Gradient

Gradient fills really add a spark of color to any element you may be working on in Flash. An example of a gradient fill is shown in the image below:

The gradient image above was created entirely in Flash 5, and the best part is that it scales really well when zoomed. So, here's how to create a gradient fill for an object.

1. First, launch your Flash application. For this example's purposes, we'll be adding the Gradient fill to a rectangle. 
    
2. Click on the Rectangle Tool from the drawing toolbox. See image below:

3. Once you have selected the Rectangle Tool, simply draw your rectangle on the drawing area. It can be any size...the rectangle is just so you can learn how to create a gradient fill. Once you have drawn your rectangle, your drawing area should look similar to the image below. The color may vary.

4. Now, this is the next to last step before you add the gradient in. Right click on the rectangle, and choose Panels > Fill. See image below:

5. Once you have selected Fill, a window should pop up with some of the functions you can perform. Click on the Pull-Down menu and choose either Linear Gradient. See image below:

6. Now, you can drag the sliders and choose whichever color you wish to use. You can add more color sources by simply clicking on an empty part of the color choosing window. See image below

That's all there is to adding gradients to an object. As you can see, the rectangle in your drawing window automatically gets updated with the color information for you. You may also choose Radial Gradient if you wish to. Radial Gradients create a round"ish" gradient effect.

Just a final word before we wrap up. If you have a question and/or want to be part of a friendly, collaborative community of over 220k other developers like yourself, post on the forums for a quick response!