Animation and Effects with Macromedia Flash MX 1002004 [Electronic resources]

Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 are tools you can use to create engaging and interactive multimedia presentations, websites, or CD-ROMs. Flash excels at vector drawings and animations, but the software can be used for manipulating or displaying bitmap graphics, editing video, and even manipulating sound files.

You can use Flash for different kinds of presentations, from e-commerce applications to streaming video, games, and cartoons. You might create data-rich software applications in Flash or simple animated banners. Flash content is versatile, and it can be accessed on many platforms as well. You can view Flash on Windows, Macintosh, Linux, mobile devices, and phones; and you benefit from a relatively consistent presentation on all platforms. You also benefit because you do not necessarily have to completely redo your content for each platform.

This chapter introduces you to the Flash workspace and the architecture of Flash documents, giving focus to the features you use for creating animation and effects. A short project leads you through the general workflow from start to finish. You will create a new document, add a short animation that you control by using a button, test the document in Flash, and publish the file for the web.

Flash MX versus Flash MX Professional

There are two different "editions" of Flash MX: a regular version, and a professional version. Flash MX Professional includes all the features and capabilities of Flash MX, and has additional features built into it. Flash MX Professional includes a new screens-based authoring environment, which helps application developers avoid the Timeline. The professional edition also includes additional components, a Project panel for working in teams, a script editor, and additional ways to integrate data.

For a full comparison, see [www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/features/comparison/]

You do not require Flash MX Professional to complete this bookyou can use either edition of Flash MX. In fact, you can use the previous version of Flash MX (released in 2002) for 8 out of the 10 projects. The chapters discuss many of the features new to Flash MX 2004, however it's rare that the latest software is required to make the projects run. This is primarily due to many of the new features involving code and development as opposed to drawing and animation.