Importing artwork to Flash

Importing artwork to Flash

With Flash CS4, you can import content from multiple Adobe Creative Suite CS4 applications, including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Fireworks, as well as from Adobe InDesign CS4 and Adobe After Effects CS4.

In this example, we import artwork from Fireworks. With Fireworks CS4, you can work with both raster and vector content. Raster files (or bitmaps) become pixelated when you resize them. A photograph is an example of a raster graphic file. Vector files, on the other hand, do not pixelate when you resize them. The paths of a vector graphic simply redraw no matter how much you expand or reduce it.

In Fireworks CS4, you can create assets to import to Flash CS4. For this example, I have created a vector polygon with a gradient fill and a stroke that is grouped with a text field (see Figure 1). This Fireworks file is saved as a PNG file, which can then be imported to Flash CS4.

Figure 1. Vector graphic created with Fireworks

To import the file, you must first create a new Flash CS4 document by selecting Flash File (ActionScript 3.0) from the Create New column on the Flash startup screen.

To import the Fireworks PNG file, choose File > Import. You have two import options: you can import either to the Stage or the Library. The Stage is the main animation area for the movie you're creating with Flash. The Library is a bank of assets or graphics that are part of the project but not necessarily on the Stage. The Library contains assets that you either create in Flash or import from other applications.

Import the Fireworks PNG design to the Flash CS4 Library by choosing File > Import > Import To Library. Then browse to the file and click Import To Library. In the Import Fireworks Document dialog box, select the options shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Fireworks import dialog box in Flash CS4 Professional

For this example, you want to keep the vector design editable instead of converting it to a raster or bitmap design. For designs that are more complex, you may want to import as a bitmap to maintain the appearance.

When you click OK, the Fireworks asset is imported to Flash. To see the imported assets, click the Library tab. When the assets are imported, the design is automatically converted to a graphic called Go.png.

To position the graphic on the Stage, drag and drop the Go.png asset from the Library panel to the Stage. Position the object in the upper left corner. If you don't position it in the correct location initially, you can reposition it using the mouse by dragging and dropping the graphic to the correct position. Your file should look like Figure 3.

Figure 3. Starting position on the Stage for the Go graphic