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OBJECTIVES
When you have finished this lesson, you will understand:
o What is Flash and the key parts of the Flash workspace
o how to use the Stage
o the role of frames, layers, and the Timeline in the construction of an animation
o how lines and shapes interact
o how the Magnifier tool helps by enlarging or reducing your view of an element on the stage
o the basics of applying color in Flash
o the value of the Web-safe color palette
o the advantages of antialiased text
and you will have learned:
o how to draw with the Pencil tool and use the Pencil Tool modifiers
o how to select line mode, line color, line thickness, and line style
o how to select, move, rotate, and modify a drawing element
o how to select and apply color for a shape, fill, or line
o how to create and apply a linear gradient
o how to save a color set
o how to use the Paint Bucket and Brush tools and their modifiers
o how to use the Text tool to add text to a drawing

What is Flash?

• Macromedia Flash is a multimedia graphics program specially for use on the Web
• Flash enables you to create interactive "movies" on the Web
• Flash uses vector graphics, which means that the graphics can be scaled to any size without losing clarity/quality
• Flash does not require programming skills and is easy to learn

Flash vs. Animated Images and Java Applets

Animated images and Java applets are often used to create dynamic effects on Web pages.

The advantages of Flash are:

• Flash loads much faster than animated images
• Flash allows interactivity, animated images do not
• Flash does not require programming skills, java applets do

Macromedia writes: "In September 2000, NPD Research, the parent company of MediaMetrix, conducted a study to determine what percentage of Web browsers have Macromedia Flash preinstalled. The results show that 96.4% of Web users can experience Macromedia Flash content without having to download and install a player." Macromedia Shockwave Player is shipped with Windows 95, 98, MacOS, Internet Explorer CD, America Online, and Netscape Navigator.

If you do not have the Shockwave Player installed you can download it for free from Macromedia's site (200 K).

Who can Create Flash Movies?

To create your own Flash movies you need to buy a Flash program. The latest version from Macromedia is Flash MX. If you do not have a Flash program, you can download a 30 days free trial version of Flash MX from Macromedia.

Where to Start?

You will need Flash 5 to take this tutorial. If you do not have a copy of Flash 5, you can download the trial version by clicking here. After you have installed Flash, you should go through the lessons that are included in the program. Start Macromedia Flash, click Help in the menu and choose Lessons. These lessons will teach you the basics of Flash.

THE FLASH 5 WORKSPACE
Figure 1-1 shows the Flash 5 workspace. Depending on the other software you use, Flash 5 might look familiar or disconcertingly new. In Flash, the open workspace is called the Stage. The left half of the Menu bar is standard to many Windows applications. The Drawing toolbar and the Layers might remind you of tools you've used in draw and paint software. Unless you use Macromedia Director, you haven't seen frames or the Timeline before-you'll use them for animation.

Figure 1-1
The Flash 4 workspace.

Movie Properties

You start creating your movie by setting the Frame Rate, Dimensions, Background Color, and Ruler Units.

You set these properties in the Movie Properties dialog box.

To set the properties for the movie you are going to create:

2. Type 5 in the Frame Rate field.
3. Type 400 px in the Width field.
4. Type 400 px in the Height field.
5. Click on the Background color box and set the Background color to white.
6. Select Pixels from the drop-down menu in the Ruler Units field.
7. Click on OK.

LEARNING TO DRAW IN FLASH 5
In this segment you learn how to use the drawing tools in Flash. You'll be surprised how Flash's drawing tools help you conceal the fact that you "can't draw."

You can create artwork for your Flash movies using the drawing and painting tools. This lesson explains basic drawing and painting techniques and lets you try the tools yourself.

STOP: To use this note , Please Open Flash 5> Click Help > Click Lessons> Click 02 Drawing

Drawing lines, rectangles, and ovals
The Line, Rectangle, and Oval tools function as you would expect from using other graphic programs.
1. Click the Oval tool.

2. Drag in the work area to the right. Don't worry about the color or fill. The Color section of the toolbox lets you quickly choose fill and stroke colors for any shape you draw.

3. Make sure the Oval tool is still selected, and then use the Stroke and Fill Color controls to try to match the oval shown below.To use the Stroke or Fill Color modifiers, position the pointer over the color chip and drag to highlight a color in the palette.
4. Drag in the work area to draw the oval.

When you select a tool, its modifiers appear in the Options section of the Toolbox. The Line and Rectangle tools are very similar to the Oval tool, but they havedifferent modifiers.
- Click the Rectangle tool and then click the Round Rectangle Radius modifier to define a 20-point curve, similar to the one shown below. Drag in the work area to draw the rectangle.

Using the Pencil tool
The Pencil tool is unique to Flash. You can use it to draw lines, shapes, or freehand forms.
1. Click the Pencil tool and then choose Straighten from the Pencil Mode modifier.

2. Drag in the work area and try to draw a line similar to the one shown below. Notice how Flash straightens the lines.

4. Now choose Smooth from the Pencil Mode modifier. Try to draw a line similar. Notice how Flash smooths out the curves.

5. Choose Ink from the Pencil Mode modifier and draw the same line. Also try drawing a square or triangle. Notice how Flash makes fewer changes to the line, though it still smooths some of the curves.

Painting and filling shapes
Using the Brush tool, you can create brushlike strokes as if you were painting.
- Click the Brush tool and then use the Brush Mode modifier to experiment with different brush modes as you paint over the images in the work area.

Note that Paint Inside paints the area in which you start a brush stroke. If you start painting an empty area, no existing artwork
is affected.

You can use the Paint Bucket tool to change the color of existing paint and to fill empty areas surrounded by lines.
1. Click the Paint Bucket tool and then draw the square in the work area.
2. Choose Close Large Gaps from the Gap Size modifier.

3. Click inside the empty oval you draw before in the work area. Flash fills the area even though it isn't fully enclosed.

You can fill an area with a gradient the same way you can with a solid color.

1. With the Paint Bucket tool still selected, click the Fill Color control and choose a gradient from the bottom of the Fill Color pop-up window.

2. Click inside the circle in the work area. Flash provides several ways of editing gradients to create a variety
of different effects.

Changing line properties
Using the Ink Bottle tool and Stroke panel, you can apply new line styles, thickness, or color to lines.
1. Choose Windows > Panels > Stroke.
2. Change the line style to dashed, then change the thickness to 2, and set the color to red.
3. Click the Ink Bottle tool.
4. From the tip of the Ink Bottle pointer, click the edge of the oval in the work area.pointer, click the edge of the oval in the work area.Flash applies the new line settings to the oval.

Erasing
The Eraser tool erases lines and fills. You can customize it to erase only lines, only fills, only selected fills, or only the fill on which you started erasing.

1. Click the Eraser tool, choose Erase Normal from the Eraser Mode modifier, and erase part of one of the lightbulbs.
2. Choose Erase Fills from the Eraser Mode modifier and erase part of the other lightbulb.

3. Click the Faucet modifier and click a painted area in the lightbulb to immediately erase the fill. You can also erase lines with the faucet modifier.

4. Experiment with the other Eraser tool modifiers to see what they do.

Selecting lines and shapes
Before making a change to a line or shape, you must select it using the Arrow or Lasso tools.
1. Click the Arrow tool and click the center of the oval in the work area.The fill of the shape becomes highlighted to show that it is selected.
2. Drag the selected shape to the right. Notice that only the fill moves with the pointer.

3. Double-click the center of the oval in the work area and drag it to the right.The border moves with the shape because double-clicking a fill also selects any adjacent lines. Similarly, double-clicking a line selects all adjacent lines.
4. First single-click and then double-click one of the connected lines of the shape in the work area. Single-clicking selects only one line, but double-clicking selects
all the connected lines.
5. Hold down Shift as you click to select additional lines without selecting all the adjacent lines.

Now that you understand basic drawing features in Flash, you're ready to continue learning about symbols and instances in the next lesson.

SECTION ACTIVITIES
o Draw a fish, using the Pencil tool in the Straighten mode. It will be a very angular, modern-art fish. Use the Arrow tool to reshape your fish, and then select and rotate your fish.
o Draw a flag for the top of your mast, using the Pencil tool in Smooth mode.
o Using the tools of your choice from the Drawing toolbar, draw a simple shape, such as a box, a kite, or a balloon. Fill the shape with color.
o Choose the Brush tool and experiment with other colors, brush shapes, and sizes. Try the other paint modes. Use Undo to return to the brushstroke you prefer.