Section 5.6. Saving Color Swatches


5.6. Saving Color Swatches

After you go to all the hard work of creating a custom color as described in the preceding section, you're probably going to want to save that color as a virtual swatch so that you can reuse it again without having to try to remember how you mixed it.

To save a custom color swatch, first create a custom color as described in the preceding section. Then follow these steps:

  1. In the Color panel, select the Color Swatches tab .

    (If you don't see the Color panel, choose Window and then, from the dropdown menu that appears, turn on the checkbox next to Color Swatches.)

    Flash displays the Color Swatches tab in Figure 5-33.

  2. Move your cursor over the bottom half of the panel, anywhere below the color chart .

    Your cursor turns into a miniature paint bucket.

  3. Click anywhere below the color chart .

    Flash adds your new custom swatch to the bottom of the color chart on the left.

Figure 5-33. Saving a specific color as a color swatchwhether it's one you custom-mixed or a standard color you found on the palette and likedis kind of like saving the empty paint can after you paint your kitchen. The next time you want to use that particular color, all you have to do is grab the swatch (instead of relying on your memory or spending hours trying to recreate the exact shade ). If you work with color a lot, swatches can make your life a whole lot easier.

After you've saved a custom swatch, you can use it to change the color of a stroke or a fill, as you see in the following sections.

5.6.1. Using an Image as a Fill "Color"

Instead of choosing or blending a custom color, you can select an image to use as a fill "color." You can select any image in Flash's Library panel (Section 1.4.10) or anywhere on your computer and apply that image to any size or shape of fill to create some pretty interesting effects.

As you can see in the following pages, the result depends on both the size and shape of the fill and the image you choose.

To use an image as a fill color:

  1. Select all the fills you want to "color."

    Figure 5-34 (bottom) shows an example of two files: a star, and a freeform fill created using the Brush.

  2. In the Color Mixer tab of the Color panel, click the arrow next to Type (the Fill Style field) and, from the drop-down list that appears, choose Bitmap .

    Flash displays the "Import to Library" window (Figure 5-34, top).


    Note: To import additional image files to use as fills: in the Color Mixer tab of the Color panel, click the button marked Import (Figure 5-34, bottom). Then, with the fill on the Stage selected, click the image you want to use.
  3. In the "Import to Library" window, select the image file you want and then click Open .

    Flash displays the image in the bottom of the Color Mixer panel, as well as next to the Fill icon, and " paints " your fills with the image. If your fill's larger than your image, Flash tiles the image, as shown in Figure 5-35.

Figure 5-34. Top: The first time you head to the Color Mixer tab of the Color panel and, in the Fill Style field, select Bitmap (see below), Flash pops open this Import to Library window. Despite the name of the Fill Style selection (Bitmap), Flash lets you import JPEG and other types of image files; you're not limited to .bmp files. Browse your computer for the image file you want and then click Open.
Bottom: The result: You get a custom "color" that consists of your image file. You apply this image to a fill (such as the star or freeform fill you see here) just as you do any other color.


Tip: If you apply the new fill "color" to an image by clicking the Paint Bucket icon and then clicking the fill, Flash tiles super-tiny versions of the image inside the fill to create a textured pattern effect.

5.6.2. Applying a Gradient

A gradient is a fill coloring effect that blends bands of color into each other. Flash offers linear gradients (straight up-and-down, left-to-right bands of color) and radial gradients (bands of color that begin in the center of a circle and radiate outward).

By applying a gradient to your fills, you can create the illusion of depth and perspective. For example, you can make a circle look like a sphere, a line that looks like it's fading, and text that looks like it's reflecting light (Figure 5-36).

Figure 5-35. How Flash applies your image to your fill depends on the size of your fill and the size of your image (and whether you select the fill and then change the Style Type to Bitmap, or vice versa). Here, the star is smaller than the image imported into Flash, so Flash shows a single image framed by the star's outline. Because the freeform fill is larger than the image, Flash tiles the image inside the freeform fill. Note, too, that Flash sticks the image you imported into the Library panel.

Figure 5-36. Applying one of the preset radial gradients that Flash provides turns this circle into a ball, and makes this text look so shiny that it's reflecting light. The thin rectangle beneath the text is sporting a linear gradient; its bands of color blend from left to right.

You can apply a gradient swatch to your fills, or you can create your own custom gradients in Flash, much the same way you create your own custom colors (Section 5.5).

To apply a gradient swatch to an object:

  1. On the Stage, select the object to which you want to add a gradient .

    Flash highlights the selected object.

  2. Click the Fill Color icon .

    Flash displays the Color Picker (Figure 5-37).

  3. From the Color Picker, choose one of the six gradient swatches that come with Flash .

    Flash automatically redisplays your object using the gradient swatch you chose. Figure 5-37 shows a red radial gradient applied to a plain circle to create a simple 3-D effect.

To create a custom gradient:

  1. On the Stage, select the object to which you want to apply a custom gradient .

    Flash highlights the selected object.

    Figure 5-37. Applying a gradient swatch is just as easy as applying a color. Flash comes with four radial gradient swatches (white, red, green, and blue) and two linear gradient swatches (blue/orange and rainbow). If one of these creates the effect you want, great. If not, you can change any of them to create your own custom gradient effects, as you see in the next section.
  2. Apply a gradient swatch to the object (see Section 5.6.2 ).

    If you like, change the color of the gradient, as described next.

  3. In the Color Mixer tab of the Color panel, double-click the first Color Pointer to select it .

    Flash displays a Color Picker.

  4. In the Color Picker, click to select a color .

    In your selected object, Flash turns the color at the center (for a radial gradient) or at the very left (for a linear gradient) to the color you chose. Repeat these two steps for each Color Pointer to change the color of each band of color in your gradient.

    If you like, change the thickness and definition of your gradient's color bands, as described next.

  5. In the Color Mixer tab of the Color panel, drag the first Color Pointer to the right .

    The farther to the right you drag it, the more of that color appears in your custom gradient. The farther to the left you drag it, the less of that color appears in your custom gradient. Repeat this step for each band of color in your gradient.

    Next, if you like, you can add a new band of color to your custom gradient.

  6. In the Color Mixer tab of the Color panel, click anywhere on the Gradient Edit Bar .

    Flash creates a new Color Pointer (see Figure 5-38), which you can edit as described in step 3. You can add as many Color Pointers (new bands of color) to your gradient as you like.

    Figure 5-38. Creating a custom gradient is more art than science. As you create new color bands, adjust the colors, and widen and thin each band using the Color Points, keep an eye on the Gradient Preview Window and on your selected object, too; Flash updates both as you edit your gradient, so you can see at a glance whether you like the effects you're creating.

    For even more excitement, apply one or more gradient transforms to your object, as described next.

  7. In the Tools panel, click the Gradient Transform tool .

    Flash displays a rotation arrow, a stretch arrow, and a reposition point.

    You can drag the rotation arrow to rotate the gradient; drag the stretch arrow to stretch the bands of color in your gradient, as shown in Figure 5-39 (top); or drag the reposition point to reposition the center of the gradient, as shown in Figure 5-39 (bottom).




Flash 8
Flash Fox and Bono Bear (Chimps) (Chimps Series)
ISBN: 1901737438
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 126
Authors: Tessa Moore

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