What is Adobe Flash CS3 Software?
A Summary of Interactive Multimedia Authoring Software Flash 9
Oct 1, 2008
Flash 9 is a multimedia creation platform which can be purchased alone, or as part of Adobe's Creative Suite 3 software bundle. Flash is used primarily to create web content. Games, website animations, interactive features such as toolbars, advertisements and media players such as those embedded on sites like YouTube and DailyMotion can all be made and powered in Flash.
Flash is also used to create feature length cartoons for television broadcasting. Such animated series as Odd-Job Jack, Modern Toss and Monkey Dust are all produced with Flash. In 2006, the 77-minute Romeo and Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss became the first feature film created in Flash to receive a general release.
The Flash platform consists of the Flash file format, the Flash player, and the Flash authoring environment.
The Flash .SWF and .FLA Formats
The Flash proprietary format is the Shockwave Flash file, or .swf, pronounced “swiff”. A .swf file is a compressed and encrypted version of a .fla file. The .fla file is produced in the Flash authoring environment, and is editable in Flash. When the project is complete, the .fla is published, which builds the internet-ready .swf file, which plays in a Flash player.
The Flash Player
The Flash player is almost ubiquitous with internet-enabled computers. In December 2007, an Adobe Flash player penetration survey concluded that more than 98% of personal computers have a Flash player installed. With the introduction of Flash-Lite, the Flash player has become widespread throughout the mobile phone market.
The Flash player is essentially a virtual machine that interprets the compressed bytecode of the Flash .swf file format and allows this data to be played. While existing on most computers and many mobile phones, the Flash player is also available as a stand-alone player that can be downloaded, or ships from Adobe as part of Flash CS3.
The Flash Authoring Environment
The Flash authoring environment is where Flash-powered content is developed. Flash contains many tools, functions and features for creating this content. These include:
- Toolset: A range of virtual tools for drawing, colouring and animating in Flash
- Library: A content manager for importing and organizing media assets such as graphic, font and sound files.
- Symbols: A symbol is an animated or static graphic that can be used on the Flash stage
- Stage: The working area of Flash, providing a visual representation of each scene in the Flash project. Scenes on the stage can be viewed or played through using the timeline.
- Timeline: Using frames and layers, the timeline allows control over the sequence in which scenes on the stage will be displayed. It is by playing through sequential frames in the timeline and displaying the results on the stage that Flash achieves animation. More refined control over frames in the timeline and symbols on the stage can be accomplished using script.
- Script Editor: A built-in editor for writing Flash ActionScript. As of Flash 9, the Flash scripting language is Actionscript 3, though earlier versions of ActionScript are still supported.
Flash CS3 has evolved into a respected development platform for creating interactive content. The authoring environment makes light work of what were once time and resource consuming tasks, and the learning curve is surprisingly simple for so complex a package.
Since its introduction, Flash has seen a rise in the number of independent Flash developers. Flash allows an individual or small team on a limited budget to accomplish projects that would previously have involved an entire fully-funded studio. It is little wonder Flash 9 has become an industry standard.
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