Flash Tip: Animating/Tweening Gradients

You know that you can tween solid color fills to fade in and out of each other using Flash, but did you know that you can also tween gradients? You can make them fade simply in and out of each other, you can make them seem to “flow” from one side to the other, or any number of effects—the only limit is your own creativity in applying the basic technique.

To start off with, create a simple shape—let’s say a rectangle—and fill it with a basic linear gradient. Use the Color Mixer panel to set your colors, and if you need to, use the Paint Bucket tool to apply it to the shape you’ve already drawn.