Flash 5.0/FreeHand Studio Upgrade

Other products by Macromedia

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 10 x 4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.7 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004WHWP
• Item model number: WHW50D10
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 28, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,813 in Software (See Bestsellers in Software)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #75 in

  Software > Web Development > Web Effects > Objects

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review
Macromedia's Flash 5/FreeHand 9 Studio seamlessly integrates both old and new media by providing two excellent programs to manipulate and create art and animation for almost any medium. Flash delivers cutting-edge, high-impact Web design, while FreeHand provides multiple options for publishing enhanced graphics both on and offline.

This revolutionary package starts with Flash 5, Macromedia's award-winning Web content creation software, which has become the de facto standard for animation and dynamic interactive content online. It's difficult to go to any cutting-edge media site today and not encounter Flash animation behind all the magic.

Flash has a history of being the designer's favorite for creating innovative Web content, but Flash 5 goes above and beyond the call of duty by offering enhanced tools, options, and integration, which provide the user unparalleled license for creativity and expression. Bezier curves? Motion tweening? Perspective fields? No problem. Flash does it all and more.

One major reason why Flash is so attractive for Web publishing is its ability to reuse components through the object library, substantially minimizing the required file size for complex interfaces and animations. This is what provides Flash with its overwhelming power. Just as JPEG and GIF compression helped make graphics on the Web an economical and virtually necessary feature, Flash is helping to make animation ubiquitous online, even for the unfortunate masses still using low-speed analog modems.

Even existing Flash users will find the upgrade to Flash 5 beneficial. Almost every tool's options have been moved onto customizable palettes, which help consolidate and unify the many features of Flash. In addition, Flash 5 offers excellent integration with existing software, including FreeHand.

Macromedia FreeHand 9 manages to keep one leg in the print media generation while placing its other foot firmly in new media by offering Web publishing options right next to PostScript, Photoshop, and Flash exporting. In addition to that basic integration, you can also share object libraries between FreeHand and Flash, helping to truly unify print and Internet media.

All told, the Flash 5/FreeHand 9 Studio package seamlessly integrates both standard desktop publishing and print media with cutting-edge interactive Web trends and innovative animation techniques. Whether you're an existing print publisher trying to adopt new technologies, or a high-impact Web developer attempting to transform older print presentations into deliciously captivating new-media masterpieces, Flash 5 and FreeHand 9 will empower you to achieve new heights in presentation and innovation.

With Flash and FreeHand, Macromedia holds its place as the leader in today's Internet-centric multimedia field. Taking into account Macromedia's past record for anticipating new trends, it is safe to say that it will continue to lead the online dynamic content revolution and satisfy both designers and end users with fast and furious innovation. --Victor Andersen

This review refers to the Windows version of Flash 5/Freehand Studio.

Amazon.com Product Description
From concept to completion, Macromedia FreeHand and Macromedia Flash provide the solution for high-impact Web development. Conceive sites, create graphics, and design scenes in FreeHand with industry-leading creative tools, multilayout capabilities, and blistering performance. Then effortlessly import into Flash to fuse vectors, bitmaps, motion, MP3 audio, form input, and interactivity for a high-impact Web experience.

Note: For this upgrade to install properly, FreeHand 7 or 8 and any previous version of Flash must already be installed on the same platform (Macintosh or Windows) as the upgrade.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE ULTIMATE VERSION OF FLASH  A MUST HAVE!!!, September 29, 2000

By	Rayhawk Corporation "rayhawk.com" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

OVERVIEW: Flash 5 represents a significant upgrade from its predecessor, making it a "must have" for any serious web developer who wants to develop high-impact web content. The improvements are not superficial, instead Flash 5 impressively enhances the developer's ability to design, develop, and deploy. This tool is the resource for anyone who is serious about Flash and maximizing its amazing potential at a rapid pace.

At RAYHAWK.COM we have been using Flash to enhance our web productions for the last 2 years and the results have been noticeable, not only to us, but to our clients (KFC, Taco Bell, BMW, Porsche, Deltamedical.com).

WHY FLASH? With Flash player's pervasive presence in a majority of all browsers, Macromedia's Flash has become the industry standard for delivering high-impact web animations and dynamic site content.

THE COMPETITION: What competition? Macromedia is the creator and leader of this technology and Flash is the master of this domain with no other product coming even close to its innovation and power. Adobe's marginal attempt to introduce a competing product with Live Motion was not well received by developers and is comparatively lacking in features. The most significant proof that Flash owns this entire arena is that even competitor wanna-be, Live Motion features Flash animation (*.swf) as an export format because Adobe is painfully aware that nobody would invest in their product if it did not support Flash.

FLASH 5 FEATURES:

1. POWER LIBRARY - Flash's Library feature has received a big boost in version 5. The library allows users to reuse graphics and buttons repeatedly with a minimal increase in the final file size. In Flash 5 multiple developers can share the symbol libraries. Now revising the placeholder graphics into the final artwork on one system, will ripple back to all other Animators document instantly... a great feature for multi-group workflow.

2. ADVANCED ACTION SCRIPTING - resembling Java-script, the scripting can be created and edited in any text/html editor and imported into Flash for use; old script can be viewed without searching through frames of individual code-chunks.

3. ENHANCED INTERFACE - many controls are now available in dock a able palette, which ultimately allows more development efficiency.

4. FULL BEZIER SUPPORT - but its gets better... the option to draw with the traditional pencil is retained allow optimal developer flexibility.

5. POWER EDITING - the developer is now permitted to instantly edit what they want and where. Endlessly searching a document's layers of imbedded symbols is over. A hierarchical tree allows for easy navigation and editing of flash symbols.

6. HTML EMBEDDING - To really change the balance of power Flash 5 makes it possible to imbed actual HTML pages within Flash Documents so now sites will become Flash shells with HTML inside, rather than vice-versa.

7. NO LOST VISITORS - Publish html that detects if your visitors have Flash 5 player and automatically directs them to Macromedia's download center if needed.

8. OTHER ENHANCEMENTS - improved XML transfer support within documents; improved integration with Freehand and Generator; seamless importing of MP3 soundtracks; and exporting to QuickTime.

CONCLUSIONS: At RAYHAWK.com we have used Flash technology to successfully enhance our projects and exceed our client's expectations for the last 2 years. With the launch of Flash 5 Macromedia has solidified its position as the premier developer of powerhouse web content. Macromedia Flash 5 is an outstanding upgrade for any developer already using Flash and for those newcomers to the web arena this is AN ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENT!!!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are you seriuos?, November 6, 2001

By	Valentin Secades "vsecades" (San Jose, Central America Costa Rica) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Well, won't bother with explanations. If you're serious about Web design and multimedia authoring, then you need this, and probably Director 8.5 and Dreamweaver Ultradev 4.0. End of story.