Drawing in Flash: the eye dropper tool

Mr. Evenski gratefully acknowledges the source of this information and images: echoecho.com. Visit this site for other excellent tutorials and to see this information in its original form.

You can use the Eye Dropper tool to copy fill and stroke attributes from objects.

To use the Eyedropper tool:

1. Select the Eye Dropper tool and click the object whose attributes you want to copy. (When you click a stroke, the tool automatically changes to the Ink Bottle tool. When you click a filled area, the tool automatically changes to the Paint Bucket tool)

2. Click the object that you want to apply the new attributes to.

Using the Eyedropper tool to select a bitmap fill:

Rather than painting with a fixed color or gradient you can paint using a bitmap image. A very important special use of the eyedropper tool is to select bitmap fills.

1. Place a bitmap image on the stage. Either drag it from your symbol library (Ctrl+L or Window > Library) or import a bitmap image from a file (Ctrl+R or File > Import).

2. Make sure the imported bitmap is selected. (If not: click on it with the Arrow tool).

3. Press Ctrl+B to break apart the image.

4. Select the Eye Dropper tool and click on the image.

You will now see a miniature of your image in the Color Fill tool box. Use the Paint Bucket tool to apply the bitmap fill to an object. (Note: you can apply the fill to any filled object as well as any closed outlined area.)

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