Flash
Toolbox
Dropper Tool
The Dropper Tool has a keyboard shortcut of I which probably reflects the fact that it's also referred to as the Eyedropper Tool. It is used to copy colour and style attributes of lines and fills so they can be applied to other objects.
When the Dropper is hovering over an empty part of the Stage, it displays the normal eyedropper shape. When you click on a fill, it copies the fill attributes and changes automatically to the Paint Bucket tool. You can immediately apply the copied fill to other objects. When you click on a stroke, it copies the stroke attributes and changes to the Ink Bottle tool, enabling you to apply the copied stroke attributes to other objects.
When the dropper is held over a stroke without clicking, the dropper will display a small pencil. When held over a fill, it will display a small brush. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of screen captures, we can't show you examples so when you try out this tool in Flash, please notice the different icon displays.
The example above shows the process of acquiring a stroke from the mauve object (yes, that's a stroke!) and applying it to the aqua object. The complete steps are:
- Click on the Dropper tool.
- Hold it over the stroke you want to acquire/copy and when the icon changes to the dropper with a small pencil, click.
- The Dropper is swapped for the Ink Bottle tool.
- Click on the object that you want to change to apply the acquired attributes. If there are other objects to change, you can continue to apply the same attributes in succession without returning to use the Dropper again.
Acquiring and applying fill attributes with the Dropper works in exactly the same way. An interesting note is that you're not restricted to acquiring colours from objects on Stage. You can click on anything in the Flash interface to acquire colours - menus, Toolbox, panels, etc.
Dropper Tool Summary
The Dropper Tool is used to copy colour and style attributes of lines, fills and brush strokes so they can be applied to other objects. Once the attributes are acquired, the tool is swapped for the Ink Bottle or Paint Bucket tool and you can immediately begin applying the acquired attributes to other objects by clicking on them.
We've covered all the Toolbox items now except for the Lasso and Text tools. We'll cover the Lasso in the section on bitmaps as it's more applicable there. The Text tool deserves a section of its own.
Dropper Tool Keyboard Shortcuts:
- Dropper tool: I
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