Illustrating with Macromedia Flash Professional 8, 2/e

Description 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii
ABOUT THE AUTHOR xv
PREFACE xvii
CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED 1
Inspirational Start 2
Illustration Styles 2
Line Art 3
Solid Fill Art 6
Cartoon 8
Manga 10
Character Illustration 13
Photorealistic 13
Experimental 16
Vector versus Raster 18
Vector 19
Raster 19
Be an Efficient Illustrator 20
Recommended Hardware 20
Setting Up Your Workstation 23
Understanding the Drawing Tools and Panels 26
Macromedia Flash Professional 8 New Features 43
Real-Time Disable Snap to Objects 44
Improved Preferences 44
Object-Level Undo and Redo Commands 45
Object-Level Undo 46
Document-Level Undo 46
vii
Bitmap Smoothing 47
Object Drawing 47
Enhanced Strokes 48
Color Mixer Enhancements 50
Gradient Effect Filters 50
Differences in Operating Systems 52
Summary 52
Exercises 52
CHAPTER 2: ILLUSTRATION CONCEPTS 55
Viewing 56
Managing Panels 57
Magnification and the Brush Tool 59
Magnification and the Zoom Tool 60
Editing 61
Mastering the Selection Tool 61
Mastering the Lasso Tool 72
Copy and Paste in Place 75
Moving Graphics Precisely 76
Selecting and Deselecting 78
Optimize Your Vectors 80
History Panel 82
Check Spelling 85
Find and Replace 86
Creating 87
Simple Shapes 87
Advanced Shapes 89
Grids and Evenly Spaced Content 96
Perspective 98
Finding the Perfect Font 99
Coloring 101
Light Source 101
Choosing Colors 101
Switching Colors 104
Creating the Right Gradient 107
Connecting Gradients 108
Summary 111
Exercises 111
viii Contents
Contents ix
CHAPTER 3: ILLUSTRATION APPROACH 117
What Do You Want to Illustrate? 118
Find Your Inspiration 118
Still Life 119
Images 119
Video 119
Outlines 120
Basic Colors Defined 125
Detail 127
Summary 131
Exercises 131
CHAPTER 4: ILLUSTRATION TECHNIQUES 133
Blur 134
Blur Text 134
Blur a Square—Solid Fills 136
Blur a Square—Gradient Fills 139
Blur a Square—Filter 142
Blur a Graphic Object 143
Highlights 144
Circle 144
Square 146
Square Bevel—Filter 151
Drop Shadows 152
Shadow Create with Solid Fills 152
Shadow Create with Gradient Fills 156
Shadow Create with Filter 161
Glow 161
Button Glow 162
Ball Glow 164
Button Glow—Filter 171
Drawing in Perspective 171
1-Point Perspective 172
2-Point Perspective 174
3-Point Perspective 178
Summary 181
Exercises 182
CHAPTER 5: DESIGN TECHNIQUES 185
Content Layout 186
Site Architecture 186
Navigation 188
Logos 190
Icons 190
Font Type 194
User Interfaces 199
ElectroServer Web Site 199
Electro Air Hockey Web Site 201
Incorporate Video 203
Adding Code 206
Summary 208
Exercises 208
CHAPTER 6: ANIMATION TECHNIQUES 211
Create Looping Animations 212
Text Movement 219
Bouncing Ball 223
Animating Special Effects 228
Sparkle 228
Waterfall 231
Reflection 233
Fire 237
Summary 241
Exercises 241
CHAPTER 7: TEXTURE TECHNIQUES 243
Vector Textures 244
Textured Metal Plate 244
Plastic—Hard 249
Metal 252
Chrome 255
Sponge 259
Wood 262
Bitmap Textures 264
Rice Treat 264
Cardboard Box 268
Baseball Cap 271
x Contents
Contents xi
Serving Board 275
Summary 279
Exercises 280
CHAPTER 8: NOVICE TUTORIALS 281
Pen 282
ChapStick® 285
Manga Character 287
Screw Driver 289
Pool Balls and Cue Stick 291
CD-ROM 297
Summary 300
Exercises 300
CHAPTER 9: ADVANCED TUTORIALS 301
Mallet 302
Jar 307
Safety Pin 314
Apple 320
Bell Pepper 332
Human Figure 345
Shoes 346
Pants 346
Shirt 348
Arms 350
Head 353
Shadow 354
Summary 355
Exercises 356
APPENDIX A: DEVELOPER RESOURCES 357
General Illustration and Animation Resources 357
Resource Sites 357
Books 357
Digital Illustration Resources 358
Resource Site 358
Book 359
Flash Resources 359
Resource Sites 359
Recommended Hardware 359
Scanner 359
Graphics Tablets 360
Miscellaneous Drawing Supplies 360
APPENDIX B: ABOUT THE CD-ROM 361
System Requirements 361
Windows 361
Macintosh 361
INDEX 363
xii Contents