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I've seen this pattern done in a lot of images but have no clue how it's done. I'm pretty sure it's not done line by line considering how perfect it always looks regardless of the image. Here's a sample of what I'm talking about:
I'd like to create this in Adobe Flash CS4, if possible.
1) Create a single ray in Illustrator (preferably along either the x or y axis)
2) Mirror it along its long access (that's why we had you mirror it along a horizontal or vertical axis) and drag the new "ray" so that both "rays" meet in the center of your canvas (they should probably touch as well).
3) Align them along their long axis.
4) select both sections and group them (Command-g on a mac, ctrl-g on Win).
5) Make sure your new grouped object is selected, then double-click the rotate tool. Enter a value (something around 10-15 degrees usually works but you'll want to experiment) and click the "Preview" checkbox. Experiment until you've found a nice distance.
6) Click on "Copy" in the rotate dialog. Select the new ray (now rotated to your specifications) and repeat the process until you've got a full range of rotated "rays".
N.B.: You can also duplicate and rotate starting with the second set of rays by hitting "Ctrl-d" once the second set is selected.
7) Save your file with a suitable filename (e.g. "SoylentGreenIsPeople.ai")
8) Fire up Flash, create your layer, and import your Illustrator file onto the stage.
9) For the faded look, select the imported vector graphic and apply a radial gradient to the object (command+shift+F8). If you still don't like that you could double-click on the artwork to isolate the individual rays and apply a linear gradient to each ray.
If you're creating evenly-spaced rays, there is a simpler way to do it in Illustrator:
Object -> Expand to turn the stroke rays into filled paths.Adjust the dash-gap sizing to change spacing (no repetitive rotations needed!). Then use lawndartcatcher's same steps (7-8) to import into Flash.
I can tell you how to do it in Photoshop, maybe you can then use the result to make it vector?
Just make a series of parallel lines (in a new layer).
Use Filter/Distort/Polar coordinates...
Make sure you check "Rectangular to polar".
Add a mask and use Radial gradient White to Black to make it disappear gradually.
