Flash CS4 All-in-One For Dummies®

Chapter 4. Creating Graphic Symbols for Fun and Profit

In This Chapter

• About symbols and instances

• Creating and editing symbols

• Putting the document library to good use

When you need to create a Flash project with lots of graphics that are similar, you don't have to reinvent the wheel. When you create a graphic symbol, it appears in the document library. You can use the symbol whenever and wherever you need, even in another document. You can even duplicate an existing symbol and use it as the basis for a new symbol. (Talk about recycling resources! We wonder whether using a symbol repeatedly reduces Flash's carbon footprint on the planet and can be considered "going green.") If the judicious use of symbols requires less time behind the computer, which enables a Flash designer to turn off her computer sooner, thereby conserving energy, we guess that symbols can be considered going green. In the spirit of conserving resources, we'll cut to the chase and show you how to use symbols in your own Flash project.

Understanding Symbols and Instances

When you create a graphic symbol in a Flash document, it's a stand-alone object, kind of like a stand-up comic. It can entertain, but if you need more than one graphic, you have to create another. When you create a symbol, it's like creating a DVD of a stand-up comic. You can play it in other places, and it looks and sounds just like the original. When ...