Special effects

Adobe Flash CS3 Professional special effects include filters, which let you add visual effects to text, buttons,
and movie clips; and blend modes, which let you create composite images.

 Filter overview
Adobe® Flash® CS3 Professional filters (graphic effects) let you add interesting visual effects to text, buttons,
and movie clips. A feature unique to Flash is that you can animate the filters you apply using motion tweens.
Flash blend modes let you create composite images. Compositing is the process of varying the transparency
or color interaction of two or more overlapping objects. Blending modes also add a dimension of control to the
opacity of objects and images. You can use Flash blending modes to create highlights or shadows that let
details from an underlying image show through, or to colorize a desaturated image.

 Apply filters
Each time you add a new filter to an object, it is added to the list of applied filters for that object in the Property
inspector. You can apply multiple filters to an object, as well as remove filters that were previously applied. You
can apply filters only to text, button, and movie clip objects.
You can create a filter settings library that lets you easily apply the same filter or sets of filters to an object.
Flash stores the filter presets you create in the Property inspector on the Filters tab in the Filters > Presets
menu.

The Add Filter menu in the Property inspector.

Apply or remove a filter

1. Select a text, button, or movie clip object to apply a filter to or remove a filter from.
2. Select Filters, and do one of the following:
 To add a filter, click the Add Filter (+) button, and select a filter. Experiment with
the settings until you get the desired look.
 To remove a filter, select the filter to remove in the list of applied filters, and click
the Remove Filter (-) button. You can delete or rename any presets.

Copy and paste a filter

1. Select the object to copy a filter from, and select the Filters panel.
2. Select the filter to copy, and click the Copy Filter button .
3. Select the object to apply the filter to, and click the Paste Filter button .

Apply a preset filter to an object

1. Select the object to apply a filter preset to, and select the Filter tab.
2. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Presets.
3. Select the filter preset to apply from the list of available presets at the bottom of the preset
menu.
 Note: When you apply a filter preset to an object, Flash replaces any filters currently applied to the
selected objects with the filters used in the preset.
Enable or disable a filter applied to an object
Click the enable or disable icon next to the filter name in the Filter list.

Note: To toggle the enable state of the other filters in the list, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click
(Macintosh) the enable icon in the Filter list. If you Alt-click the disable icon, the selected filter is
enabled, and all others filters in the list are disabled.

Enable or disable all filters applied to an object

Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Enable All or Disable All.
Note: To enable or disable all of the filters in the list, Control-click the enable or disable icon in the Filter
list.

 Create preset filter libraries

Save filter settings as preset libraries that you can easily apply to movie clip and text objects. Share your filter
presets with other users by providing them with the filter configuration file. The filter configuration file is an XML
file that is saved in the Flash Configuration folder in the following location:
 Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\Flash
CS3\language\Configuration\Effects\filtername.xml
 Macintosh: Macintosh HD/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Flash
CS3/language/Configuration/Effects/filtername.xml

Create a library of filters with preset settings

1. Apply the filter or filters to the object.
2. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Presets > Save As.
3. Enter a name for the filter settings in the Save Preset As dialog box, and click OK.
Rename a filter preset
1. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Presets > Rename.
2. Double-click the preset name to modify.
3. Enter a new preset name, and click Rename.
Delete a filter preset
1. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Presets > Delete.
2. Select the preset to remove, and click Delete.

 Apply a drop shadow

The Drop Shadow filter simulates the look of an object casting a shadow onto a surface.

Text with the Drop Shadow filter applied.

1. Select the object to apply a drop shadow to, and select Filters.
2. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Drop Shadow.
3. Edit the filter settings on the Filter tab:
 To set the width and height of the drop shadow, drag the Blur X and Y sliders.
 To set the distance of the shadow from the object, drag the Distance slider.
 To open the Color Picker and set the shadow color, click the color control.
 To set the darkness of the shadow, drag the Strength slider. The higher the numerical
value, the darker the shadow.
 To set the angle of the shadow, enter a value, or click the angle selector and drag the
angle dial.
 Select Knockout to knock out (or visually hide) the source object and display only the
drop shadow on the knockout image.
 To apply the shadow within the boundaries of the object, select Inner shadow.
  To hide the object and display only its shadow, select Hide Object. Hide Object lets you
more easily create a realistic shadow.
 Select the quality level for the drop shadow. High is approximate to that of a Gaussian
blur. Low maximizes playback performance.

 Create a skewed drop shadow

Skewing the Drop Shadow filter to create a more realistic looking shadow.

1. Select the object with the shadow you want to skew.

2. Duplicate (select Edit > Duplicate) the source object.
3. Select the duplicated object, and skew it using the Free Transform tool (Modify > Transform >
Rotate And Skew).
4. Apply the Drop Shadow filter to the duplicated movie clip or text object. (It will already be applied
if the object you duplicated already had a drop shadow.)
5. In the Filters panel, select Hide Object to hide the duplicated object while leaving its shadow
visible.
6. Select Modify > Arrange > Send Backward to place the duplicated object and its shadow behind
the original object that you duplicated.
7. Adjust both the Drop Shadow filter settings and the angle of the skewed drop shadow until you
achieve the desired look.

 Apply a blur

The Blur filter softens the edges and details of objects. Applying a blur to an object can make it appear as if it is
behind other objects, or make an object appear to be in motion.

Text with the Blur filter applied.

1. Select an object to apply a blur to, and select Filters.

2. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Blur.
3. Edit the filter settings on the Filter tab:
 To set the width and height of the blur, drag the Blur X and Y slider.
 Select the quality level for the blur. High is approximate to that of a Gaussian blur. Low
maximizes playback performance.

 Apply a glow

The Glow filter lets you apply a color around the edges of an object.

1. Select an object to apply a glow to, and select Filters.

2. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Glow.
3. Edit the filter settings in the Filter tab:
 To set the width and height of the glow, drag the Blur X and Y slider.
 To open the Color Picker and set the glow color, click the color control.
 To set the sharpness of the glow, drag the Strength slider.
  To knock out (or visually hide) the source object and display only the glow on the
knockout image, select Knockout.

Using the Glow filter with the Knockout option.

 To apply the glow within the boundaries of the object, select Inner Glow.
 Select the quality level for the glow. High is approximate to that of a Gaussian blur. Low
maximizes playback performance.

 Apply a bevel

Applying a bevel applies a highlight to the object that makes it appear to be curved up above the background
surface.

1. Select an object to apply a bevel to, and select Filters.

2. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Bevel.
3. Edit the filter settings in the Filter tab:
 To apply a bevel to the object from the Type pop-up menu, select the bevel type.
 To set the width and height of the bevel, drag the Blur X and Y slider.
 Select a shadow and highlight color for the bevel from the pop-up color palette.
 To set the opacity of the bevel without affecting its width, drag the Strength slider.
 To change the angle of the shadow that the beveled edge casts, drag the Angle dial or
enter a value.
 To define the width of the bevel, enter a value for Distance.
 To knock out (or visually hide) the source object and display only the bevel on the
knockout image, select Knockout.

 Apply a gradient glow

Applying a gradient glow produces a glow look with a gradient color across the surface of the glow. The
gradient glow requires one color at the beginning of the gradient with an Alpha value of 0. You cannot move
the position of this color, but you can change the color.

1. Select an object to apply a gradient glow to, and select the Filters tab.
2. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Gradient Glow.
3. Edit the filter settings on the Filter tab:
 Select the type of glow to apply to the object from the Glow Type pop-up menu.
 To set the width and height of the glow, drag the Blur X and Y slider.
 To set the opacity of the glow without affecting its width, drag the Strength slider.
 To change the angle of the shadow that the glow casts, drag the Angle dial or enter a
value.
 To set the distance of the shadow from the object, drag the Distance slider.
 To knock out (or visually hide) the source object and display only the gradient glow on
the knockout image, select Knockout.
  Specify a gradient color for the glow. A gradient contains two or more colors that fade or
blend into one another. The color you select for the beginning of the gradient is referred to
as the alpha color.
To change a color in the gradient, select one of the color pointers below the gradient
definition bar and click the color space that appears directly below the gradient bar to
display the Color Picker. Sliding these pointers adjusts the level and position of that color in
the gradient.
To add a pointer to the gradient, click on or below the gradient definition bar. To create a
gradient with up to 15 color transitions, add up to 15 color pointers. To reposition a pointer
on the gradient, drag the pointer along the gradient definition bar. To remove a pointer, drag
it down and off the gradient definition bar.
 Select the quality level for the gradient glow. High is approximate to that of a Gaussian
blur. Low maximizes playback performance.

 Apply a gradient bevel

Applying a gradient bevel produces a raised look that makes an object appear to be raised above the
background, with a gradient color across the surface of the bevel. The gradient bevel requires one color in the
middle of the gradient with an alpha value of 0.
1. Select an object to apply a gradient bevel to, and select the Filters tab.
2. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Gradient Bevel.
3. Edit the filter settings on the Filter tab:
 Select the type of bevel to apply to the object from the Type pop-up menu.
 To set the width and height of the bevel, drag the Blur X and Y slider.
 To affect the smoothness of the bevel without affecting its width, enter a value for
strength.
 To set the angle of the light source, enter a value for Angle, or use the pop-up dial.
 To knock out (or visually hide) the source object and display only the gradient bevel on
the knockout image, select Knockout.
 Specify a gradient color for the bevel. A gradient contains two or more colors that fade
or blend into one another. The middle pointer controls the alpha color of the gradient. You
can change the color of the alpha pointer, but you cannot reposition this color in the
gradient.
To change a color in the gradient, select one of the color pointers below the gradient
definition bar, and click the color space that appears directly below the gradient bar to
display the Color Picker. To adjust the level and position of that color in the gradient, slide
these pointers.
To add a pointer to the gradient, click on or below the gradient definition bar. To create a
gradient with up to 15 color transitions, add up to 15 color pointers. To reposition a pointer
on the gradient, drag the pointer along the gradient definition bar. To remove a pointer, drag
it down and off the gradient definition bar.

 Apply the Adjust Color filter

To apply only the Brightness control to an object, use the color controls located in the Properties tab of the
Property inspector. To provide improved performance to applying a filter, use the Brightness option in the
Properties tab.
1. Select an object to adjust the color for, and select the Filters tab.
2. Click the Add Filter (+) button, and select Adjust Color.
3. Drag the slider for the color attributes to adjust, or enter a numerical value in the corresponding
box. The attributes and their corresponding values are as follows:
Contrast Adjusts the highlights, shadows, and midtones of an image.
Brightness Adjusts the brightness of an image.
Saturation Adjusts the intensity of a color.
 Hue Adjusts the shade of a color.
5. To reset all of the color adjustments to 0 and return the object to its original state, click Reset.