Filter Effects

Filter Effects can be applied to movieclips, and button symbols as well as to text that has not been broken apart and changed into a graphic

If you want to apply a filter to a graphic image, define it as a movieclip instead of a graphic symbol

Filter effects slow down playback performance because the Flash player has to perform more calculations while it is playing the SWF file. Use the minimum number of filters and lower quality settings in the filter properties for faster playback.

Types of Filters

• Drop Shadow simulates drop shadow
• Glow filter applies a selected color around the edges of an object.

Several filters have been applied to each of these elements.
Each of the effects can be modified and adjusted in the property inspector

Tween the filter effects

Apply filter effects to a movie clip and alter the settings in and ending keyframe later in the timeline

Apply a motion tween

Example with two instances of the same movieclip symbol, with filters applied, modified in ending keyframes, and tweened. The effect on the left is a blowout effect.

Fading an image in from a blurry state to a sharp one

• Insert a bitmap image on the movie editing screen in its own layer
• Insert an ending keyframe in the layer by hitting F6 in a later frame.
• Click in the beginnning keyframe
• Select the movieclip symbol
• Click the filters tab in the Property Inspector
• Click the + sign and add a blur filter
• Experiment with the level of blurriness by adjusting the x and y values
• Adjust the alpha by clicking on the properties tab in the property inspector and selecting the alpha choice in the color dropdown list
• Click in the layer between the beginning and ending keyframes, and select "create motion tween"
• Save the fla file and click Control>Test Movie to see the results