How to Use a Graphics Tablet in Flash

Many prefer to draw in Flash because the vector graphics are easily scalable, but sometimes have trouble with the fact that Flash doesn't come with the wide range of drawing tools that you'd find in a program like Photoshop. It does, however, recognize pressure sensitivity if you have a graphics tablet, which can make drawing a bit easier.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A graphics tablet with pressure sensitivity.
• A working installation of Flash MX or higher.

1. Before you open Flash, plug your graphics tablet into your computer. If you wait until after you open Flash, the program may not recognize the tablet drivers.

2. Open Flash, and either open the document you want to paint in, or open a new working document.

3. In the Tools menu on the left side of the screen, click the Brush Tool. While you can use the tablet just as you would use your mouse to draw with any tool, only the Brush Tool has pressure sensitivity options.

4. In the Options section all the way to the bottom of the Tools panel, you'll see the various options for the Brush Tool and a new button called "Use Pressure" that looks like a curved, angled teardrop or a little trailing dash of ink.

5. Click the Use Pressure button. With this button on, Flash will recognize the pressure sensitivity on most tablets and will allow you to paint using fills in lines of varying thicknesses depending on how hard you press on the tablet pen.

6. Draw on the stage, varying the pressure to see how the thickness changes.

7. To make Flash stop recognizing the tablet's pressure sensitivity, click Use Pressure again to turn it off.