Adobe Flash CS3 Basic Tutorial

The Subselection Tool is like the Selection tool except that it allows you to select objects that are beneath other objects. It is a pretty cool tool to use if you have preformed layers imported from other programs.

The Free Transform Tool lets you do all kinds of cool stuff with the shapes you make in Adobe Flash CS3. You can scale them to a different size, skew them so they look at distorted in different ways, and rotate them in different directions. It is truly a versatile feature.

The Gradient Transform Tool lets you do the same things you can with the Free Transform tool except that you can add a gradient of different colors to the objects you are working on as well.

The Lasso Tool is just like it used to be in all the other programs. You can draw shapes around things in an image and cut it out or copy it or import it.

The Pen Tool is used to draw objects or trace around objects to accomplish something. The cool thing about it is that it draws in straight lines for you. It creates anchor points where you want to make turns. Making shapes that use straight lines never was easier! The Add Anchor Point allows you to add an anchor point to a line and change the shape of it if you please. The Delete Anchor Points allows you to delete anchor points that your document has. Once they are deleted your image will change to accommodate the decrease in anchor points. This will change the shape of your objects or lines. The Convert Anchor Point Tool allows you to skew anchor points so that a different shape can happen. It will also add anchor as is needed for whatever you are trying to do.

The Text Tool simply allows you to change text by choosing a font, font size, paragraph structure, bold, italics, etc…

The Line Tool allows you to make lines of different length and sizes.

The Rectangle Tool allows you to make rectangles. The Oval Tool allows you to make seemingly perfect circles of different sizes. The Rectangle Primitive Tool is an interesting feature for Flash that allows you to select anchor points with the rectangle and give it rounded edges. You can almost make a circle with it. The Oval Primitive Tool allows you to take a circle and make 2 anchor points on the circle and move them around as you please. I made a Pacman character with them by angling the two points to make a 25 degree angle. The PolyStar Tool allows you to make stars with as many points as you like.

The Pencil Tool allows you to write as if you were writing with a pencil. You are able to change the size of the lead at will.

The Brush Tool allows you to use paintbrush strokes with the Flash document. You can also change the size and color of these strokes.

The Ink Bottle Tool is like the Paint Bucket tool that you all know and love. The difference between the two is the Ink Bottle tool only works on lines rather than inside of the lines or object. You can expand the area of the paint too if you feel like it to make cool effects.

The Paint Bucket Tool allows you to paint the area inside of an object with a color.

The Eyedropper Tool allows you to take color samples from any area on an image and allow you to reuse that color sample to be applied to another part of the image or another totally different image.

The Eraser Tool allows you to erase everything that is on the document screen.

The Hand Tool allows you to use this hand shaped figure to move object on your Flash document screen around as you please.

The Zoom Tool lets you zoom in and out on an image or object.

The Stroke Color lets you change the color of your stroke for the Pencil tool. I do not know why they moved this option to be shown at all times but it is in a very handy place.

Surprisingly enough, they did the same thing with Fill Color that allows you to choose the color of the Paint Bucket tool.

This tutorial has allowed you to see most of the important basic features in the new Adobe Flash CS3 program. I hope that you have gained a decent amount of knowledge from reading this tutorial. I believe you will be able to step into the program with a bit of knowledge of what every basic thing can do. Having this knowledge can keep you from becoming lost without a clue. Please check back often to view further updates to the website and even more great tutorials in various disciplines in Adobe software.

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