MACROMEDIA FLASH MX 2004-USING FLASH Use Manual page 92

To complete the path as an open or closed shape, do one of the following:
6.
To complete an open path, double-click the last point, click the Pen tool in the Tools panel,
or Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) anywhere away from the path.
To close a path, position the Pen tool over the first anchor point. A small circle appears next
to the pen tip when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.
To complete the shape as is, select Edit > Deselect All or select a different tool in the Tools
panel.
Drawing curved paths with the Pen tool
You create curves by dragging the Pen tool in the direction you want the curve to go to create the
first anchor point, and then dragging the Pen tool in the opposite direction to create the second
anchor point.
When you use the Pen tool to create a curved segment, the anchor points of the line segment
display tangent handles. The slope and length of each tangent handle determine the slope and the
height, or depth, of the curve. Moving the tangent handles reshapes the curves of the path. See
"Adjusting segments" on page
To draw a curved path:
Select the Pen tool.
1.
Position the Pen tool on the Stage where you want the curve to begin, and hold down the
2.
mouse button.
The first anchor point appears, and the pen tip changes to an arrowhead.
Drag in the direction you want the curve segment to be drawn. Shift-drag to constrain the tool
3.
to multiples of 45°.
As you drag, the tangent handles of the curve appear.
Release the mouse button.
4.
The length and slope of the tangent handles determine the shape of the curve segment. You
can move the tangent handles later to adjust the curve.
92 Chapter 5: Drawing
94.