ABSTRACT

To use the Lasso tool draw around the character by clicking and holding the left mouse button. The selected area will show an overlaid dot pattern. To convert a selected area into a symbol press F8 or choose ‘Modify/Convert to Symbol. . .’ from the menu. In the dialog box choose ‘Graphic’ as the symbol type and enter a descriptive name. The selection will change from the dot pattern to a bounding box. The name that you give the symbol will be the name displayed in the Library. You can view the Library at any time by pressing F11 or selecting ‘Window/Library’ from the main menu. When the segment is a symbol you can use it as many times as you like either by dragging it out of the Library or by copying an instance of it on the stage and then pasting the instance into a new frame or new layer of the current frame. You can even paste a duplicate of the symbol in the current layer but remember that this will not work with motion tweening. The next step is to ensure that the rotation centre is correct.