- 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.