- 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
- Understanding Selections
- 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
- Transforming Gradient Fills
- Cutting and Pasting Graphics Between Layers
- Working with Graphics on Different Layers
- Distributing Graphics to Layers
- Working With Object Drawing
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 (0-200 pixels, ), styles, colors, and gradient fills () that can be applied to it. You can also create your own line style for specific types of dashed, dotted or artistic lines. You can constrain the path a line draws to 45-degree angles or create closed shapes by intersecting the lines you draw. In Merge Drawing, when a line overlaps another line on the same layer, it essentially ‘cuts’ it into two pieces that can be edited as separate objects. You can also specify a line cap and join type (). A join is the place where two strokes meet (Miter, Round, or Bevel). A cap is the end point of a stroke that does not join with another stroke. Select Stroke hinting to make stroke intersections easier to view ().
Use the Line Tool
- Click the Line tool in the Toolbar.
The pointer becomes a crosshair that you can drag 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.
TIMESAVER Hold down the Shift key, and then drag to draw a 45 degree line.
- To change line properties, click to select the stroke, and then specify the options (Color, Weight (0-200), Style, Width and
Height, Cap, Join, or Stroke Hinting) you want in the Property Inspector.
TROUBLE? To display the Property Inspector, click the Window menu, and the click Properties.