Webmaster Factor

Today I will show you how to make a nifty button in Flash with a smoke effect using the colors of your choice (I used blue and green).

First start with a new Flash Document. (If you like Mitch Hedberg, as I do, the word ‘document’ should
make you laugh. If not, I suggest you download as much of his comedy as possible)

Change your stage size to around 100 x 45, depending on the size of your button.

Now choose the rectangle tool and block out the inner coloring. Put a rectangle just inside the stage borders like so…

Choose the rectangle with the ’subselection tool’.

Hit F8 and turn the rectangle in to a MovieClip. Hold Ctrl and hit ‘E’ to edit the MovieClip.
Add a second layer.

Choose the ‘brush tool’ and choose your color.

Now change your view from 100% to 25% so you can draw longer straight lines.

Draw lines on either side of your MovieClip, from top to bottom (holding shift will alow straight lines)
Thiner squigly lines look better, but I’m in a hurry

Now pick a smaller brush and a lighter color and draw squigly lines across your two vertical lines like a messed up ladder.

Now use the ‘Subselection tool’ again, hover over what you just did until the little square by the cursor is black.
Left click. Hit F8 and turn this mess in to a MovieClip.

Click “Filters” and hit the plus sign.

Choose ‘Blur’ and up it from 5 to around 80 (it’s up to you).

Now, move your new blurry MovieClip down so the top is just at the top of your Layer 1 MovieClip.

Go to Frame 80 or so and create a KeyFrame in both layers (F6)

In Layer 2, Move the MovieClip up so the bottom is right around the bottom of the MovieClip in layer 1.
Go back to Frame 1, Layer 2 and right click. Click on Motion Tween.

Go back to Scene 1 (Ctrl E). Create a second layer, right click on it and choose ‘Mask’

Choose the rectangle tool again but make sure you do NOT have the inner color blocked (and any color will do,
as this just blocks everything out that is not inside of it). Choose the radius option and set a radius (I used 25).

Now Put a rectangle inside of the first MovieClip you made.

Press Ctrl Enter to see the finished product.