Manipulate Graphics and Text

We learn in this section how to. . .

■ Change the look of merged drawing objects

■ Control graphics

■ Group merged drawing objects

■ Edit merged and object drawing objects

■ Control the stacking order of object drawing objects

■ Apply transformations to objects

■ Arrange objects on the stage

■ Keep track of elements

■ Apply colors and gradients to graphics and text

■ Use the Fill Transform and the Lock Fill tools

Creating basic objects and text is easy in Flash, as you have learned in Chapters 1 and 2. Beyond knowing how to make these elements, your movie will require many modifications before it’s cooked to perfection. Because of this, you need to know all about the tricks available to you for manipulating and changing graphics and text in Flash.

There are many different ways you can modify the compelling images you create in Flash. The tools used to modify graphics and text can be accessed in several different ways, such as via the Toolbar, the Properties Inspector, and the oh-so-simple shortcut keys. The way you access the transformation tools is largely a matter of personal preference. In the next section you will learn a little bit more about manipulating different drawing models. Once you become accustomed to working with them, you will feel confident working with these drawing models.

Control Graphics in Flash

As discussed in the previous chapter, merged drawing objects in Flash behave a little differently than drawing objects. If you are creating shapes in the merged drawing mode, it may seem to the beginner as if you don’t have much control over the shapes you are creating. This section
examines the anatomy of both the merged and drawing object modes. There are circumstances when one model may suit you better than the other. You need to be aware of the various strengths and weaknesses of these models in order to make that determination.

Understand Merged Objects
The default drawing mode in Flash is the merged drawing. A merged drawing shape can be identified by the distinct screen pattern that appears when it is selected with the Selection tool.

Let’s consider the interaction of two or more merged drawing shapes on a single layer. When two merged drawing shapes of the same color are overlapped, Flash combines them into a single shape, as shown here. This kind of behavior between objects is more typical of a paint program than a drawing program. In a paint program, overlapping shapes drawn on the same layer would connect in the same manner.

This explains why these kinds of drawings are referred to as “merged.” When two shapes of differing colors are overlapped on the same layer, then deselected and selected again, you will find this results in the creation of multiple shapes in the first shape drawn (bottom shape) that are delineated by adjacent colors. Similar to a paint program, the different color shapes are now identified as separate objects.

What’s more, if you move one of these new shapes, you will find that the top shape will cut a piece out of the bottom shape. For example, if you place a gray circle halfway over a black circle, deselect by clicking somewhere in the stage (not an object), and then click the black circle and move it to the right, it cuts a hole out of the black circle so it resembles a crescent moon, as shown here.

You can use the merged drawing behavior to your advantage for certain effects—for example, if you want to create an animation and have one shape morph into another, as discussed in Chapter 11. For other projects you will find merged drawing behavior more annoying than useful. You can also group a merged drawing, which essentially transforms the shape into an object drawing, where the objects can then be stacked on top of one another and behave as if created in a drawing (vector) program. The only reason you may want to group merged drawings is if you created complex shapes and you then decided to make them behave like drawing objects instead. However, if you do this, keep in mind that grouped objects are not as easy to edit as merged or drawing objects. In order to make a simple edit like change the fill or stroke of a grouped object, you have to enter a special editing mode. Editing grouped objects is explained in the next section.

Once you group merged drawing objects, you can easily move them around, stack them on top of one another on the same layer, and transform them. You can also group drawing objects and symbols. Drawing objects are explained later in this chapter and symbols are covered in Chapter 13. Now that you understand merged drawing, you’ll examine the “how-tos” of grouping any kind of objects, whether they are merged, drawing, buttons, or movie clips.

Symbols in Flash are objects that have been created on their own timeline. These include graphic symbols, buttons, and movie clips. Copies of symbols, also known as instances, can be used multiple times in the same movie without increasing the file size. Buttons can be interactive and scripts can be applied to movie clips. Symbols are very powerful elements in Flash and, as mentioned earlier, they are discussed in detail in Chapter 13.

Group Shapes in Flash
Grouping elements in Flash is one way to move them around the stage, stack objects on top of one another, and perform additional modifications in a single-layer environment. When you group elements in Flash, you can manipulate them as one entity. Drawing and desktop publishing programs offer the ability to group objects, so if you are accustomed to working in a program such as this, grouping objects will be a familiar task.

It is quite easy to group merged and drawing object shapes into a single object in Flash. To make a group out of a single editable shape, first click the shape that makes up your graphic. Then select Modify | Group or press ctrl-g in Windows/cmd-g on the Mac to group it. To select more than one shape for the group, shift-click each object to select all of them, then select Modify | Group as outlined previously.

Alternately, you can select multiple shapes on the stage by clicking and dragging a marquee selection in the shape of a rectangle around the items, then selecting Modify | Group as outlined previously (see Figure 5-1). The marquee selection displays a guide box as you drag your pointer so you can see the shapes included in the selection. This technique can also be used to group movie clips and buttons.

Grouping elements in Flash is one way to move them around the stage, stack objects on top of one another, and perform additional modifications in a single-layer environment. When you group elements in Flash, you can manipulate them as one entity. Drawing and desktop publishing programs offer the ability to group objects, so if you are accustomed to working in a program such as this, grouping objects will be a familiar task.

It is quite easy to group merged and drawing object shapes into a single object in Flash. To make a group out of a single editable shape, first click the shape that makes up your graphic. Then select Modify | Group or press ctrl-g in Windows/cmd-g on the Mac to group it. To select more than one shape for the group, shift-click each object to select all of them, then select Modify | Group as outlined previously.

Alternately, you can select multiple shapes on the stage by clicking and dragging a marquee selection in the shape of a rectangle around the items, then selecting Modify | Group as outlined previously (see Figure). The marquee selection displays a guide box as you drag your pointer so you can see the shapes included in the selection. This technique can also be used to group movie clips and buttons.

A marquee selection around several merged drawing objects

Grouping Objects Versus Movie Clips

Although the ability to group merged and drawing objects seems a convenient feature for more complicated graphic compositions, using movie clips also allows you to contain multiple objects in a “group” of sorts. When you become a more experienced Flash user, you will find that, for many reasons, movie clips are more useful for grouping objects than using the Group command. For example, movie clips are reusable “assets” in Flash. Assets are the elements you use to build your movie. Additionally, movie clips are compact and help create smaller file sizes. Complex movie clips are easier to edit than grouped objects, and they can be interactive. There are many more reasons why movie clips are preferable over grouped objects, all of which are discussed in Chapter 13. But you will undoubtedly need to group objects sometime while working in Flash, and learning to group objects serves as a good springboard for understanding more advanced object control in Flash.

To select several shapes with a marquee:
1. Click the Selection tool.
2. Think of the objects you are about to select as being contained within a rectangle. With this in mind, position the pointer in one of the rectangle’s corners.
3. Click and drag a marquee rectangle to defi ne the boundaries of the selection.
4. When you release the mouse, the objects are selected, as indicated by the screen over the objects. This illustration of a globe shows a selected group of multiple objects.

To deselect one or more objects within the selection, hold down shift and click the object(s). To add an object to the selection, with shift pressed, click another object. Likewise, you can also selectively shift-click objects that are not in close proximity to one another to select them.

Once you’ve made your selection, you can then group these objects using the same method you did for a single object (Modify | Group or ctrl-g in Windows/cmd-g on the Mac).

After the graphic is grouped, a blue frame, representing a bounding box, appears around the object, as shown in this illustration. Note the bounding box around a grouped merged drawing object appears identical to the blue bounding box around a drawing object.

Now the graphic is a separate entity that can be stacked above or below other grouped objects on the same layer, as shown here.

To tell the difference between grouped objects and a single drawing object, select the object and look in the Properties Inspector. There, it will indicate the type of object you are selecting.

Ungroup Objects

To ungroup an object or objects, click the grouped object(s) and go to the menu. Select Modify | Ungroup or press ctrl-shift-g in Windows/cmd-shift-g on the Mac. Once the graphic is ungrouped, it will return to its original state.

Nest Objects

A nest brings to mind a bunch of baby birds chirping for their mother in the comfort of their home. Nested groups don’t exactly contain baby birds, but they are safely contained within one another. A nested group is a group contained within another group, the groups existing on different levels in Flash.

To make a nested group, select one or more groups of objects and make another group out of them. Your groups can be arranged in any hierarchy you like, and you can nest as many groups as you want, but you should plan and organize the groups in a logical manner.

What is the value of nesting groups? If your graphic is complex and contains a lot of pieces, it’s easier to edit the pieces later if they are contained in groups. What’s more, if objects require similar adjustments, it’s easier to perform these modifications on a group instead of individually. Remember, however, that when you become more experienced using Flash, you will discover that you can also nest objects inside one another by making objects into movie clips. Movie clips are little movies within your movie. You can have as many nested inside of one another as you like. Movie clips can also include merged and object drawings. There may also be occasions when you need to nest group objects within your movie clips. As such, nested groups are an important concept to understand in Flash.