Flash® Professional CS5 Bible

Chapter 11. Applying Filters, Blends, Guides, and Masks

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Applying Flash filters

• Animating filter effects with motion tweens

• Understanding differences between color properties and color filters

• Working with blends

• Working with layers as guides

• Adding masks

• Setting up elements for animation with Distribute to Layers

This chapter introduces you to some of the key tools in the Flash authoring environment that support expressiveness — another term for creative options for designers. If you've worked with other graphics programs, you'll appreciate the creative potential of filters and the Blends menu built into the Properties panel. If you've never used a filter or heard of a blend mode, you'll be relieved to discover how easy it is to apply these features and amazed at how much they can do to enhance your projects.

I also explain how layers can do more than just hold the content of your Flash movie, and show you how to turn normal layers into guides or masks.

Applying Filters in Flash

Filters offer shortcuts for adding visual polish to your Flash designs. Instead of manually editing shapes to create drop shadows or adjusting gradient fills to create bevels, you can simply apply a live filter and use the built-in settings to adjust the final effect. Filters are rendered on-the-fly, and although they change the appearance of your symbol instances, they do not result in any additional symbols being generated and added to the library. In addition, filters do not interfere with the "editability" ...