Chapter 5. Importing Graphics and Sounds

In This Chapter

  • Importing bitmap images and vector artwork

  • Converting your bitmap images to symbols

  • Importing Illustrator and Photoshop files

  • Adding sounds to your movie

You may decide to enhance your Flash movies with the addition of photos or graphics created in other applications, such as Photoshop CS4 and Illustrator CS4. Flash natively supports Photoshop and Illustrator file format imports, as well as many popular image formats. Combine this feature with the ability to import and utilize .mp3 and other popular sound formats, and you can truly make your Flash movies an immersive multimedia experience.

Bitmap versus Vector Artwork

In computer-based design, you need to be aware of two graphic types: bitmap and vector. The drawing environment in Flash natively creates vector graphics, but you can use both bitmap and vector graphics in a Flash movie.

Vector graphics refer to scalable artwork consisting of points, paths, and fills that the computer creates based on mathematical formulas. While you may see a plain red rectangle, Flash sees an equation that creates the points, paths, and fill color necessary to re-create the graphic. Changing the rectangle's size, position, or color is a matter of simply recalculating the formula and redrawing the shape. As a result, vector graphics maintain crisp quality even when scaled far beyond their original size. Flash (like its cousin Illustrator CS4) can natively create detailed vector illustrations and typography ...

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