Modifying Symbol Instances

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You can change the appearance of individual symbol instances without changing the master symbol itself. As with any other element, you can resize and reposition an instance (for example, scale and rotate it) by using Toolbox tools, panels, and the Property Inspector (see Chapter 3).

You can also change a symbol instance's color and transparency, but the method differs from that for assigning colors to raw shapes . You modify the color, intensity, and transparency of a symbol instance via the Color menu in the Property Inspector.

To access the Property Inspector:

  • If the Property Inspector is not currently open , from the Window menu, choose Properties.

    The Property Inspector opens (Figure 6.21).

    Figure 6.21. Select a symbol instance on the Stage, and the Property Inspector becomes the gateway to modifying that symbol instance. You can alter the height, width, location, and behavior of the selected symbol by entering new values in the corresponding fields. You can apply color effects from the inspector's Color menu.

    graphics/06fig21.gif

To change an instance's brightness:

  1. On the Stage, select the symbol instance you want to modify.

  2. From the Property Inspector's Color menu, choose Brightness.

    A field for entering a new brightness percentage appears (Figure 6.22).

    Figure 6.22. Use the Brightness settings in the Property Inspector to change the intensity of a symbol instance.

    graphics/06fig22.gif

  3. Enter a value in the Brightness field.

    A value of -100 makes the symbol black; a value of 0 leaves the symbol at its original brightness; a value of 100 makes the symbol white (Figure 6.23).

    Figure 6.23. At its extremes, the Brightness setting lets you turn a symbol instance completely black or completely white.

    graphics/06fig23.gif

  4. Press Enter.

    Flash applies the brightness setting to the selected symbol on the Stage.

graphics/01icon02.gif Tip

  • To place a symbol instance quickly, you can drag the symbol name directly from the Library window to the Stage without using the previewed image.


To change the instance's color:

  1. On the Stage, select the symbol instance you want to modify.

  2. From the Property Inspector's Color menu, choose Tint. Tint-modification parameters appear (Figure 6.24).

    Figure 6.24. Use the Tint settings in the Property Inspector to change the color of a symbol instance.

    graphics/06fig24.gif

  3. To choose a new color, do one of the following:

    • In the Red, Green, and Blue fields, enter new RGB values.

    • Click the tint-color box, and choose a color from the swatch set that appears.

  4. Type a percentage in the Tint Amount field.

    The tint percentage indicates how much of the new color to blend with the existing colors. Applying a tint of 100 percent changes all the lines and fills in the symbol to the new color. Applying a lesser percentage mixes some of the new color with the existing colors in the symbol. It's almost like placing a transparent film of the new color over the symbol.

  5. Press Enter.

    Flash applies the tint settings to the selected symbol on the Stage.

To change the instance's transparency:

  1. On the Stage, select the symbol instance you want to modify.

  2. From the Property Inspector's Color menu, choose Alpha (Figure 6.25).

    Figure 6.25. Use the Alpha settings in the Property Inspector to change the transparency of a symbol instance.

    graphics/06fig25.gif

  3. Enter a new value in the Alpha field.

    A value of 0 makes the symbol completely transparent; a value of 100 makes the symbol completely opaque .

  4. Press Enter.

    Flash applies the alpha setting to the selected symbol on the Stage.

To change the instance's tint and alpha simultaneously :

  1. On the Stage, select the symbol instance you want to modify.

  2. From the Property Inspector's Color menu, choose Advanced.

    A Settings buton appears to the right of the menu in the Property Inspector.

  3. Click the Settings button.

    The Advanced Effect dialog box appears (Figure 6.26). This dialog box contains sliders and text boxes for changing red, green, blue, and alpha values.

    Figure 6.26. Click the Advanced Settings button in the Property Inspector (top) to access the Advanced Effect dialog box (bottom). Enter new values to change the color and transparency of a symbol instance.

    graphics/06fig26.gif

  4. Adjust the values to fine-tune the color and transparency of the symbol instance.

  5. To apply the color effect, click OK.

graphics/01icon02.gif Tips

  • Instead of pressing Enter to confirm a value you enter in one of the Property Inspector's fields, you can just click elsewhere in the Property Inspector or click the Stage.

  • To preview new color values interactively, click and drag the triangle to the right of an entry field. Flash updates the symbol on the Stage as you drag the slider lever. When you release the slider, Flash confirms the change; you don't need to press Enter.


The Mystery of Advanced Effect Settings

The Advanced Effect settings allow you to change the RGB values and alpha values for a symbol instance simultaneously. The sliders in the left-hand column control what percentage of the RGB and alpha values that make up the colors in the original symbol will appear in the symbol instance. The sliders on the right add to or subtract from the red, green, blue, and alpha values of the original colors.

Imagine a symbol with three ovals. One is pure red, one is pure green, and one is pure blue. The alpha setting is 50 percent. Changing the percentage of the red slider (the column on the left) affects only the red oval. The green and blue ovals contain no red at all; doubling the amount of red in a pure green doesn't change the green. Changing the slider in the right-hand column affects the amount of red in everything, including the green and blue ovals. These ovals now start to change color.

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Macromedia Flash MX for Windows and Macintosh. Visual QuickStart Guide
Macromedia Flash MX 2004 for Windows and Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guides)
ISBN: 0582851165
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 243

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