Flash Journalism

	Lesson 7
	Working with Photos

Flash allows you to import various types of images, and it distinguishes between two types: vector and bitmap. Photographs are always bitmaps. An image you create within Flash is always a vector image, whether it is a simple rectangle or a complex diagram. Both bitmaps and vectors can be imported from outside Flash.

• A vector image can be scaled (made larger or smaller) with absolutely no difference in quality: The lines remain smooth and the colors remain solid. The SWF file size does not increase significantly if you use gigantic vector images instead of small ones.
• When a bitmap image is scaled larger, the quality decreases: The edges become jagged, and the individual pixels become larger, making the entire ...