Software Review: Adobe Master Collection – Flash CS4 from Adobe Systems - Page 2

Part of: The RAM Review

• 3D Transformations will bring perspective and dimension to your design. Previously the ability to create 3D motion was available only to expert users through ActionScript or other sophisticated tools. Now you can animate 2D objects in 3D Space using the 3D Transformation tool. You can apply local or global rotations to move an object, and a global vanishing point enables you to define the location at which your animation disappears.

• Inverse kinematics with the Bone tool will now let you create chain like effects with a series of linked objects or to quickly distort single objects. Much like the bones in the human body form a skeleton that moves and behaves in a definitive way, the new Bones tool in Flash CS4 allows you to link a series of symbols together with “bones” that can be quickly and easily animated and then controlled relative to one another. All you have to do is to click and drag between separate symbols that have already been created.

• Procedural modeling with Deco tool is geared for the designer in you. It will allow you to turn any symbol into an instant design element. You can create patterns as well as kaleidoscope effects by using either single or multiple symbols. All that you have to do is select your symbol(s) and set the settings, and Flash, using procedural modeling, will  Flash CS4apply the algorithmic calculations.

• Motion Editor panel will give you much more granular, more independent control over every keyframe parameter. You now have more control with rotation, size, scale, position, filters, and more. Because it behaves much like the keyframe editor in After Effects, it will make it much more consistent between products.

• Motion Presets Panel now gives you a library of prebuilt animations to jumpstart your project as well as being a huge timesaver.

• Authoring for AIR will let you make your Flash animations on the desktop a reality. By making Flash available from beyond the browser, you can create custom desktop experiences as well as providing you with new branding opportunities.

• XFL support allows for improved integration across the CS4 family. Users can now easily export content from InDesign and After Effects into Flash. This will allow users of InDesign to create one set of content for print and use it on the Web via Flash via XFL.

• Metadata support eases the workflow by allowing you to make your files smarter about the content that they contain. By using the Extensible Metadata Protocol (XMP) standard, Flash now joins its CS4 family in being better able to manage assets using Adobe Bridge.

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Article Author: T. Michael Testi

T. Michael Testi is software developer, a writer, and a photographer. He also blogs at PhotographyTodayNet and at All This and Everything Else.

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