to develop an understanding of the syntax
of the XML files, as well as the ActionScript code used to create behaviors. If you are new to writing behaviors,
familiarize yourself with the XML tags used to create user interface elements (such as dialog boxes), and with
ActionScript, the coding language used to create behaviors. To learn about the XML used to create interface
elements, see Extending Flash. To learn about ActionScript, see Learning ActionScript 3.0 or Learning ActionScript
2.0 in Adobe Flash.
You can also download behaviors that other Flash Pro users have created from the Adobe Flash Exchange website.
You can visit the Adobe Exchange at: www.adobe.com/go/flash_exchange.
1 Using an XML editor, open an existing behavior’s XML file, and rename the file appropriately for the behavior you
intend to create.
2 Enter a new value for the category attribute of the behavior_devinition tag in the XML file.
The following XML code creates a category named myCategory in the Flash Behaviors panel under which the behavior
will be listed.
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3 Enter a new value for the name attribute of the behavior_definition tag. This will be the name of the behavior as it
will appear in the Flash authoring environment.
4 (Optional) If your custom behavior requires a dialog box, enter parameters using the and
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