What is PixelStyles?
PixelStyles is an easy to use extension for Macromedia Flash 8 Professional. It allows you to take filters that you have applied to movie clips or text within the Flash development environment (or Stage) and save them so that you may apply them to other items at another time. Though Flash currently has the ability to save a "preset" of filter combinations there is no way to export, import, preview or use dynamically these presets. You can think of PixelStyles functioning like Photoshop's Style pallet.
Why Would I Use PixelStyles or PixelStyles Pro?
PixelStyles takes a lot of effort out of managing filters in Flash. We know filters are great because they take little to no file size in our applications. If you take the effort to create a great looking button style you'll probably want to save it. PixelStyles not only allows you to save it but it also allows you to export it for a co-worker or friend. PixelStyles also gives you a new Preview window allowing you to see what the style will look like when applied to an object on the stage before you apply it!
PixelStyles Pro takes things to a whole new level. Currently to apply filters to a movie clip via ActionScript you have to write many lines of code and take the time to tweak the filter values, re-publish the movie, tweak them again etc... PixelStyles Pro will allow you to take any PixelStyle that you have saved and export it almost 1:1* for use in ActionScript. Let's say you have taken the time to create a nice gloss button on the Stage. You want to use this when you are dynamically duplicating or creating buttons via ActionScript in your application. Before you code your application just simply go into the PixelStyles panel, select the style you want to use and press the Export Class button. This will save an XML-based version of your PixelStyle. Then using the provided PixelStyle AS2 Class that comes with PixelStyles Pro you can simply write the following code to apply it to your movie clip:
//apply a pixelStyle
ps = new pixelStyle();
ps.applyStyle(test_mc,"myStyleName");
You have now just taken something you visually designed in the Flash IDE and exported a near perfect clone for use in your ActionScript project. And because it is an XML file that was exported you can still easily modify the values in the XML file if you so desire! |
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