Flash MX 2004 Games : Art to ActionScript

Chapter 4: Using CGI programs to create animation
Using Trace Bitmap to get a cartoon effect
Figure 4.18 Using Trace Bitmap
Most computer animation software includes options to output the images as a non-photo realistic
render. Usually this means a cartoon look. This can be a very effective way of getting animation
graphics into Flash. First you set up the renderer to output using outline edges and flat colours.
Then you bring this into Flash as a sequence of images. Finally by using ‘Modify/Bitmap/Trace
Bitmap…’ on each image in the sequence they can be converted into vector images. The parameters
to set for the Trace Bitmap dialog box will vary from one bitmap sequence to another, the most
important being the use of ‘Color Threshold’: this needs to be set as high as possible while
retaining the colours in the original image. You are aiming at avoiding the Trace Bitmap function
retaining the anti-aliasing. Having converted the sequence of images it is usually a good idea to
go through the sequence using ‘Modify/Shape/Optimize…’. This brings up the dialog box in
Figure 4.19.
Figure 4.19 The Optimize Curves dialog box
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