How to Trace a Bitmap in Flash CS5
Adobe Flash CS5 may be an animation software program, but some of the most attention-grabbing effects it can perform don't have anything to do with motion at all. For example, you can use the program's drawing tools to trace images such as bitmaps. Tracing provides two options: you can use the traced image in your animations for a more artistic look, or eliminate the bitmap entirely, leaving just the tracing behind for a sketch/cartoon feel.
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Instructions
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Open Flash CS5. Click "Create New" on the welcome screen. The blank stage and timeline appear.
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Click the "File" menu, select "Import" and click "Import to Stage."
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Browse to the location of the bitmap to trace. To narrow the search, click the "All Formats" drop-down menu and select "Bitmap." Double-click the picture, which has a BMP file extension, to add it to the stage.
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Click the "Zoom in percentage" drop-down menu, located at the top right of the timeline below the "X." Zoom in so you can see the fine details of the bitmap.
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Click the paintbrush-shaped icon on the Tools panel on the left side of the stage. Click the top drop-down menu on the bottom of the panel and choose the smallest brush head.
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Click into the "Colors" section on the panel and select black or your preferred color to trace with.
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Position the cursor over the bitmap and click-and-drag to trace it. You may want to trace the thickest portions of the bitmap first, working your way to the finest details, or do the opposite. Adjust the brush color, size and shape -- the bottom drop-down menu on the panel -- as desired.
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Tips & Warnings
If you already have a Flash file with a bitmap to trace, click the "Open" link on the startup screen, browse to the Flash file and double-click it. Drag the timeline indicator to the keyframe with the bitmap, then follow the rest of the instructions.
