layer list. Flash unlocks the layers and removes (Msn web hosting)
layer list. Flash unlocks the layers and removes the mask effect. After you finish editing the layers, lock them again to redisplay the mask effect. When you create a mask layer, Flash links only the layer directly beneath it to the mask layer. A layer linked to a mask layer is masked. If you place objects that you want to be masked on several layers, you need to change the property of all those layers from normal to masked. All the layers that you want to be masked must be directly under the mask layer. You can link a layer to a mask layer in several ways: If you drag a normal layer directly beneath a mask layer, Flash links it to the mask layer in addition to existing masked layers. Right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac) the layer and choose Properties. Select the Masked option button in the Layer Properties dialog box. Similarly, you can unlink a layer from its mask layer by using one of these methods: Drag the linked layer above the mask layer. Right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac) the layer and choose Properties. Select the Normal option button in the Layer Properties dialog box. Animating mask layers Mask layers are more fun when you animate them. You can move them, change their sizes, and change their shapes. If you create a keyhole like the one shown in Figure 6-7, you can move the keyhole past the masked layers, revealing what lies beneath while the keyhole moves. You can use the same technique to create an effect of a spotlight moving around a stage, revealing whatever it lights up. The only thing that you can t do is to animate the mask layer objects along motion paths. (Chapter 9 explains how to animate masks along with other objects.) You can create more complex mask animations by using ActionScript. For the steps to do this, see the section on creating animated masks with movie clips in Chapter 10. Look for ffd_reveal.fla on this book s Web site at www.dummies.com/go/ flash8. To see the mask, open the file and unlock all the layers. (Thanks to Shane Mielke, one of our top ten designers to watch [see Chapter 16], for this file.) 142 Part II: 1,000 Pictures and 1,000 Words
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