FLASH OVERVIEW ( online proofing )

Online photo proofing

Figure 1-1. This image was completely created from scratch with only the vector tools available in Flash. It looks as sharp as any bitmap counterpart, yet its file size is only 8 kilobytes as a result of its mathematical creation.

Using Flash as a vehicle to distribute rich media content like MP3s and video has also gotten extremely simple. Designers no longer have to toil over using third-party compression tools or creating and scripting UI buttons for control over media. Flash provides everything necessary to get you up and running with little upfront knowledge.

All of this and more is discussed in the following pages. Flash has given you the tool to enhance your design and development work, and now we will add to your know-how by sharing tips and tricks on new Flash features as well as tried-and-true methods for creating your best work ever.

Ease of use

This book will focus on using vector- and raster-based tools like those in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop as well as in Flash to create interface designs. It is much easier to edit vector graphics than to modify raster images in Flash mainly because Flash is a vector-oriented application. Since vector art is essentially mathematically created, it is very easy to manipulate and gets crisp results when used correctly. Raster art, on the other hand, is pixel based and more limited in Flash with regard to its post-creation edit options. There is an overwhelming number of benefits to designing your Flash
interfaces mostly in vector. One of the greatest of these is the vast array of editing options you have once you work with the design in Flash. Here is a brief list of Flash vector advantages:

CHAPTER 1

Vector art requires less CPU power to view than comparable raster images. The file size of vector images will always be smaller than comparable raster images. Since Flash is vector based, it is easy to modify your vector graphics right in Flash without hassling with external editing and reimporting.
You can apply nondestructive filters and blend modes to vector art in Flash to attain bitmap quality dithering and gradations without the bitmap file size.
Vector art can be scaled infinitely up in size without losing detail or quality. Even if you use an external application like Illustrator to generate your graphics, the importing process is seamless. One of the most exclusive features of Flash vector graphics is the ability to navigate through them by clicking fills or strokes. With this ability, it becomes second nature to surf through massive groups of many different vector shapes to select the portion you want to edit. By double-clicking a stroke, you can select all adjoining strokes of the same style. To further add to the intuitive interface, Flash allows you to then click anywhere on a stroke or fill edge and drag it into a Bezier curve. This allows for very quick-and-smooth tracking of curves when creating base shapes for complex objects. By using the Pen tool and clicking a rough angular shape of the intended object, you can then quickly drag each edge into curves to create anything from simple shapes to complex masks.

By its very nature, the idea of having dynamic fills and strokes on all of the vector objects is a brilliantly quick and easy one to take advantage of. Never is the appearance of any vector object beyond your ability to change drastically with a simple click or two of the mouse. This is incredibly handy when performing fast color or style changes to a portion or the whole of a sites’ interface.

Gradients in Flash are simple to use, as well. They do add more CPU strain for the viewer, but vectorbased gradients are still far easier to process than comparable PNGs or JPGs. Flash gradients are also editable at any time after initial creation right in the Flash environment, all with a simple drag or click. In complex situations, it is effortless to change the angles of a multitude of different gradients to alter
a lighting scheme in a design.

Another great little Flash drawing feature is the ability to subtract shapes from one another. By dropping a circle into the middle of a square of a different fill style, it is easy to remove the circle or delete it and leave a square with a hole in it. This is admittedly a rudimentary example, but it becomes important when using Flash as a drawing tool. Flash is also fine-tuned for having exact pixel-shaped objects and placement if you know how to go about it the right way. When used correctly, it is simple to set a series of meticulous proportions and dimensions throughout your vector artwork, thus rendering them very smooth and defined.