Teach Yourself Visually Flash Cs4 Professional (Teach Yourself Visually (Tech))

372 Pages·2009·104.48 MB·English

by  Keith Butters

Spine = 0.70"
AArree yyoouu aa vviissuuaall lleeaarrnneerr?? DDoo yyoouu pprreeffeerr iinnssttrruuccttiioonnss YYoouu’’llll lleeaarrnn ttoo:: Look
Inside!
tthhaatt sshhooww yyoouu hhooww ttoo ddoo ssoommeetthhiinngg —— aanndd sskkiipp tthhee (cid:127)(cid:127) SS eett uupp nneeww FFllaasshh ddooccuummeennttss
lloonngg--wwiinnddeedd eexxppllaannaattiioonnss?? IIff ssoo,, tthheenn tthhiiss bbooookk iiss
(cid:127)(cid:127) UUssee PPeenncciill,, PPaaiinnttbbrruusshh,, aanndd PPeenn
ffoorr yyoouu.. OOppeenn iitt uupp aanndd yyoouu’’llll ffiinndd cclleeaarr,, sstteepp--bbyy--sstteepp
(cid:127)(cid:127) IImmppoorrtt vveeccttoorr aarrtt aanndd bbiittmmaappss
ssccrreeeenn sshhoottss tthhaatt sshhooww yyoouu hhooww ttoo ttaacckkllee mmoorree tthhaann
(cid:127)(cid:127) CCrreeaattee ttiimmeelliinnee aanniimmaattiioonnss
113355 FFllaasshh CCSS44 PPrrooffeessssiioonnaall ttaasskkss.. EEaacchh ttaasskk--bbaasseedd
(cid:127)(cid:127) AAdddd iinntteerraaccttiivvee pprrooppeerrttiieess
sspprreeaadd ccoovveerrss aa ssiinnggllee tteecchhnniiqquuee,, ssuurree ttoo hheellpp yyoouu ggeett
uupp aanndd rruunnnniinngg oonn FFllaasshh CCSS44 PPrrooffeessssiioonnaall iinn nnoo ttiimmee.. (cid:127)(cid:127) IInntteeggrraattee ssoouunndd aanndd vviiddeeoo ffiilleess
Adobe
Flas®h CS4
®
Professional
PF
rl
oaAd
o
fsbe®
h
e
s ®

sC
(cid:127)(cid:127) T Twwoo--ppaaggee lleessssoonnss bbrreeaakk bbiigg ttooppiiccss iinnttoo bbiittee--ssiizzeedd mmoodduulleess i
S
o
(cid:127)(cid:127) S Suucccciinncctt eexxppllaannaattiioonnss wwaallkk yyoouu tthhrroouugghh sstteepp bbyy sstteepp 4
n

(cid:127)(cid:127) F Fuullll--ccoolloorr ssccrreeeenn sshhoottss ddeemmoonnssttrraattee eeaacchh ttaasskk
a
(cid:127)(cid:127) HHeellppffuull ssiiddeebbaarrss ooffffeerr pprraaccttiiccaall l
Internet / Web Page Design
ttiippss aanndd ttrriicckkss
$29.99 USA (cid:127) $32.99 CAN (cid:127) £19.99 UK
Full Color
www.wiley.com/go/visual Butters Keith Butters
01_344743-ffirs.qxp 12/18/08 10:48 PM Page iii
01_344743-ffirs.qxp 12/18/08 10:48 PM Page i
Flash® CS4 Professional
by Keith Butters
01_344743-ffirs.qxp 12/18/08 10:48 PM Page ii
Teach Yourself Visually™ Flash® CS4 LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE
PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS
Professional OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR
COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND
SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING
Published by WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A
Wiley Publishing, Inc. PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR
EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard
ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE
Indianapolis, IN 46256 SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH
THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT
www.wiley.com
ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER
Published simultaneously in Canada PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS
REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL
Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER
Indiana NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING
HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION
retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION
DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or
ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR
otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY
1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT
written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE
CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK
payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright
WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.
Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923,
FOR PURPOSES OF ILLUSTRATING THE CONCEPTS
[phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher
AND TECHNIQUES DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOK, THE
for permission should be addressed to the Permissions
AUTHOR HAS CREATED VARIOUS NAMES, COMPANY
Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street,
NAMES, MAILING, E-MAIL AND INTERNET
Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone],
ADDRESSES, PHONE AND FAX NUMBERS AND
or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
SIMILAR INFORMATION, ALL OF WHICH ARE
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008942703 FICTITIOUS. ANY RESEMBLANCE OF THESE
ISBN: 978-0-470-34474-3 FICTITIOUS NAMES, ADDRESSES, PHONE AND FAX
NUMBERS AND SIMILAR INFORMATION TO ANY
Manufactured in the United States of America
ACTUAL PERSON, COMPANY AND/OR
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ORGANIZATION IS UNINTENTIONAL AND PURELY
COINCIDENTAL.
Trademark Acknowledgments
Contact Us
Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, Visual, the Visual logo,
Simplified, Master VISUALLY, Teach Yourself VISUALLY, For general information on our other products and services
Visual Blueprint, Read Less - Learn More and related trade please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S.

dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993 or fax
Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Adobe and Flash are registered 317-572-4002.
trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.All other
For technical support please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley
Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor
mentioned in this book.
Sales
Contact Wiley
at [phone] or
fax [phone].
01_344743-ffirs.qxp 12/18/08 10:48 PM Page iii
Praise for Visual Books
“Like a lot of other people, I understand things best when “I bought my first Teach Yourself VISUALLY book last
I see them visually. Your books really make learning easy month. Wow. Now I want to learn everything in this easy
and life more fun.” format!”
John T. Frey (Cadillac, MI) Tom Vial (New York, NY)
“I have quite a few of your Visual books and have been “Thank you, thank you, thank you...for making it so easy
very pleased with all of them. I love the way the lessons for me to break into this high-tech world. I now own four
are presented!” of your books. I recommend them to anyone who is a
beginner like myself.”
Mary Jane Newman (Yorba Linda, CA)
Gay O’Donnell (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
“I just purchased my third Visual book (my first two are
dog-eared now!), and, once again, your product has “I write to extend my thanks and appreciation for your
surpassed my expectations. books. They are clear, easy to follow, and straight to the
point. Keep up the good work! I bought several of your
Tracey Moore (Memphis, TN)
books and they are just right! No regrets! I will always
buy your books because they are the best.”
“I am an avid fan of your Visual books. If I need to learn
anything, I just buy one of your books and learn the topic Seward Kollie (Dakar, Senegal)
in no time. Wonders! I have even trained my friends to
give me Visual books as gifts.” “Compliments to the chef!! Your books are extraordinary!
Or, simply put, extra-ordinary, meaning way above the
Illona Bergstrom (Aventura, FL)
rest! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I buy them
for friends, family, and colleagues.”
“Thank you for making it so clear. I appreciate it. I will
buy many more Visual books.” Christine J. Manfrin (Castle Rock, CO)
J.P. Sangdong (North York, Ontario, Canada)
“What fantastic teaching books you have produced!
Congratulations to you and your staff. You deserve the
“I have several books from the Visual series and have
Nobel Prize in Education in the Software category.
always found them to be valuable resources.”
Thanks for helping me understand computers.”
Stephen P. Miller (Ballston Spa, NY) Bruno Tonon (Melbourne, Australia)

“Thank you for the wonderful books you produce. It “Over time, I have bought a number of your ‘Read Less -
wasn’t until I was an adult that I discovered how I learn Learn More’ books. For me, they are THE way to learn
— visually. Nothing compares to Visual books. I love the anything easily. I learn easiest using your method of
simple layout. I can just grab a book and use it at my teaching.”
computer, lesson by lesson. And I understand the
material! You really know the way I think and learn. José A. Mazón (Cuba, NY)
Thanks so much!”
“I am an avid purchaser and reader of the Visual series,
Stacey Han (Avondale, AZ)
and they are the greatest computer books I’ve seen. The
Visual books are perfect for people like myself who enjoy
“I absolutely admire your company’s work. Your books
the computer, but want to know how to use it more
are terrific. The format is perfect, especially for visual
efficiently. Your books have definitely given me a greater
learners like me. Keep them coming!”
understanding of my computer, and have taught me to
use it more effectively. Thank you very much for the hard
Frederick A. Taylor, Jr. (New Port Richey, FL)
work, effort, and dedication that you put into this series.”
“I have several of your Visual books and they are the Alex Diaz (Las Vegas, NV)
best I have ever used.”
Stanley Clark (Crawfordville, FL) July 05
01_344743-ffirs.qxp 12/18/08 10:48 PM Page iv
Credits
Project Editor Book Design
Sarah Cisco Kathie Rickard
Senior Acquisitions Editor Production Coordinator
Jody Lefevere Erin Smith
Copy Editor Layout
Kim Heusel Carrie A. Cesavice
Andrea Hornberger
Technical Editor
Jennifer Mayberry
Jon McFarland
Screen Artist
Editorial Manager
Ana Carrillo
Robyn Siesky Jill Proll
Business Manager Illustrators
Amy Knies Ronda David-Burroughs
Cheryl Grubbs
Sr. Marketing Manager
Sandy Smith Proofreader
Linda Quigley
Manufacturing
Allan Conley Quality Control
Linda Cook David Faust
Paul Gilchrist
Jennifer Guynn Indexer
Potomac Indexing, LLC
Vice President and Executive
Group Publisher
Richard Swadley
Vice President and Executive
Publisher
Barry Pruett
Composition Director
Debbie Stailey
01_344743-ffirs.qxp 12/18/08 10:48 PM Page v
About the Author
Keith Butters is a founding partner and executive creative director at
The Barbarian Group. He has over 10 years experience architecting,
designing, and programming for the Internet. Some notable and
award-winning Web sites that Keith has worked on include several
projects for Volkswagen of America, Comcastic!, the Method “Come
Clean” site, and the Subservient Chicken. Visit The Barbarian Group’s
Web site at www.barbariangroup.com to learn more and to see a full
portfolio.
Author’s Acknowledgments
Thanks to the team at Wiley Publishing, especially Jody Lefevere and
Sarah Cisco for working with me on this book, and for their patience.

Thanks to all of the barbarians, for continuing to be an inspiring
collective of the most talented and interesting people I have ever
known.
And, a special thanks to Melanie for her love and support, and for
trying to keep me on track with the writing of this book.
02_344743-ftoc.qxp 12/18/08 10:49 PM Page vi
Table of Contents
1
chapter Getting Started with Flash
Introducing Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Get to Know the Flash User Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Using Flash Utility Panels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Open a Flash File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Save and Close a Flash File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Save and Version Your Work with Save As. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Create a New Flash Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Organize and Save Your Workspace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Move and Zoom the Work Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Using Rulers and Grids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Work from a Template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Using the Properties Inspector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Set up a New Flash Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Click here to see the fighter plane in action!
Adjust Publish Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
START
Test a Flash Movie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Get Flash Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

2
chapter Drawing in Flash
Introducing Flash Drawing Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Understanding Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using the Line Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Draw Lines Freehand with the Pencil Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Draw Fills with the Brush Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Draw Shapes with the Pen Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Draw Rectangles and Ovals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Fill Shapes with the Paint Bucket Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
02_344743-ftoc.qxp 12/18/08 10:49 PM Page vii
3
chapter Modifying and Positioning Artwork
Using the Eraser Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Select Artwork. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Change the Color of Lines and Fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Customize Lines with the Ink Bottle Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Reshape Lines and Shape Outlines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Copy Attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Create Custom Color Swatches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Make a Custom Gradient Fill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Transform a Gradient Fill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Scale and Rotate Objects with the Free Transform Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Create Groups of Lines, Fills, and Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Send Groups Forward and Backward in Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Align Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Snap to Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Snap to Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
4

chapter Working with Text
Add Text with the Text Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Format a Paragraph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Change Text Colors and Fonts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Copy Text Attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Adjust Text Kerning and Leading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Move and Resize Text Areas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Text
Break Apart Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Transform Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
02_344743-ftoc.qxp 12/18/08 10:49 PM Page viii
Table of Contents
5
chapter Importing Artwork
Understanding Vector Art and Bitmaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Import a Bitmap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Break Apart a Bitmap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Create a Bitmap Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Convert a Bitmap to Vector Art Using Trace Bitmap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Import Vector Graphics from Illustrator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Set Bitmap Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Import a PSD File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
6
chapter Working with Layers
Add and Delete Layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Set Layer Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Add a Guide Layer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Make a Layer Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Group Layers into Folders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Show and Hide Layers and Layer Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Show Layers as Outlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Lock Layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Rearrange Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137