- Introduction
- Changing Drawing Settings
- Drawing with the Line Tool
- Drawing with the Pencil Tool
- Drawing Shapes with the Rectangle and Oval Tools
- Using the Polystar Tool
- Selecting Strokes with the Arrow Tool
- Selecting Strokes and Fills with the Arrow Tool
- Making Selections with the Lasso Tool
- Zooming In and Out with the Magnifying Glass
- Moving Around with the Hand Tool
- Displaying Rulers
- Using Grids and Guides
- Modifying Grid and Guide Settings
- Using Snap Align
- Changing Stroke and Fill Colors
- Creating Custom Colors
- Editing Strokes with the Ink Bottle
- Editing Fills with the Paint Bucket
- Editing Strokes and Fills with the Eyedropper
- Creating Gradients
- Using the Fill Lock
- Using Paint Brush Modes
- Drawing with the Pen Tool
- Drawing Curves with the Pen Tool
- Modifying Shapes with the Arrow Tool
- Modifying Shapes with the Sub-Selection Tool
- Using the Free Transform Tool
- Using Transform Options for Shapes
- Cutting and Pasting Graphics Between Layers
- Working with Graphics on Different Layers
- Distributing Graphics to Layers
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Drawing with the Line Tool
The Line tool draws perfectly straight lines in any direction you drag your mouse. In Flash, a line is called a stroke and there is a variety of thickness, styles, and colors that can be applied to it. You can also create your own line style for specific types of dashed, dotted or artistic lines. Create simple shapes, design elements, or use it as a starting point for a drawing. You can constrain the path a line draws to 45-degree angles or create closed shapes by intersecting the lines you draw. When a line overlaps another line on the same layer, it essentially 'cuts' it into two pieces that can be edited as separate objects.
Use the Line Tool
Click the Line tool in the Toolbar.
The pointer becomes a crosshair that you can drag anywhere on the Stage.
Timesaver
Press N to select the Line tool.
Click and drag on the Stage, and then release the mouse when the line is the length you need.
A preview of the line appears as you drag. A circle beneath the crosshair indicates the line's endpoint.
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Figure
3.2Did You Know?
You can use the Shift key to create a 45 degree line. Click the Line tool, hold down the Shift key, and then drag to draw a 45 degree line.
See Also
See "Changing Stroke and Fill Colors" on page 90 for information on using color.