How to export gradients?

[TwisterMc webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

So i've created a sweet interface in fireworks mx and now i want to move it into flash mx. But whenever i try it looses all the gradients and replaces them with a solid object. I've tried exporting as swf, as ai, copy past, copy vectors and nothing works. Am i just screwed here? Or what am i missing?

HELP PLEASE

Thomas

[Stéphane Bergeron]

"TwisterMc" [email]webforumsuser@macromedia.com[/email] wrote:

> So i've created a sweet interface in fireworks mx and now i want to
> move it into flash mx. But whenever i try it looses all the
> gradients and replaces them with a solid object. I've tried
> exporting as swf, as ai, copy past, copy vectors and nothing works.
> Am i just screwed here? Or what am i missing?

Did you try importing the Fireworks editable PNG file into Flash? It
will bring up a dialog box where you should choose to keep all paths
editable. Objects may come in grouped but I can import shapes with
gradients from Fireworks without a problem and I am able to edit the
gradient in Flash once the shape is ungrouped.

HTH!

Stéphane Bergeron

[ccnk]

Twister:

Flash allow ONLY for a certain set of Gradients to be exported as
Vector objects. I wanted to note the exportable Gradients for you but I
am having trouble with navigating the control in the new Flash 2004
version.
What you need to remember is that a Gradient such a the "Waves" Gradient
in Fireworks isn't really a TRUE Gradient. It uses the Gradient effect
but Flash sees it as a Bitmap Object. The same applies when you draw a
perfectly importable Linear Gradient BUT apply a Stroke to it which
Flash cannot inteprete as a Vector Object.

The Flash player has a set of Strokes which it can interprete but the
ones it can't are automatically detected by the Flash editor as
non-existant Vector Objects. The regrettable side effect to this is that
the entire Object is converted to a Bitmap instead of a combination of
Vector information and Bitmap (understandably so).
If you draw a Linear Gradient with a 3px Normal Stroke it will "Paste"
right in Flash, but if you draw a Linear Gradient with a Fluid Splatter
Stroke (I didn't try this) it will probably fail.

Fireworks doesn't have some sort of preferences it puts in the Objects
Fill or Stroke, it merely uses the same "language" as Flash does for
interpreting certain Fills and Strokes.

I hope this clarifies some of your questions.


Coen


"TwisterMc" [email]webforumsuser@macromedia.com[/email] wrote:

>So i've created a sweet interface in fireworks mx and now i want to move it into flash mx. But whenever i try it looses all the gradients and replaces them with a solid object. I've tried exporting as swf, as ai, copy past, copy vectors and nothing works. Am i just screwed here? Or what am i missing?
>
>HELP PLEASE
>
>Thomas
>
>
>
>

--

Coen

"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."
_______________________________
Please, don't E-mail me about Fireworks questions. Post them on the Forum.

E-mail : ccnk at home.nl
================================
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[TwisterMc webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

Did you try importing the Fireworks editable PNG file into Flash? It
will bring up a dialog box where you should choose to keep all paths
editable. Objects may come in grouped but I can import shapes with
gradients from Fireworks without a problem and I am able to edit the
gradient in Flash once the shape is ungrouped.

HTH!

Stéphane Bergeron

Thanks for the suggestion, but i got the same results.

[TwisterMc webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

So I'm back at my dead end. Great vector interface in fireworks, no way to easily get it to flash.

[Tom Unger]

TwisterMc;
See Coen's response--some types of gradients simply won't translate as
vector. You will have to rasterize them or build them a different way. -Tom
Unger

[TwisterMc webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

Well I guess I should never design in Fireworks. It's a vector program but it was a waste of time. I ended up re-doing everything in Flash. Most gradients didn't make it over, even though they were created with the basic gradient tool. No special swirls or twirls. Drop shadow and inner glows don't translate over either. And transparencies kind of do. I was hoping that going from a vector Macromedia product to a vector Macromedia product this wouldn't happen. I really wish Macromedia would make their apps work together better.

Thomas