Effect Light Source

417

Aaron Beall

1477

36975

13 May, 2008

Description

This Auto Shape allows you to adjust and visualize the angle of live effects on all selected objects, or all objects in the entire document.

Installation instructions

Requirement

Fireworks CS3

Tutorial

1. Introduction

Effect Light Source only works for native Fireworks filters that have a directional parameter, including: Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow, Solid Shadow, Motion Blur, Inner Bevel, Inset Emboss, Outer Bevel, and Raised Emboss. It won't work for the Photoshop Live Effects, and it won't work for any installed filters, because they don't have an API to control a directional parameter -- it's a limitation of the Fireworks API.

2. Instructions
1. Create several ellipse or other shapes, scattered on the canvas.
2. Select all the ellipse, add an Inner Bevel live filter and a Dropshadow live filter, in that order.
3. Open the Auto Shapes panel (Window > Auto Shapes)
4. Drag and drop the Effect Light Source Autoshape onto anywhere on the canvas, it doesn't matter where yet.



5. Select any of the objects for which you want to adjust its light source
6. Use the Layers Panel and make sure the Effect Light Source is selected as well. You can hold Control and click the Effect Light Source Auto Shape in the Layers panel to add it to your selected objects.
7. Once the Effect Light Source Auto Shape is selected, you will see a crosshair control point. Drag this crosshair on the canvas to where you want the light source to emit from and release. After you release the crosshair, all other selected objects will change to reflect that position as a light source for any live filters applied to those objects.

Where to go from here:

1. Aaron Beall's Auto Shapes

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