Flash MX Upgrade

Other products by Macromedia

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000063V0X
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 14, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,102 in Software (See Bestsellers in Software)

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  Software > Web Development > Web Effects > Animation

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Since Macromedia launched Flash in 1996, it has grown into the de facto standard for development and delivery of high-impact, visually rich, interactive Web content. Flash MX promises a similar generational shift to the one experienced when Flash 5's enhanced ActionScript introduced an unprecedented degree of interactivity to the Web.

The most exciting new features in this version are those aimed at e-content developers and programmers. Integration with application servers such as ColdFusion MX and Microsoft's .NET and Internet protocols like HTML, WebTV, and WAP make it possible to deliver Flash content to a range of platforms--from PCs to PlayStations to mobile phones.

But Flash MX also offers plenty to those who aren't part of a large team of designers and programmers developing corporate sites. Novice users can take advantage of a range of prebuilt, customizable components, including scroll bars, buttons, list and combo boxes, and QuickStart templates for presentations, photo albums, ads, and more, making it possible to achieve great results quickly.

The Flash MX interface is now consistent with Dreamweaver and Fireworks. Nested layer folders and improved cursor feedback for frame adjustment make the timeline more manageable, and the context-sensitive properties panel and collapsing, dockable panels reduce screen clutter considerably. Vector drawing tools, one of Flash's weaknesses, have been largely overlooked, but there is a new Free Transform tool, which combines rotate, scale, and skew options. Video, another Flash weak spot, has fared much better with the inclusion of the Sorensen Spark video codec. Users can import a variety of formats, including MPEG, DV, and QuickTime. In addition, users can animate and script AVI and video clip objects in the same way as bit maps, even using them on a mask layer.

Flash MX is backwards-compatible with version 5 (meaning users can publish version 5 SWF files, although MX SWF files require the MX player), removing the only argument for not upgrading. Those not yet convinced of the merits of Flash need only look around. --Ken McMahon

Amazon.com Product Description

Macromedia Flash MX is a software solution for developing rich Internet content and applications. The video, multimedia, and application development features allow users to create user interfaces, online advertising, e-learning courses, and enterprise application front-ends. Flash MX has a customizable, intuitive user interface with such features as panel layout, accelerator keys, and publish settings.

Timeline enhancements such as folders for organizing and accessing layered content, improved cursor feedback, and the ability to resize, cut, and paste multiple frames make it easier to use. The Property Inspector shows only relevant, context-sensitive settings when you work with tools and objects, reducing the number of panels open at any time. Select multiple objects and use the Distribute to Layers command to automatically distribute the objects to their respective layers. The new layers will be named based on the content selected.

New quick-start templates allow you to create professional-looking presentations, photo albums, advertisements, and e-learning content. Other new features include video support for any standard video file supported by QuickTime or Windows Media Player, Color Mixer enhancements, a Free Transform tool, and pixel-level snapping control. Flash MX also features a customizable ActionScript editing environment with customizable text display properties, syntax coloring, and toolbox panel content.

Note: This is an upgrade version for owners of full commercial and educational versions of Macromedia Flash 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The new features of Flash Mx are fantastic, March 11, 2002

By	Editor Banned (Guayaquil, Ecuador) - See all my reviews

Macromedia has been a specialist in making Internet media improvements in the past few years, and the their software have become more intelligent user-friendly. But the new features I've seen has really amazed me. It has for example folders for organizing types of layers, it's easier to update your symbols, the actionscript panel is more efficient and it's more easy to use for beginner programmers (and the help info and debugger is more accessible). Has more tools to modify your objects/vectorial images (tools usually found in Freehand); it comes with a library of actions/programs, per example, if you want to add your text a scrollbar, now you just have to drag into the text a scrollbar icon from your library, and it is done. The break appart tool is more intelligent, and so on. If you are a developer, you MUST buy it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better features., June 6, 2002

By	"natzero" (Arleta, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Upon reading many raving reviews about the software. I finally decided to upgrade to Flash MX and I'm glad I did. Flash MX contains more features and a better working environment. Action scripting is also made a lot easier and now it provides you w/ templates(Hardly used this feature, but I can see the uses of it)that can make many projects faster to accomplished.

4.0 out of 5 stars A host of new tools to make our lives easier, April 1, 2002

By	A. Bagchee "Tech Snob" (NY, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Since this is a upgrade version let me talk for experienced flash users - Macromedia seems to have taken a few right steps in integrating Flash MX with its other products like Dreamweaver Ultradev and Cold Fusion Server MX (acquired from Allaire). Even though Cold Fusion MX is at a beta 3 stage right now, its easy to see some of the powerful multimedia features being integrated into the Macromedia products based on that.

Some of the best new changes in Flash MX that warrant an upgrade are:

1. ActionScript, the scripting language that powers Flash interactivity, is now easier to write and analyze. Flash MX has a fully functional script editor with features similar to those found in its other programs like Dreamweaver, Cold Fusion Studio, and HomeSite. The editor helps both experienced and beginning programmers write valid ActionScript by providing code-hinting, auto-formatting, and search-and-replace functions. Flash MX also contains a complete debugger.

2. For the first time Flash is offering a collection of templates to simplify the production of standard Web documents such as ads, slide shows, and tutorials. In addition, the templates are smart; for example, a photo album template includes all the programming necessary for a photo slideshow.

3. A lot of UI components, like scroll bars, check boxes, and list boxes, that previously had to be laboriously created, are now included in Flash MX. The appropriate behaviors are built into these objects, so adding functional interface elements to an application is a simple drag-and-drop operation.

3. One of the biggest changes in Flash MX is the integration of video. The integrated video support, provided by the Sorenson Spark codec, can import standard video formats, such as AVI, MPEG, or QuickTime, and convert them to a streaming format that is displayed natively by the Flash MX player. The import filter can also resize the video or sync the frame rate to the Flash movie when converting a file.

4. Flash MX also provides a powerful tool to modify vector shapes. Flash's Free Transform tool is similar to the Free Transform tools found in standard illustration programs like FreeHand and Illustrator. The program lets you rotate, size, skew, and distort objects. A special bounding box-called an envelope-lets you manipulate an object's shape using control points and tangent handles. This kind of makes me wonder what it'll do to the already overpriced Macromedia Freehand software.

5. A lot of changes have been made to animation processes to make it more efficient. The import filter for Fireworks PNG files now intelligently preserves text and vector shapes which will make life a lot easier! Headline animations are easier to update, because Flash now maintains individual characters as editable text rather than as nontext vector shapes.

6. Some changes have changed the visual appearance of Flash MX workspace. Now you can dock and collapse palettes, and you have the ability to define and switch between different palette configurations like developer, designer etc. to optimize the workspace for design or coding. Layers can be organized into folders. The new Properties Inspector offers an easy way to change an object's basic attributes quickly.

7. The Library function has also been improved by allowing sharing of symbols between documents. Flash automatically tracks the original location of each symbol and auto-updates all instances in all documents if the original is modified!

As I mentioned, Macromedia seems to be moving towards integrating their other products. As a result, some powerful new features in Flash MX await the development of other products in the MX line. Macromedia has already announced Flash Server Solutions, which will consist of a gateway and a communications server. The latter will allow developers to add real-time messaging as well as two-way audio and video to Flash applications.

I think upgrading to the new version is not even a question!