Macromedia Flash 5 [OLD VERSION]

Other products by Macromedia

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.2 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004WG0N
• Item model number: FLM50D01
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 24, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,661 in Software (See Bestsellers in Software)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #31 in	Software > Macintosh > Web Development > Web Effects
  #42 in	Software > Macintosh > Graphics > Animation
  #53 in	Software > Web Development > Web Effects > Animation

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com
Macromedia's Flash 5 brings substantial changes and improvements to this dominant player in the Web animation tools arena. A new and customizable interface and improved scripting are the most notable of the new features. These, among other enhancements, make this upgrade almost essential to any serious designer.

Flash 5 now uses Macromedia's standard interface library, making Flash look more like other Macromedia products. Almost all commands can be accessed through onscreen dockable tabbed windows (palettes), which can be docked to each other or torn off and placed elsewhere on the screen. This means that layouts can be named, saved, and recalled, depending on the kind of work being done or a particular designer's working style. Keystroke commands can be customized as well, allowing for the designer to tailor the feel of the program.

The most important "under-the-hood" change is the revamping of ActionScript, Flash's internal scripting and interactive language. ActionScript is now more like Java than ever, making it easy for coders to shuttle between the two.

The Movie Explorer window is another important new feature. This allows developers to view the entire contents of a project in a hierarchy where edits and search-and-replace functions can take place.

The pen tool has, finally, been improved as well. It now behaves more like a Bezier drawing tool found in programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia's own FreeHand. Speaking of FreeHand, Flash 5's integration with FreeHand is now tight as a drum, too.

Flash 5 isn't really one of those upgrades to think about. The Flash format is constantly evolving, and it behooves any content creator to stay current. Flash, like the Web itself, is a dynamic medium. In order to push the boundaries, one must keep pace with the tools. --Mike Caputo

Amazon.co.uk
Flash is the current de facto standard for animated graphics on the Web. Flash movies are playable by any Web browser with Flash player installed, which, according to Macromedia, is 92 percent of the online population. The secret of its success is the use of vector graphics, so that Flash movies are small and quick to download. The player is free, but to create Flash movies you need an authoring tool, and although some third-party products can export in Flash format, Macromedia's own product is by far the most advanced.

The Flash work environment has several key features. Movies consist of individual frames connected by the Timeline, where you control how frames are presented over time. Flash is able to generate intermediate images automatically. Flash also supports layers, which lets you organize artwork into separate work areas that are presented together, like combining transparent sheets of acetate.

Flash has a toolbox that contains a range of drawing tools such as shapes, text, pens, and brushes. Then there is a set of floating panels that let you transform, flip, and rotate objects, add effects such as sounds, and browse libraries of symbols, buttons, and other resources. You can make Flash movies interactive by creating scripts that run in response to events such as button clicks. ActionScript is similar to JavaScript, and by using Flash tools you can create simple scripts without programming. ActionScript is greatly enhanced in Flash 5, making it possible to integrate Flash into Web applications. The new XML object means you can manipulate and interpret XML data.

Flash 4 users will be keen to upgrade. Along with new programming features, there are Bezier drawing tools, rich-text formatting with HTML, shared libraries that let you link assets between movies, and many new panels, including the brilliant Movie Explorer, for navigating and modifying movie elements. In addition, the whole Flash interface has been updated in line with Macromedia's Common User Interface, to make it easier for those who use more than one Macromedia product.

Flash 5 is a superb product, and currently there is no sensible alternative if you want the functionality it offers. One word of warning, though: this is a professional tool and not especially user-friendly for beginners. Fortunately, it comes with plentiful online Help and tutorials to speed the inevitable learning process. --Tim Anderson, Amazon.co.uk

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Many revisions have improved this application, August 11, 2000

By A Customer

With Flash 5 (which is at the time of writing in beta only), Macromedia appears to have attempted to further bridge the gap between its original primitive proprietary functionality (in its previous life as FutureSplash) and the overall Macromedia interface; this gap has in the past often impeded usability and defied intuition. The most robust overhaul has been made on the behaviours and actions... it is much easier to tailor Flash to do what you want without having to rely solely on readymade (and often generic) functions embedded within Flash. This of course makes it that much more difficult to get the ball rolling for novice users, but for more advanced users this will open a world of opportunity. In this way it is somewhat similar to Director in the way it manages operations/functions; you can insert pre-fab functionality or develop your own, dependent upon your skill level.

The drawing tools have been changed to incorporate vector tools, with a Bezier pen tool that will make any Flash user's life much easier. It is no longer so crucial to have a drawing program open as you work, although these tools are still not quite up to the standards set by FreeHand and Illustrator.

One nice aspect of the changes made to the interface of the application are that it neither adheres strictly to the FreeHand system nor is totally different... by this I mean that those comfortable with FreeHand or Illustrator will both be able to use the new interface with relative ease. Say goodbye to the awful, cumbersome application that was Flash 4. There are many more options for floating palettes that permit a greater ease of editing and doing things on the fly, whereas before Flash usually required dragging down menus and calling up dialog boxes.

Whether or not Flash 5's improvements will make it an optimal work environment remains to be seen; I've only scratched the surface of the application, because, after all, the surface is what is most immediately different. Certainly there are going to be hindrances and bugs under that surface, but hopefully they will be few and far between.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE ULTIMATE VERSION OF FLASH  A MUST HAVE!!!, September 30, 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!!!