Creating a Custom Cursor

1. Create a Movieclip for the custom cursor, say a small circle and name the instance say, 'cust_cursor'. The instance name of a symbol is used to control it using Actionscript commands (Refer to Flash Photo Masking for this example).
2. Select the Movieclip instance 'cust_cursor' on the stage and reduce the Alpha value to 40 and write the following Actionscript code for it as given below:

onClipEvent(load)
{
Mouse.hide();
this.startDrag();
}

Fig: Simple Custom Cursor in Flash

1. The 'hide' method of the predefined object 'Mouse' is used to hide the standard cursor. The keyword 'this' is used to reference the Movieclip instance 'cust_cursor'.
2. We use the 'startDrag' action of the Movieclip to use the movieclip as a custom cursor.
3. The Custom Cursor Movieclip can also be Animated and used as a Mask as shown in the example below.
4. Save your work and test the Movie (Ctrl + Enter). That's it you have learnt how to create a movieclip as a custom cursor in Flash.

Flash Tweening

The term "Tweening" is derived from "in between".

Sometimes you want to add an effect that is graduated over several frames.

For example, moving a car from the left side of the movie to the right side.

Instead of moving the car a little bit on each frame, you can simply:

• position the car on the first frame,


• then insert a keyframe where the car should stop


• and finally tell Flash to tween between the two keyframes.

Tweening simply means going from one keyframe to another while taking small steps for each of the ordinary frames in between.

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In this tutorial you can learn to make:

• Motion Guide Tweenings
  
  
  (Moving objects from A to B along a customized path)
  



• Tint Tweenings
  
  
  (Graduated color changing of an object.)
  



• Shape Tweenings
  
  
  (Graduated change of one object into another)
  

Flash Introduction

The drawing tools in Flash let you create and modify shapes for the artwork in your movies. For an interactive introduction to drawing in Flash, choose Help > Lessons > Drawing in your Flash program.

The tools for painting are kept in the "Tools" bar, usually positioned at the left top of your Flash Screen.

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On the following pages we will guide you through the use of each of these tools, starting with the simplest.

But before going through the different tools, we will look at the way Flash handle drawings.

The most important thing to understand is the distinction between outlines and fills.

When you draw a line there is no fill - only the outline.

When you draw a rectangle (or a circle) you actually draw two things: The outline (border) and the fill. Unlike most other programs, Flash doesn't automatically combine these two into one object.