I've just whipped up a neat little Command for Adobe Flash users and thought I would share. The process of the command file will speed in production of text blocks for animation and also provide a backup for easier changes and aid for working in a team environment.
One of the best ways to handle text that is to be animated in Flash is to break it apart into its vector outline form. You can still animate raw text input when made a symbol but it has it limitations. If you distort the text much during any part of the animation, you may not like the results. I prefer to break my text apart for this reason because I stretch, skew and warp text plus like to ad outline strokes sometimes for added impact and its just been a better process to break text apart. It has become habit actually.
The more I work with Flash in team environments for third party groups, the more I find the need for a workflow that fascilitates ease of editing because one must expect edits and prepare for possibilty of total rebuilds or content replacement. Its just a fact of the business of design for others. If you come to a project with no edits and published on first review, take this as a moment of bliss and enjoy the fact you did good and clients communicated what was needed effectively the first time. It happens, but it is rare lol.
In becomes frustration when you have to edit a Flash file with text broken apart. If content change has to be made, then editor must try to match typeface again and then reset, resize, and restyle the text. If you save a copy of the raw unbroken text, it would allow quicker edits and retain the same look original designer intended. Another positive is it allows those without the same font as original artist to see the font broken and use the raw text to find a suitable and close replacement.
So, for myself and others on my team, I suggest the use of a guide layer containing a copy of the original unbroken text just for future edits. The guide layer can be hidden from view and will add absolutely no extra bytes to the final file size of the .swf file but it will always be there if we need to go back and editing broken text.
Using the Flash Command below, you only need to assign the command to a keyboard command once loaded into Flash, convert a text block into a symbol and enter the symbol editing mode, hit keyboard command and bam! The symbol has within it a dupllicate the text layer hiden and labeled a guide with broken text in a visible layer below for smooth animation and view on any users system.
Text Tool .zip download hereFor location of installation and more notes on creating Commands, go here.
