Overview

In This Chapter

Introducing color basics

Working with Flash color

Organizing the Color Swatches panel

Creating and importing custom color sets

Using the Color Mixer panel to modify colors

Adding transparency to strokes and fills

Making and applying gradient fills

Selecting bitmap fills

Before we get into the specifics of applying color with Flash, we want to discuss some of the fundamental theory behind working with color that's destined for display on the Web. Limited color displays are not as common as they were in the early days of Web graphics, but it is useful to have a basic understanding of the various contexts and limitations of digital color. This chapter introduces some resources that may be helpful to you for Flash work and as references for color issues that may come up in other productions. Whether you're designing corporate graphics or creating a photo album to share online, consistent and accurate color is a key factor in the quality of your projects. An overview of the reasons and methods for using Web-safe color will get you on good footing. We then explore the options available in Flash for choosing and modifying your color palette using the Color Swatches panel and how colors can be accessed from the Tools panel. We also show you how to work with the Property inspector menus, Color Swatches panel, and Color Mixer panel to select, change, mix, and apply solid colors, gradients, and even bitmap fills.