First Session with Flash CS3

For week 2, we had session with flash. It's quite a new things for me. The learning points are the introduction of Flash CS3, the user-interface and the tools. The first skill I've tried in Flash CS3 is Tracing image with  onion skin tools. I think this skill is very interesting and useful in creating graphics in Flash.

Tracing Image with the Onion Skin Tools

We were required to sketch the image of duck by using this skill. The original image of duck is shown as follow:

The step by step process are:

1.   Open a new flash file by selecting File > New. 

2.   Import the picture you want to trace by selecting File > Import and then 

      selecting the image from it’s location on your computer.   

3.   Resize the image to a size suitable for tracing by selecting the image          

      and using the Free Transform tool (pictured here). 

4.   Your image will currently be located on keyframe 1 of layer 1 of the timeline.   

      To be able to trace the image we are going to add another keyframe.  To do  

      this, select the frame next to the current keyframe and select Insert >  

      Timeline > Keyframe.  Your timeline will now have two keyframes with the  

      picture appearing in both. 

5.   Click on the second keyframe and then select your image on the stage. 

      Delete the image from the second keyframe by selecting the Delete key 

      on your keyboard.  Alternatively just cut the image by selecting Ctrl + x. 

       Your timeline should now look like this.  In this first keyframe on your  

      timeline, you will see that the circle is filled in.  The second keyframe  

      contains an outline of a circle.  This means it is currently empty.   This second  

      keyframe is where you are going to draw your image.     

   

6.   Click on the second keyframe in your timeline and click on the onion skin  

      tool.   This will enable you to see a faint version of your image in the second  

      keyframe. 

7.   Using the drawing tools of your choice, trace over the faint image in the  

      second keyframe to create your own drawing. 

   

8.   Once you are happy with your image, you no longer need the original  

      graphic in your Flash file.   Remove it by deleting the first keyframe in the 

      timeline.  To do this, select the first keyframe and then right click on your 

      mouse and select Remove Frames from the menu that appears. 

9.   You will find that you now just have one keyframe containing the image that 

      you have drawn.   This image is now ready to be converted to a symbol, 

      animated or even exported to use in another graphics application. 

10.   Your final step is to turn the onion skinning off.  Click on the Onion Skin  

        Tool button to do this.  

HINTS: This trick is great if you aren’t really confident at drawing.  Just 

remember to ensure that your image isn’t exactly the same as the 

original.      

And the outcome (after I put some editing) looks like this..