Not Another Flash in the Pan?
Along with Dreamweaver MX, the heavy hitter in the 2004 suite is Flash MX, now in two flavors: standard and professional. That’s right, there’s now a Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004, which I think, qualifies it for one of the longest software product names ever. Both versions include easy-to-use Timeline Effects, a new version of ActionScript (2.0), and support for CSS (via ActionScript). The Professional edition of Flash MX also provides the support for creating forms and slides, plus more developer-directed features such as a project panel, data-centric enhancements, and improved video encoding and playback.
Skimming over these features, you may notice that the emphasis in this version isn’t on interactivity and animation. Flash MX 2004 and especially Flash MX Professional seems to be migrating toward the hardcore developers of the world. I’m not talking about the JavaScript coders who could easily pick up ActionScript and run with it, but Java coders who understand Java classes, method calls, and object handling. Macromedia is attempting to win over this user base in hopes of Flash becoming the ultimate platform for creating Web-based applications — be it rich-media or not. Nevertheless, I wonder at what expense this all comes to Flash’s existing user base of visually oriented designers. How much will this shift in direction alienate the designers who are trying to create a compelling interaction or interface for their sites? I suppose the desire to expand its audience is what prompted Macromedia to segment the product into two flavors, but even the standard version strays a bit too much toward the technical in my opinion.
For those looking to continue to work with Flash MX in the conventional way, you’ll be happy to find some rather nice features to ease the creation of your Flash files and speed up your development time. Most noteworthy is the addition of Timeline Effects, which are Flash-based assistants, that aide in the creation of sophisticated effects such as artwork breaking apart and adding drop shadows (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: Timeline Effects automatically create effects that would require several steps manually. Unfortunately, you must enter or dial in the values instead of intuitively dragging and clicking between the start and end keyframes.
You can now import PDF and Illustrator 10 files directly into Flash. Many Flash producers have been asking for native support for aliased text — it’s here in this version (see Figure 6). Borrowing from Dreamweaver’s notion of Behaviors, Flash MX now includes a Behaviors panel that houses organized sets of commands that present simple dialog boxes for you to insert the necessary information and have Flash write the ActionScript behind the scenes for you (see Figure 7).
Figure 6: It’s now possible to set native text in Flash to render aliased (no smoothing) which is often needed for type at small sizes.
Figure 7: Behaviors in Flash MX present simple dialogs such as this one to help write the ActionScript for you.
On the downside, I’m a bit disappointed that Flash has yet to see major improvements in keyframe sequence creation, symbol management, and native raster effects. Although Timeline Effects are meant to help with keyframe sequence creations, they leave a lot to be desired, especially in contrast to the elegant way in which Adobe LiveMotion 2.0 accomplishes the same tasks. Sadly, Adobe seems to be putting that application out to pasture to die a slow death. Meanwhile Macromedia shows no signs of altering its convoluted course. I find it takes four to five steps to make a simple motion ‘tween in Flash, compared to one step in LiveMotion.
If you use Flash MX today to make a living, then any major upgrade is essential to you. That being said, this version of Flash has put me off more than any other, largely due to its technical nature. Those out there dabbling with Flash MX or striving to learn it now have even more to learn. Perhaps you’ll want to stick with your current version until you have it sorted out. As for the Web-based application developers out there who are taking a curious peek at what Flash MX Professional has to offer, I urge you to consider what Macromedia is attempting to do, download the 30-day trial, and if it works for your requirements, start using it. After all, according to Macromedia, some version of Flash is installed on 98 percent of all desktop computers, with 516 million users across a variety of platforms.
This article was last modified on January 18, 2023
This article was first published on October 28, 2003
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
