- Setting Selection Preferences
- Making Selections
- Using the Clipboard
- 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
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Modifying Shapes: Natural Drawing Tools
All the strokes and fills you create in Flash can be edited after you've drawn them. You can edit merge-shapes and drawing-objects in Flash's natural-drawing style, using the selection tool to change the path that defines the shape, or you can work directly with the path's anchor points and Bézier curves by using the subselection, pen, and anchor-point tools (see "Modifying Shapes: Bézier Curves," later in this chapter). You can modify primitive-shapes by manipulating their control points with the selection or subselection tools, or you can change their properties in the Property inspector.
When you use the selection tool, the merge-shape or drawing-object you want to modify must be deselected. If the element is selected, the selection tool moves the element as a unit. Always note what kind of icon the selection pointer is displaying as it hovers over the path you want to modify.
For the following tasks, make sure the item you want to modify is deselected. These tasks all deal with modifying strokes, but the same techniques work for modifying fills by reshaping their paths (see the sidebar "The Mystery of Fill Paths," later in this chapter).
About Curve and Corner Points
Flash's selection and subselection tools let you modify an element's curves and lines. The subselection tool lets you do so by moving the curve and corner points that define the element's path and by rearranging the curves' Bézier handles. When you drag a selection rectangle to enclose a path with the subselection tool, Flash reveals any curve points' Bézier handles. (Corner points have no handles.)
When you use the selection tool, Flash hides all that technical stuff. You simply pull on a line to reshape it. Still, the selection tool has its own hidden version of curve and corner points, which are evident only in the changing icons that accompany the tool as it interacts with an unselected line or curve (Figure 4.50).
)
Figure 4.50 The small icons appearing with the selection pointer indicate what lies beneath the pointer.
For the selection tool, corner points appear at the end of an unselected segment or at the point where two segments join to form a sharp angle. All those other in-between points—even those in the middle of a completely flat line segment—are curve points. When you tug on a curve point with the selection tool, you pull out a range of points in a tiny arc. When you tug on a corner point with the selection tool, you pull out a single point.
To activate the end of a segment with the selection tool
Position the pointer over the end point of a deselected line segment.
The corner-point modifier appears.
Click the end point.
The end of the segment becomes active.
- Reposition the end point in any of the following ways:
- Drag away from the existing line or curve to lengthen the segment.
- Drag toward the existing line or curve to shorten the segment.
- Drag at an angle to the original line to pivot a straight-line segment to a new position or reshape the end of a curve segment.
Figure 4.51 Drag away from the existing curve or line segment to lengthen it (A). Reposition the end point to change the direction of the line or curve segment (B, C).
Release the mouse button.
Flash redraws the line segment.
)
To reshape a curve with the selection tool
Position the selection tool's pointer over the middle of an unselected curve segment.
The curve-point modifier appears.
- Click and drag the curve to reshape it (Figure 4.52).
Flash previews the curve you're drawing.
Figure 4.52 Click the middle of a curve (A). Flash activates the curve segment (B). Drag the curve to a new position (C). When you release the mouse button, Flash redraws the curve (D).
Release the mouse button.
Flash redraws the curve.
)
To turn a straight-line segment into a curve segment with the selection tool
Position the selection tool's pointer over the middle of an unselected line segment.
The curve-point modifier appears.
- Click and drag the line to reshape it (Figure 4.53).
Flash previews the curve that you're drawing.
Figure 4.53 Although this line doesn't look curved (top), Flash considers all its middle points to be curve points. Drag one of those points to create a line that looks like a curve (bottom).
Release the mouse button.
Flash redraws the line, giving it the curve you defined.
)
To create a new corner point with the selection tool
Position the selection tool's pointer over the middle of an unselected line or curve segment.
The curve-point modifier appears.
Option-click (Mac) or Ctrl-click (Windows).
After a brief pause, the selection tool's modifier changes to the corner-point modifier, and a circle appears where the pointer intersects the line. You're now activating a corner point.
- Drag to modify the line or curve segment and add a new corner point (Figure 4.54).
Figure 4.54 Option-click (Mac) or Ctrl-click (Windows) to create a new corner point for editing your line. Dragging a corner point from a straight-line segment creates a sharp V (top). Dragging a corner point from a curve creates a V with curving sides that comes to a sharp point (bottom).
)