Flash CS6: The Missing Manual

Chapter 10. Incorporating Non-Flash Media Files

Flash gives you a ton of drawing and painting tools you can use to create original artwork, as you saw in Chapter 2 and Chapter 5. But if you’ve already got some cool logos or backgrounds that you created in another program (like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop), you don’t have to redraw them in Flash. All you have to do is pull them into Flash—import them. Once you do, you can work with them nearly as easily as you do the images you create directly on the stage.

This chapter introduces you to the different types of graphics and still images that Flash lets you work with. You’ll learn how to import files while preserving just the features you need in Flash. (If you’re looking for tips on how to work with audio and video media, turn to Chapter 11.)

Note

After you’ve incorporated non-Flash media into your animation, you can control that media using ActionScript. For more details, flip to Chapter 12.

Importing Graphics

Theoretically, you can cut or copy graphic elements from any other program you have open, paste them into Flash, and then tweak them. For example, say you’ve created a drawing in Autodesk SketchBook Pro. In SketchBook, you can choose Edit→Copy. Then, in Flash, you can choose Edit→Paste in Center to transfer the image from SketchBook to your stage, and then edit it using Flash’s drawing and painting tools. When you import or paste an image onto the stage, Flash stores a copy in your Library, as shown in Figure 10-1.

Copying and ...