Flash® Professional CS5 Bible

Chapter 1. Understanding the Adobe Flash CS5 Blueprint

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Exploring the uses of Flash CS5

• Identifying Flash file types

• Introducing the structure of Flash documents

Since its humble beginnings as FutureSplash in 1997, the Flash authoring tool and the Flash platform have matured into a powerful tool for deploying a wide range of media content. With every new version released, the possibilities have increased for imaginative and dynamic content creation — for the Web and beyond. After Adobe acquired Macromedia in 2005, Adobe has expanded Flash capabilities in several Creative Suite products, as well as development tools such as Adobe Flex Builder. The Adobe user interface is consistent across powerhouse applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash, and Adobe Illustrator.

In this chapter, I introduce Flash CS5 and explore the many possibilities available for your productions. I also discuss how Flash compares to or enhances other programs that you may be familiar with.

Flash content can be viewed in a few different ways. The most common method is from within a Web browser, either as an asset within an HTML page or as a Web site completely comprised of a master Flash movie using several smaller Flash movies as loaded SWF assets. The Flash Player is also available as a stand-alone application (known as a projector), which can be used to view movies without needing a Web browser or the plug-in. This method is commonly used for deployment of Flash movies on CD-ROMs, floppy disks, ...