Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Killer Tips

To evenly space several objects from each other, you can sit down with paper and pencil, figure out each object's width or height, and then create a quick formula to determine the most common distance to space each object from the next. Yeah, right.

In Flash, this is known as distributing, and you can find it by opening the Align panel (CTRL-K or CMD-K on Mac). Select any number of objects on your stage and then choose from the six buttons listed under Distribute. Each option produces different results, but I'd say the one I use most often is either of the two center buttons, which will distribute evenly by center point vertically or horizontally. All six buttons will effectively space your objects nicely and neatly, so do it any way you like it, but it certainly beats a calculator and a piece of scratch paper. Uh oh, SAT flashbacks!