Flash CS3: The Missing Manual

Saving Color Swatches

After you go to all the hard work of creating a custom color as described in the preceding section, you're probably going to want to save that color as a virtual swatch so that you can reuse it again without having to try to remember how you mixed it.

To save a custom color swatch, first create a custom color as described in the preceding section. Then follow these steps:

1. In the Color panel, select the Swatches tab.

   (If you don't see the Color panel, choose Window and then, from the dropdown menu that appears, turn on the checkbox next to Swatches.)

   Flash displays the Swatches tab in Figure 5-37.

2. Move your cursor over the bottom half of the panel, anywhere below the color chart.

   Your cursor turns into a miniature paint bucket.

3. Click anywhere below the color chart.

   Flash adds your new custom swatch to the bottom of the color chart on the left.

After you've saved a custom swatch, you can use it to change the color of a stroke or a fill, as you see in the following sections.

Using an Image as a Fill "Color"

Instead of choosing or blending a custom color, you can select an image to use as a fill "color." You can select any image in Flash's Library panel (Library Panel) or anywhere on your computer and apply that image to any size or shape of fill to create some pretty interesting effects.

Figure 5-37. Saving a specific color as a color swatch—whether it's one you custom-mixed ...