Kinds of image

        Today, I'll explain about many kinds of image in my opinion. I divine it to 4 kinds of images in flash :
shape, object, group and symbol. There're many good points and week points with any kinds of it. I'll tell you step by step.

        1. Shape

       It's the original image when you draw everything on stage. Your draw will become a shape, shape may be only line, only fill or both line and fill. When you select shape, it will appear many dots on your selection.

Shape can use for make animation call "shape tween". Shape tween can change the shape and color, but it likely not tween as you want, sometimes it distorted.

If you draw 2 shapes or more and have some overlapped, it will combine to 1 shape. Be careful to draw, maybe it overlap and delete some important part, but you can apply to make shape as you want. Below are Example.

2 shapes circle and square

drag the square to overlapped the circle

drag it back the area in circle will deleted.

        2. Object

       Object is shape that can overlapped. If you draw more than 1 object, it will independently of one another. Object will not combine like shape. You can draw object by enable the draw object button (shortcut: J). After you enable that button, every draw of your shape will convert to object automatically. Combination your draw with object and shape.

Object can overlapped, it will not delete other.

       If you want to edit your object, you may click to select it and change color. You can use selection tool to pull your draw, and you can double click on object to edit inside it. Draw shape inside object as you want and double click anywhere for back to main scene from inside object. Avoid to draw object inside object. If you design to draw some object inside object, program will ask you to convert it to group when you come back to main scene, because object can use only shape in it. I'll talk about group below.

Select and change color

Pull it as you want

       If you want to change the order of object when you have more than 1 object, you can use shortcut "Ctrl + Up" and "Ctrl + Down" to edit.

Use Ctrl+Up and Ctrl+Down

Tips: you can break your object to shape by shortcut "Ctrl + B", after that it will change to shape.

Break it by Ctrl+B it will become to shape

        3. Group

        I often use this type for drawing, it's easy to control. First, you must draw picture with shape type. When you done drawing somethings, use selection tool to drag cover area of your picture to select it, then press Ctrl+G to group. Group can overlap with other group, you can change the order of group by shortcut "Ctrl + Up" and "Ctrl + Down" like object. To edit group that you already draw, you can double click on it and edit. After you finish edit, double click other point except your draw to come outside.

Group your drawing

Many group oranges, dishes and table

        Other way to create group, you can press Ctrl+G to create blank group, then start drawing to this group. You can create group in other group. For example, I have the group of human. Inside the human I have 4 groups head, body, arms and legs. Inside head has eyes and mouth.

Human has many groups inside

More group inside head

       4. Symbol

        Symbol is same of group but it use for animation. When you draw any shape, you can select it and press F8 to convert it to symbol. Program will ask you for set the name of symbol. There're 3 types of symbol graphic, movie clip and button. I'll explain about it later.

Tips: Group ,object, and symbol will always on top of shape.

Next article I'll talk about layer. :)