- Setting Selection Preferences
- Making Selections
- Resizing Graphic Elements
- Positioning Graphic Elements
- Flipping, Rotating, and Skewing
- Distorting Graphic Elements
- Modifying Fills and Strokes
- Modifying Shapes: Natural Drawing Tools
- Modifying Shapes: Bzier Tools
- Modifying Primitive-Shape Paths
- Converting Shape Types
- Practice Session
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Flipping, Rotating, and Skewing
Flash lets you flip, rotate, and skew selected elements. You can either manipulate elements freely with the free-transform tool’s Rotate and Skew modifier or use a variety of commands to do the job with more precision.
To flip a graphic element:
- Select the element you want to flip.
- Choose Modify > Transform.
- From the submenu
, choose either of the following:
- To reorient the element so that it spins 180 degrees around its horizontal central axis like a Rolodex card file, choose Flip Vertical.
- To reorient the element so that it spins 180 degrees around its vertical central axis like a weathervane, choose Flip Horizontal.
shows the results of the two types of flipping.
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TIP
You can flip and scale selected elements simultaneously by using the free-transform tool in Scale mode. Drag one handle all
the way across the transform box and past the handle on the other side. To flip a selected element vertically and horizontally,
for example, drag the handle in the bottom-right corner diagonally upward, past the handle in the top-left corner 
. The flipped element starts small and grows as you continue to drag away from the element’s top-left corner. Flash previews
the flipped element; release the mouse button when the element is the size you want.
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To rotate an element in 90-degree increments:
- Select the element you want to rotate.
- Choose Modify > Transform
.
- From the submenu, choose either of the following:
- To rotate the element clockwise 90 degrees, choose Rotate 90° CW.
- To rotate the element counterclockwise 90 degrees, choose Rotate 90° CCW.
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To rotate an element by a user-specified amount:
- Select the element and access the Transform panel
.
If the panel isn’t open, choose Window > Transform.
- Select the Rotate radio button.
- To specify the direction and amount of rotation, do either of the following:
- To rotate the element counterclockwise, use the Rotate hot text to enter a negative value (–0.1 to –360).
- To rotate the element clockwise, use the Rotate hot text to enter a positive value (0.1 to 360).
Click the hot text to enter a precise value; drag the hot text’s invisible slider to choose a value interactively.
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TIP
When you work with drawing-objects and primitive-shapes, you can undo changes in width, height, rotation, and skewing at any
time, even after you’ve deselected the item and made changes to other items. To restore the original Width, Height, Rotate,
and Skew settings, select the item and click the Transform panel’s Remove Transform button 
.
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To skew an element by a user-specified amount:
- With the Transform panel open, select the element you want to skew.
- In the Transform panel, select the Skew radio button.
- Using the Skew Horizontal and Skew Vertical hot text, enter the desired skew values
.
Click the hot text to enter a precise value; drag the hot text’s invisible slider to choose a value interactively.
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To rotate or skew an element interactively:
- Select an element to rotate or skew.
- In the Tools panel, select the free-transform tool; then click the Rotate and Skew modifier
.
A transform box (similar to the element’s bounding box, but with square handles at the corners and on all four sides) encloses the element.
- To modify the selected element, do either of the following:
- To rotate the element, position the pointer over one of the corner handles.
The pointer changes to a circular arrow. Click and drag to rotate the element. Flash spins the element around its transformation point
.
- To skew the element, position the pointer over one of the side handles of the transform box.
The pointer changes to a two-way arrowhead. Click and drag the side handle to skew the element.
- To rotate the element, position the pointer over one of the corner handles.
- Release the mouse button.
Flash redraws the modified element.
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