Section 2.4. Copying and Pasting Drawn Objects

2.4. Copying and Pasting Drawn Objects

Copying graphic elements and pasting themeither into the same frame, into another frame, or even into another documentis much faster than drawing new objects from scratch. It's also the most familiar. If you've ever copied text in a word processing or spreadsheet document and pasted it somewhere else, you know the drill.

A simple copy-and-paste is the best way to go when you're experimenting: for example, when you want to see whether the blue-eyed wallaby you drew for one animation looks good in another. But if you're trying to keep your animation's finished file size as small as possible, or if you plan to include more than one copy of that wallaby, copying and pasting isn't the best way to go. Instead, you'll want to look into symbols (Section 7.1).

To copy and paste an image:

1. On the Stage, select the image you want to copy .

   Section 2.2.3 gives you an overview of the selection tools. In Figure 2-21, the butterfly is selected.

   Choose Edit Copy (or press Ctrl+C in Windows; -C on the Mac). Then select the keyframe into which you want to paste the image.

   You can paste the image in the keyframe you're in, or you can select another one. Flash doesn't restrict you to the document you currently have open; you can open another document to paste the image into.

   Choose one of the Paste commands. Your options include:

   Edit Paste in Center . Tells Flash to paste the image in the center of the Stage.

   Edit Paste in Place . Tells Flash to paste the image in the same spot it was on the original Stage. (If you choose this option to paste an image to the same Stage as the original, youll need to drag the pasted copy off the original to see it.)

   Edit Paste Special . (Windows only) Displays a Paste Special dialog box that lets you paste an image as a device-independent bitmap (an uneditable version of your image with a fixed background the size and shape of the selection box).

   Flash pastes your image based on your selection, leaving your original copy intact.

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Tip: If all you want to do is make a quick copy of an image on the same Stage as the original, Flash gives you an easier way than copying and pasting. Select Edit Duplicate (or press Ctrl+D in Windows; -D on the Mac). When you do, Flash pastes a copy of the image just a little below and to the right of your original image, ready for you to reposition as you see fit.

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