Macromedia Flash 5

I like animation but a have not learn Macromedia Flash as professional. I am Computer Eng. So there is no time for me learn Macromedia Flash . but my friend teach me some basic thing of flash on Macromedia Flash 5. so the first animation software  I learn is Macromedia Flash 5. this software good for the new learner. Then I practiced on Macromedia Flash 5 using “Macromedia Flash Help” .this not that much good to learn flash on help. But Macromedia Flash 6 Is not that much good than Macromedia Flash 5 even if it is next version of Macromedia Flash 5. but the Macromedia Flash 7 i.e. Macromedia flash MX 2004  . the look & feel  of  Macromedia Flash  7  is so good than all flash version that I used .

Now Macromedia Flash 5 is now out dated but it is good when  it release . it famous for long time.Macromedia Flash is one the best software for 2d animation. So recommend u all if u have  Macromedia Flash 5 .then learn for basic only and upgrade ur flash to Macromedia Flash 7

Please rate on this review…please also give some commands.

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Product Name : Macromedia Flash 5 ( Latest version - Flash Mx 2004 Professional )

Company name : Macromedia

Products : Flash, Shockwave, Dreamweaver, Director (Listed only few )

Macromedia Flash - A software that undoubtedly revolutionized the way an individual began using internet for expressing oneself to the world.

A software that brings out a lot of your potential by way of 2d website creation, 2d drawing and animation and with the current updated version by using the scripting in it you can actually create very cool 3d interaction with your users. There are obviously certain limitations to it that is to say that you cannot create and get as much flexibility as 3d based softwares but again it was meant for 2d purposes to start with.

It has a Very cool eye dropper tool that lets one select any color from the whole flash interface and load or fill any pattern / image that you desire as your color .

The software gives one a great deal of easy tools to draw your heart out , fill up as much colors as you want and use the one, the only - TIMELINE & SCRIPTS to bring out the best in YOU!!!

The scripting part also featured until flash mx the flexibility to work in normal / professional level which was very cool but has been removed and kept only for professional use in the current versions.

Unbelievably easy to use tools, beautiful storyboarding, animation can be created provided one has the ability to THINK WITH ONE''S HEART ! Being the first rule for any animator :The more you use your heart for the thought process the more flexible and creative ideas you can unleash as then there is nothing binding you from thinking freely!

As far as loading the websites are concerned flash lets you check the speed with which your site is going to be loaded by using different server speeds and when you know the site is taking time to load... trust me ... u either need to upgrade your system.. or just check another site that lets you get in via''HTML''. but the content and ease with which you can create graphic and animation with interactive features is not a walk in the park as far as HTML is concerned. Wanna Bet !!!

Now lastly it is very easy to install, use and takes very less of your harddisk space and requires very less memory to function freely as compared to many other graphic/ animation softwares.

SO............Flash - Its Getting Better .

JUST FLASH IT!!!

TD

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I keep having a bad feeling about this software just because of its under productivity as a means to provide enriched content and its lingering around in the internet medium with all its ?flashes? irrelevantly.

All these years I have seen that Flash-based websites are too vague to give information and have a knack of putting information in a ?bonsai? fashion. Even all those introductions on websites I feel are just a waste of time and a irritating irritable distraction from the original theme of the website.

There seems to be no point other than product promotion in an abbreviated mode in all these introductions and in the process waste the time of the viewer who would only want to either get to the point or rather change their focus on the site. The bottomline of this problem is that nobody likes to wait or to be kept waiting and so the time taken to load any Flash page is an aging process.

This software can be best use only to make presentations on the local settings and is completely worthless, inappropriate and unhygienic for it to be used on the internet. Internet is a tool or rather a medium to provide rich and quick info which is accessible on the fly in such a manner that getting access to the same kind of information on other media like print would be a 100 times slower and a laborious task. Therefore with this software you can only add jazz to the page with flashy twinkling pages which probably is only accepted by a certain section of society mostly kids and females. And in the meantime you have to wait for ages for the page to load while the cup of patience within us exhausts and we also lose interest to read as well.

I do not find any valid reason to keep introductions for every site, instead why dont we pick the habit of straight getting to the page we wish to go through. Its just like shopping we tend to go directly to the piece we want and not cross hurdles like advertisements and campaigns. As far as Flash-built pages are concerned the one thing is that our brains work faster than light can travel and with problems like bandwidth where the hell do we go for easier and quicker response to our own value added time.

Probably in such a long process we would only grasp 20% of the matter owing to the pressures and tensions mounting due to the wait. It is such a nerve racking experience to access information at such a pathetic speed with all those Flash based sites while we can reach the moon comparatively million times faster.

The thing with flashes, colors, special effects, etc., if at all needed can also be done with the help of the umpteen number of programming languages in the shelves. Why even a simple language like HTML can do tricks which Flash does followed by pages loading as quick as ever without any interruptions. But basically we look at the internet as a source for getting textual information and so why the need for any additional effects to cobble up the page and finally make it a comic sort of a thing. Do we see any such gimmicks and additions in our novels, textbooks, magazines or any other alternative for text in the planet. Not at all.

Therefore I believe that the use of softwares like Flash is just a wasted resource for cheap dirty animation. Probably to make us viewers mislead by putting more time on the web site or it must be another way to misguide our efforts to see quality information by way of visually pleasing experiences. And in all they have managed to cut down as much as text as possible thereby giving way to half baked knowledge. Combination offers are always a pain and just suck away our resources alongwith making us a scapegoat.

The uses of this software has also been seen in games a lot. But what this software lacks within is interoperability and so it becomes difficult to add versatility to the games designed in Flash. The way games have advanced till now it seems that the byzantine operations required for high level games cannot even be integrated with the help of Flash. The monopolistic attitude of the software minus the lack of features for the more complicated stuff constrains the fact of adding complex definitions in games.

We like to play games which bring forth the competitive edge in us and where we use our intellects in the most mind boggling way. But the games we have seen so far in Flash are so simplistic in approach and basically not tough. They lack the altitudes which we need for the games when in hyper active mode for the teens and everybody above. Perhaps only kids can do with these 4-5 key game, that is games which dont need much concentration and you can continue with the game with just 4 or 5 keys.

The only reason the software survived is because of the feature called 'tween' where you dont have to draw each and every frame with so much of effort. This software takes all the frames in between in an animated scene into consideration all by itself. So if a ball travels from north to south you just have to insert the ball in two different frames and thereby connect them with the tween method. But in other words it actually degrades the creativity part and binds his hands to explore deeper aspects of art.

They lost in touch with the finer angles in their skill and get used to this silly automated feature. Because of this all those who work with this software also develop a lackadaisical approach towards their in-built strengths and talents. While at the same time stupid people who do not know anything about art manage to get hold of the intricacies of the software and learn all the commands one needs to do and therefore get ahead with the tools leaving the talented ones far far behind.

In other ways this software has actually developed a set of rules where art has no meaning. With softwares like this mushrooming in the market inbound creativity looms at large giving way to darker regions of art.

Other things which can be done with this software is of no point and would be nothing but adding a feather in the cap of those into that world of piracy who want to make the internet a medium for snails, turtles and like minded people. But otherwise did I mention that Flash os the provider of content only for visually challenged information. Whereas the internet was actually developed as an alternative to provide easy access to networked textual information.

So where does the software Flash stand here? I am sure it stands in the way.

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Flash 5 is one of the most essential software in new media history. It has become a “killer app” that has been embraced by a wide range of designers. Though, it is vector-based software it can also support bitmap images. The general rule however is to use vectors whenever you can & use bitmap whenever needed. I laid my hands on Flash 5 just a couple months ago & found it to be complete software for animation.

What can we do with Flash 5?

1)Flash 5 is used basically for creating animated websites.

2)It is used for making animated greeting cards & games.

3)Flash 5 is also used in making animated advertising banners & streamers.

4)It is used in Kiosks, for presentations & even in CD-ROMs.

5)It is helpful in making short movies & games.

6)Animated symbols & icons can also be prepared using Flash 5.

7)Any 2-D animation can be prepared using Flash 5 software.

Flash 5 is completely different than the older versions of Flash software. Before Flash 5 came in the market, making an animated website was very tedious & was time consuming process. But due to the new features in Flash 5 it has become the most used software in the designing world. When I first came to know about this wonderful software I was not much pleased with the idea of using it. But now after using it for more than 2 months I think it’s the best in business.

Features of Flash 5:

ActionScript:

Just as there are several languages that people use to speak to one another around the world, there are hundreds of programming languages in use today. Flash’s scripting language is called ActionScript. It has become more advanced & sophisticated than its older versions. Now the ActionScript can be used for automatic repetition of animations, making animations that was possible only with JavaScript, keeping track of user’s interaction & input & many such tricks. ActionScript also enables Flash 5 to couple with XML, HTML & other content in many ways.

Using Sound:

Sound is one of the most essential element in animation. It helps the user to understand whether that particular thing is working correctly or not (such as a click sound when the user clicks a button). Flash 5 does not create sound files but it allows the user to import sound files from its collection. We can import Wave files (.wav), MP3 files (.mp3) & SUN AU files (.au)

Drawing Tools:

The toolbox in Flash 5 contains more than 12 drawing tools with which we can create our own shapes & images. The Pen tool is a new inclusion in Flash 5 software. We can create straight lines or curves with precise measurement. There are editable points in the lines drawn by Pen tool. Then there is Pencil tool, Brush tool, Oval tool, Rectangle tool, Inkbottle tool, Paint Bucket tool, Dropper tool, Eraser tool, Zoom tool & Hand tool for our use.

Library:

Whenever we create any images or buttons in Flash 5 it gets stored in a Library. Thus, the main purpose of Library is to store & organize symbols. The library will store all the images & symbols that are present in the current movie. This is a very good option available for the users to use (one good example of a user friendly software).

Linking Images:

Flash 5 is suitable for linking different images to different links. We can use a simple ActionScript like “Get URL” to link our images. To link any particular word or image to an E-mail address, “Get URL” action will work just as the anchor tag & “href” attribute does in HTML. To make an image link to an E-mail address simply input:

mailto:your_e-mail_addresses@whatever.com

Flash 5 is complete animation software & in my personal opinion it’s the best in the market. Since, we can use it for multiple purposes & seeing it as a user friendly software, I would suggest all of you to use it once before laying your hand on any other animation software.

Let me name some of the website which is very good in providing useful tutorials:

!) http://www.Phoong.com

$) http://www.Kya.virtualave.net

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Macromedia Flash 5 has come as a boon to designers and animators. I have used Flash 4. It did provided a great help. When Flash 5 was introduced, I downloaded the trial version immediately to check it out. At first, when I started the program, I found that too much stuff has crowded the work area. It took time for me to get adjusted to the layout of this program. Then I started finding it comfortable and felt the awesome power of this software.

Macromedia Flash 5 is a great designing as well as animating tool. I have designed complete websites using just Flash 5. Also animation has become easier.

The ActionScripts are updated and more functions are included. But I may suggest some features that I would like to see in newer versions of Flash. These are my recommendations:

1) 3-D Tools : How great it would be when we will be creating 3-D objects using Flash. I saw a software called Swift 3D that allows us to make 3-D flash movies. But it has limited tools. I think Macromedia can do better and include a good 3-D tool, just like they did for Director.

2) Readymade effects: I think Flash should include some readymade effects which we can directly apply to text and objects. Doing even a fade-out and fade-in effects take take up lots of time. Swish can do this, but I want it in Flash as well.

3) Library of readymade scripts : Those who have used Director will see that there is a library of readymade scripts and actions, which we have to just drag-n-drop to an object. For example, if we wanted an analog clock in Director, the only think we have to do is create a text field and then drag-n-drop the Analog Clock action from the Library to the text field. The Text field automatically becomes a clock when we run the movie. In Flash, if we could have library of such basic actions, our time would be further saved. For example, when we want to have a button, we first create an object, convert it to symbol, then to a button, then give it an actionscript. Wouldn't it be nice that we create a box, select ''Convert to button'' option from a library and drag and drop it on the object, and then it automatically gets converted in to a button and then a dialog box is displayed asking for further actions, while actionscripts are created in the background. Wouldn't it save our time? It surely will.

Well, I don't know in this IT slump era, softwares like Flash will manage to keep up their importance. Designers are getting jobless. Flash may lose its market. It may diversify to animation industry, but Internet may not be its hub anymore.

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Flash 6 will be out sometime next year, as will Livemotion 2, and from what I have already heard, both will be building heavily onto the Actionscript side of this software.

Having used Flash since version 3, I have grown to respect the product over time. F5 is not a perfect program, but eclipses it's only real competition, Adobe LiveMotion, by a mile.

By “real” competition, I am referring to a full-scale program which encompasses EVERYTHING need to create an optimized, smooth, flash site. Not only text effects, or 3D vectors.

There are several very nice “flash-like” programs out there, most notably Swish 2 ( http://www.swishzone.com). These smaller programs (including Wildform SWFx, and CoffeeCup software’s Firestarter) can handle text effects beautifully, and can utilize images within their flash movie, but the actionscripting is very limited, and the file sizes are very large compared to Flash.

Flash is not for everyone. Even though the F5 interface is 1ox better than the previous versions, it still takes some time to get used to what you are doing. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t pick up on everything right off. But once you do get the hang of it, the power of what it can do will amaze you.

Some features:

Layers:

This is what the movie is built on. Not like Photoshop, in that the layers themselves have properties, or effects, but more along the lines of placeholders. Each layer can hold different parts of a movie – actions, objects, buttons, etc. – and stack on top of each other.

Illustration:

While Freehand/Illustrator are excellent ''illustration'' programs, F5 now allows you some of the same flexibility. A bezier pen tool provides greater drawing precision than previous versions, and the inclusion of pressure-pad (Wacom) support allows more freedom when freestyle drawing.

Actionscripting:

This is the heart of Flash. A more robust and compatible version than before, F5 now provides a larger input area for code, as well as a more intuitive ''Normal'' scripting mode. It allows beginners to jump in without intimidation. The targeting feature is a benefit as well, allowing you to pick (from a parent/child tree) the movie clip you want. The new dot syntax (as opposed to slash syntax in v4) is more compatible with Javascript as well.

Great new Interface:

Very ''Adobe-like,'' as far as the tabs go. A huge improvement over the clunky versions before. Allows you to drag panels and group together (like Adobe), which can be a tremendous benefit on small screens.

Learning:

It is not easy, but also not too difficult. The included tutorials are a great teacher for beginners. They provide solid information on how to get started.

As you progress, you may want to check out the extensions and tutorials on the Macromedia web site ( http://www.macromedia.com), which give more advanced help and info.

But annoying... It is not as easy to select frames as it was in v5. It is very easy to click entire frame sections rather than single frames. Right-clicking is the most effective way to get around this.

And... You are not able to assign actions to buttons (not instances of), which was a pain for me.

Some incredible websites, devoted to Flash tutorials/info:

http://www.ultrashock.com

http://www.flashkit.com

http://www.were-here.com

Some great flash site:

http://www.2advanced.com

http://www.juxtinteractive.com

http://www.egomedia.com

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Have you used Flash yet? No?

Where have you been!

We are up to Flash 5 now and it is simply the answer to all of your animation and graphical needs.

The best thing about FLash nowadays is that its being incorporated into more and more systems so that you dont need to go off and download any plugins anymore.

In the not too distant future, you

wont be asked to go off and download it as it will be part of your browser.

For now though, its only a small and simple dowload from Macromedia, the company who make the software.

Flash is the tool used to make these movie files. They normally appear on websites with the extension .swf (ShockWaveFile)

So how does it work?

Well its very much like your modern paint style tools with pens, fonts, effects, colours and all the other gadgets that we have become accustomed to with PSP 6 or Photoshop.

The difference here is it builds animation for you exclusively for websites.

Being web based and intended for an end user at home, the SWF files are made compact. Little download time means the web user is less likely to leave the site while it loads.

So you can build animated movies with action script behind it.

So you can make interactive menus that move onclicking or hovering.

Forms that move when entered into.

Entire websites that need to be graphically intensive.

How do you make a movie.

Its very simple.

Its all built up using frames.

You add layers to the movie. The Layers contain all of the moving parts such as the buttons. You add the layers to the movie and dictate on screen where you want a particular item during aq particular frame. Drag it and drop.

When you play the movie, it then animates the button or graphic around the screen.

All the effects can be applied to the layers individually so individual items behave as you want them.

Sounds complicated doesnt it?

Well its not. Its a very simple drag and drop tool.

The tutorials and examples offered by the application are second to none and online help is abundant.

Why not give it a try.

Its a brilliant web tool to have on your CV too.

Price? about £300 but worthwhile.

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