- 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 Shapes with the Rectangle and Oval Tools
The Flash Toolbar includes several tools for quickly creating simple geometric vector shapes. They are easy to use; you just click and drag on the Stage to create the shapes. The Rectangle tool creates rectangles with square or rounded sides. The Oval tool creates circular shapes such as ovals and circles. Both can be constrained to certain aspect ratios by holding the Shift key or drawn freeform without the key modifier. These shapes can be comprised of Strokes, which are lines that surround and define the shape, Fills, which are a color or texture inside the shape, or both. Because they are comprised of vectors, they are editable after they are created with any of Flash's editing tools.
Draw with the Oval Tool
Click the Oval tool in the Toolbar.
Timesaver
Press O to select the Oval tool.
Select a Stroke and Fill Color from the Colors area of the Toolbar.
Click and drag on the Stage, and then release the mouse.
A preview of the oval appears as you drag.
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Figure
3.7Draw with the Rectangle Tool
Click the Rectangle tool in the Toolbar.
Timesaver
Press R to select the Rectangle tool.
Select a Stroke and Fill color from the Colors area of the Toolbar.
Click and drag on the Stage, and then release the mouse.
A preview of the rectangle appears as you drag.
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Figure
3.8Draw a Rounded Rectangle
Click the Rectangle tool in the Toolbar.
Click the Round Rectangle Radius button in the Options area of the Toolbar to open the Rectangle Settings dialog box.
Enter a value for the corner radius.
Click OK.
Click and drag on the Stage, and then release the mouse.
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Figure
3.9Did You Know?
You can enter values ranging from 0 to 999 points in the Rectangle Settings dialog box. A value of zero gives you a straight-sided-square. Higher numbers produce squares with more rounded sides.
You can hold down the Shift key while dragging to produce a perfect square with equal sides or a perfect circle. If you want to draw an oval or a rectangle without a stroke or fill, you can set either of these options to No Fill in the Colors area of the Toolbar or in the Color Mixer.
You can draw shapes withour a stroke or a fill. Set either of these properties to No Fill in the Colors section of the Toolbar or in the Color Mixer.
See Also
See "Changing Stroke and Fill Colors" on page 98 for information on changing shapes.