MACROMEDIA FLASH 8-USING FLASH Use Manual page 236

Applying a gradient glow
Applying a gradient glow produces a glow look with a gradient color across the surface of the
glow. The gradient glow requires you to choose one color at the beginning of the gradient
with an Alpha value of 0. You cannot move the position of this color, but you can change the
color.
To apply a gradient glow to an object:
1. Select a movie clip or text object that you want to apply a gradient glow to.
2. Select the Filters tab in the Property inspector.
3. Click the Add Filter (+) button and select Gradient Glow from the pop-up menu.
4. Edit the filter settings on the Filter tab of the Property inspector:
Select the type of glow you want to apply to the object from the Glow Type pop-up
menu. You can choose an inner, outer, or full glow.
Drag the Blur X and Y slider to set the width and height of the glow.
Drag the Strength slider to set the opacity of the glow without affecting its width.
Drag the Angle dial or enter a value to change the angle of the shadow cast by the
glow.
Drag the Distance slider to set the distance of the shadow from the object.
Select the Knockout check box to knock out (or visually hide) the source object and
display only the gradient glow on the knockout image.
Specify a gradient color for the glow. A gradient contains two or more colors that fade
or blend into one another. The color you select for the beginning of the gradient is
referred to as the alpha color.
To change a color in the gradient, select one of the color pointers below the gradient
definition bar and click the color space that appears directly below the gradient bar to
display the Color Picker. Sliding these pointers adjusts the level and position of that
color in the gradient.
To add a pointer to the gradient, click on or below the gradient definition bar. You can
add up to 15 color pointers, letting you create a gradient with up to 15 color
transitions. To reposition a pointer on the gradient, drag the pointer along the
gradient definition bar. Drag a pointer down and off the gradient definition bar to
remove it.
236 Using Filters and Blends (Flash Professional only)