1. In the Tools panel, select the pen tool, or press P
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.2. In the Fill and Stroke section of the Property inspector, set the stroke attri-butes for your path.
3. Move the pointer over the Stage.
The pen tool appears with a small x next to it
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. The x indicates that you’re ready to place the first point of a path.4. Click where you want your line segment to begin.
The pointer changes to a solid arrow-head; a small hollow circle indicates the location of the anchor point on the Stage.
5. Reposition the pen tool where you want your line segment to end.
With Drawing Preferences set to Show Pen Preview, Flash extends a preview of the line segment from the first point to the tip of the pen as you move around the Stage.
6. Click.
Flash completes the line segment using the selected stroke attributes. With Drawing Preferences set to Show Solid Points, the anchor points appear as solid squares
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.7. To add a straight segment to your line, click the Stage where you want the segment to end, and release the mouse button
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Select the pen tool to create paths.D
The x next to the pen tool indicates that you’re about to start a new path.Click to place the first anchor point.
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Continue clicking to add segments to your free-form shape. A quick click (top) adds a straight-line segment (bottom).E
Flash previews points as you place them (top), and it adds a stroke to the path as soon as you complete a segment (bottom).First point previewed Preview line segment
Click to place second
point Completed line segment
8. To add a curve segment, click the Stage where you want the curve segment to end, then drag the pointer.
Flash places a preview point on the Stage, the pointer changes to a solid arrowhead, and Bézier handles (some-times referred to as tangent handles) appear
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.9. Drag the pointer in the opposite direc-tion from which you want your curve to bulge.
The Bézier handles extend from the anchor point, growing in opposite direc-tions as you drag. Flash previews the curve you’re drawing
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.10.Still keeping the mouse button down, drag the pointer to reposition the Bézier handle.
Dragging the handle clockwise or counterclockwise around its anchor point controls the direction of the bulge;
dragging the handle farther from the anchor point deepens the curve
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.11.When the curve preview looks the way you want, release the mouse button.
Flash completes your curve segment with a stroke
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.12.To create an open path, Command-click (Mac) or Ctrl-click (Windows) the Stage.
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To create a closed shape, do the following:
> Position the pointer over your first anchor point.
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Click and drag to create a curve point;as you drag, the point’s Bézier handles activate.
The bulge of the curve grows away from the direction of your drag.
For example, to make the curve bulge upward, drag downward.
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To make the curve bulge downward, drag upward. Dragging the handles out farther deepens the curve.I
Move the handles clockwise or counter-clockwise around the anchor point to modify the curve shape (top).Drag the handles in or out to make the curve deeper or shallower (bottom).
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When you finish positioning handles for a segment and release the mouse button, Flash adds a stroke to the segment.Creating Simple Graphics 57
> Flash previews the closing segment of your shape. A small hollow circle appears next to the pen tool
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.> Click the first anchor point.
> Flash closes the shape, adding a stroke to the path.
Once the path is complete, the pen tool pointer displays a small x, indicating that the tool is ready to place the first anchor point of a new path.
There are other ways to end open paths.
Choose Edit > Deselect All, or press Command-Shift-A (Mac) or Ctrl-Command-Shift-A (Windows). In the Tools panel, click a different tool. You can also double-click the last point you placed. To use this technique you must be drawing a path that ends with a straight-line segment that doesn’t involve Bézier handles.
The pen tool can add to a line created earlier
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. To extend outward from the original line, position the pointer over the end of the line (the terminal anchor point). A modifier icon—a small slash—appears next to the pen icon. Click the terminal anchor point, and the pen links to that point as if you’d just placed it;continue adding segments as you learned to do in the previous exercises. You can also join to an existing line during the process of creat-ing a new line. To join, the pen tool must be in the same mode (Merge Drawing or Object Drawing) as the existing line. Click to place the anchor points of the new line, but don’t double-click to end the line. Instead, position the pointer over one of the terminal anchor points of the line you want to join. A modifier icon appears next to the pen icon; if the pen is in Merge Drawing mode, the modifier icon is a small hollow circle; if the pen is in Object Drawing mode, the modifier icon is a chain-link. Click the existing terminal anchor point, and Flash joins the two lines.
The pen tool creates only strokes. To add a fill to a closed shape drawn with the pen, use the paint-bucket tool.
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You can use the pen tool to add to existing line segments. Position the pointer over the end point of the existing line and click (top), then continue clicking to place more points. Or, place new points first, then position the pointer over the end point of the line you want to join (bottom). When the modifier icon appears, click to join the lines.K
To create a closed shape, position the pointer over the first anchor point you placed. When you see the hollow-circle icon, click that first point (left).Flash adds the finishing segment, creating a closed path (right).
Extend Line
Join Line
Modifier icon for merge-shape
Modifier icon for drawing-object