Using Symbols and Instances > Changing instance properties > Changing the color and transparency of an instance
Changing the color and transparency of an instance
Each instance of a symbol can have its own color effect. To set color and transparency options for instances, you use the Effect panel, which is docked with the Instance panel. Settings on the Effect panel also affect bitmaps placed within symbols.
Symbol instances, each with its own color effect
When you change the color and transparency for an instance in a specific frame, Flash makes the change as soon as it displays that frame. To make gradual color changes, you must tween the color change. When tweening color, you enter different effect settings in starting and ending keyframes of an instance, and then tween the settings to make the instance's colors shift over time. See Tweening instances, groups, and type.
Tweening gradually changes an instance's color or transparency.
Note: If you apply a color effect to a movie clip that includes multiple frames, Flash applies the effect to every frame in the movie clip.
To change the color and transparency of an instance:
1 | Select the instance on the Stage and choose Window > Panels > Effect. |
You can also Alt-double-click (Windows) or Option-double-click (Macintosh) the instance on the Stage to bring the Instance panel forward, and then click the Effect tab. | |
2 | Choose one of the following options in the Effect panel: |
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Brightness adjusts the relative lightness or darkness of the image, measured on a scale from black (-100%) to white (100%). |
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Tint colors the instance with the same hue. Use the Tint slider at the top of the panel to set the tint percentage, from transparent (1%) to completely saturated (100%). To select a color, enter red, green, and blue values in the respective text boxes or drag the component sliders; or use the Color Picker. |
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Alpha adjusts the transparency of the instance. |
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Advanced separately adjusts the red, green, blue, and transparency values of an instance. This is most useful when you want to create and animate subtle color effects on objects such as bitmaps. The controls on the left let you reduce the color or transparency values by a specified percentage. The controls on the right let you reduce or increase the color or transparency values by a constant value. |
The current red, green, blue, and alpha values are multiplied by the percentage values, and then added to the constant values in the right column, producing the new color values. For example, if the current red value is 100, setting the left slider to 50% and the right slider to 100 produces a new red value of 150 ((100 x .5) + 100 = 150). | |
Any changes you make update automatically on the Stage. | |
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You can also change color using the ActionScript Color object. For more information, see ActionScript Help.