Flash® Professional 8 is the industry’s most advanced authoring environment for creating interactive websites, digital experiences and mobile content.
With Flash Professional 8, creative professionals design and author interactive content rich with video, graphics, and animation for truly unique, engaging websites, presentations or mobile content.


Expressiveness

Filters *
Create more compelling designs with built-in filter effects like drop shadow, blur, glow, bevel, gradient bevel, and color adjust. Filters are visual effects applied to MovieClips and text fields and are natively supported and rendered in real time by Flash Player.

Blend modes *
Going well beyond what other design tools offer, Flash Professional 8 offers run-time control over blend modes, allowing graphical effects to be composited for fully dynamic user interactivity.

FlashType—high-quality font rendering engine
A revolutionary new font rendering engine that provides clear, highest-quality font rendering, FlashType makes small fonts look amazingly clear and greatly improves readability. Choose from several options for font rendering, each optimized for different use cases. Optimize font rendering with the new custom anti-aliasing feature in Flash Professional.

Bitmap caching
Supports unneeded re-rendering of vector objects by simply flagging an object as a bitmap. Even though the object gets cached as a bitmap, the vector data is still maintained so, at any point, the object can be converted back into a vector again.

Custom easing control *
Easily, intuitively, and precisely control the velocity of animated objects through an intuitive graph that provides independent control of position, rotation, scale, color, and filters.

Improved text tool
Resize a text field using new, improved text handles. Text fields can be resized by grabbing any of the four handles.

Enhanced stroke properties
Select from a variety of cap and join types. Apply a gradient to a stroke as well as a fill. Render stroke intersections better with stroke hinting.

Advanced gradient control
Tighter control over gradients such as changing the focal point of a radial gradient and selecting from different overflow modes.



Video

Higher-quality video codec
Flash Player 8 adds a new, far more advanced video codec, On2 VP6. This codec provides superior video quality that is competitive with today’s best video codecs at a much smaller file size.

Alpha channel support *
Support for a real alpha channel at run-time. This revolutionary new capability provides the unique ability to overlay video composited with a transparent (even semi-transparent) alpha channel over other Flash content. Create dynamic presentations such as splashing water, smoke and fire effects, as well as presenters shot in front of a blue screen.

Advanced video encoding options *
The advanced video encoder, available within the Flash authoring tool, as a plug-in to professional video editing tools, as well as a stand-alone tool, provides advanced encoding options that will allow developers to optimize quality and file size of video content.

Stand-alone video encoder *
Advanced encoding options for creating Flash Video files using either the new, high-quality On2 VP6 codec or the Sorenson Spark codec. This encoder also includes a batch-processing capability to encode multiple video files at once.

Video Encoder plug-in for professional video editing tools *
Export video directly to Flash from leading professional video-editing and encoding tools such as Avid Xpress/Media Composer and Apple Final Cut Pro.

Embedded cue points *
Embed cue points directly into Flash Video (FLV) file so events can be triggered dynamically during playback. Used in conjunction with the new Flash Video component, easily coordinate the playback of accompanying graphics and animations when individual cue points are reached.

Video import workflow
Centralized video workflow in one dialog presents all available options for deploying Flash Video, whether it is via the Flash Communication Server for streaming video, via progressive download of external FLV files over HTTP, or a number of other options. The new video import dialog also jump-starts great video experiences by instantiating the new, light-weight, easily-skinnable video component and pre-populating it with all required parameters for deployment.
(Flash Basic supports embedded video only)

Improved, easily-skinnable video component *
Easily customize and change the look and feel without adding a great deal of file size to video projects. This new component also works with multiple deployment options including streaming and progressive download.



User Experience

Script Assist (formerly called Normal Mode)
Normal Mode is back, only it’s much better. Script Assist provides a visual user interface for editing scripts that includes automatic syntax completion as well as descriptions for the parameters of any given action.

Advanced library
With multiple files open, the library for each open file will be consolidated into a single panel that acts like all other panels in Flash - it stays where it’s put. Navigate between open libraries more easily using the new drop-down list at the top of the library to access any other open library.

Object drawing model
Visualize shapes as objects by toggling a new object drawing mode to represent shapes as objects, along the lines of vector drawing tools such as Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia FreeHand.

Improved panel management
Improved panel management optimizes workspace as the user sees fit. Group panels together in tabbed-panel sets, ala Dreamweaver and Fireworks. Reduce on-screen clutter by grouping most commonly-used panels together. Assign custom names to each panel group.

Stage pasteboard expansion
For projects that require large graphics that extend far beyond the size of the stage in Flash, view objects much further off-stage. To expand the size of the pasteboard, just drag an object close to the edge and the pasteboard will automatically grow to fit.

Undo/redo options
Switch between "object-level undo" and "document-level undo."

SWF Metadata
A new metadata property for the SWF file format improves searchability of SWF files by Internet search engines. Now Flash authors can add a title and description to a SWF file, allowing search engines to more accurately reflect the content represented by the SWF file.



Mobile Authoring

Interactive mobile device emulator *
Build content once and test it on a wide variety of devices using preset profiles for every mobile device that supports Flash Lite. Configure the testing profile to include multiple devices. Filter the supported device list by target content type to easily determine which handsets support screen savers, wallpapers, in-browser content, stand-alone player, and so on. Reduce development time and simplify planning for delivery.

Improved actions panel *
By combining the new Script Assist feature with the new target language drop down in the actions panel, it is now far simpler to use different versions of the ActionScript language. For understanding the syntax used by Flash Lite 1.1 better, the new Script Assist feature will do most of the work for you. These improvements add up to a far better development experience for mobile content developers new to Flash Lite.


* Denotes Flash Professional-only feature

Brand New - Full UK Retail Boxed - Exactly the same as amazons - Price includes VAT and invoice supplied.

FLASH PRO 8.0 (WIN 2000,XP/MAC 10.3 OR HIGHER)

Macromedia Flash Pro 8 is the industry’s most advanced authoring environment for creating interactive web sites, digital experiences, and mobile content. With Flash Professional 8, creative professionals can design and author interactive content rich with video, graphics, and animation for truly unique, engaging web sites, presentations or mobile content.

Flash Player 8 adds a new, far more advanced video codec, On2 VP6. This codec provides superior video quality that is competitive with today’s best video codecs at a much smaller file size. View larger.

Build content once and test it on a wide variety of devices using preset profiles for every mobile device that supports Flash Lite. View larger.

Script Assist provides a visual user interface for editing scripts that includes automatic syntax completion as well as descriptions for the parameters of any given action. View larger.

A revolutionary new font rendering engine that provides clear, highest-quality font rendering, FlashType makes small fonts look amazingly clear and greatly improves readability. View larger.

A major product release for Macromedia, Flash Professional 8 has many brand new features including: amazing graphic effects, integrated and stand-alone video encoding complete with support for alpha transparency, high-quality text rendering with advanced anti-aliasing control, improved text tools, and a new video plug-in to export Flash Video (FLV) files from professional video products.

Get Full Creative Control
Great ideas deserve great tools. Flash provides full design control to maximize creativity, resulting in a consistent end-user experience across a variety of platforms. Flash Pro 8 gives you the creative and technical tools you need to unleash applications to the web, Windows, Macintosh, Unix, PDAs, and even cell phones. With Flash Pro 8, you can reach the widest possible audience via the free and widely distributed Flash Player, installed on 98 percent of desktops globally.

Flash Professional 8 includes a major focus on usability enhancements so developers can work more efficiently without the application getting in the way. Script Assist, formerly Normal Mode, is back, and it’s better than ever. Script Assist provides a visual user interface for editing scripts that includes automatic syntax completion as well as descriptions for the parameters of any given action. With multiple files open, each open files is consolidated into a single panel that acts like all other panels in Flash -- it stays where it’s put. This way you can navigate between open libraries more easily using the new drop-down list.

Improved panel management optimizes the workspace as you require. You can group panels together in tabbed-panel sets, ala Dreamweaver and Fireworks, thereby reducing on-screen clutter by grouping most commonly-used panels together. For projects that require large graphics that extend far beyond the size of the stage in Flash, Flash Professional 8 lets you view objects much further off-stage. To expand the size of the pasteboard, simply drag an object close to the edge and the pasteboard will automatically grow to fit.

Rich Animation, Video, and Mobile Capability
Flash Pro 8 gives you the tools to create compelling 2D animations. By taking advantage of the most widely deployed video platform on the Internet, you can take video where it has never gone before.

Flash Professional 8 offers continued momentum to the rapidly expanding Flash video platform and new functionality for mobile content developers. Build content once and test it on a wide variety of devices using preset profiles for every mobile device that supports Flash Lite. Configure the testing profile to include multiple devices and filter the supported device list by target content type to easily determine which handsets support screen savers, wallpapers, in-browser content, stand-alone player, and so on. This will greatly reduce development time and simplify your planning for delivery.

Flash Player 8 includes a new, advanced video codec that provides superior video quality that’s competitive with today’s best video codecs at a much smaller file size. It also offers support for a real alpha channel at run-time. This revolutionary new capability provides the unique ability to overlay video composited with a transparent or semi-transparent alpha channel over other Flash content. This allows you to create dynamic presentations such as splashing water, smoke and fire effects, and more.

Enhancing The Image
Flash Pro 8 lets you create more compelling designs with built-in filter effects like drop shadow, blur, glow, bevel, gradient bevel, and color adjust. Filters are visual effects applied to MovieClips and text fields and are natively supported and rendered in real time by Flash Player. Going well beyond what other design tools offer, Flash Professional 8 offers run-time control over blend modes, allowing graphical effects to be composited for fully dynamic user interactivity.

Other enhancements include FlashType, a revolutionary new font rendering engine that provides clear, highest-quality font rendering. FlashType makes small fonts look amazingly clear and greatly improves readability. You can choose from several options for font rendering, each optimized for different use cases, as well as resize a text field using new, improved text handles.

You can also easily, intuitively, and precisely control the velocity of animated objects through an intuitive graph that provides independent control of position, rotation, scale, color, and filters. In addition to enhanced stroke functionality that allow you to select from a variety of cap and join types, you can apply a gradient to a stroke as well as a fill, and render stroke intersections better with stroke hinting.

Adobe Commercial Flash Pro 8

Flash is Good - Product Quality and Adobe Support AWFUL
I made the plunge into Adobe CS2 and Studio 8 in Feb. ’07. Most of the products are fairly intuitive to use - except for Flash. But realizing that Flash REQUIRES learning to program in ActionScript, I tried to prepare for the learning headache.

I began by going through the "Getting Started with Flash 8" tutorial provided under Flash’s HELP tab - and soon ran into MAJOR problems. The ’Cafe Townsend’ project looked very slick and the completed example worked flawlessly. But as you try to build this project in the tutorial, there are numerous errors that absolutely halt your progress. Obviously, Adobe never tasked anyone to actually go through the tutorial - not even ONCE.

So I called Adobe Customer Service, and after more than an hour of mostly being on hold, their response was: that tutorial was produced by one of their vendors, Element K - and not Adobe’s responsibility. They gave me Element K’s number. (NOTE: Adobe’s Customer Service Dept. is completely outsourced to India and some of their reps are VERY hard to understand. I end up asking them to SPELL the word they’re trying to pronounce. Very exasperating!).

Element K said they didn’t develop that tutorial. So back to Adobe and TWO MORE HOURS on the phone - this time with their Tech Support Dept. (American English at least). I finally got a solution to one undocumented problem that was a show-stopper.

After hanging up and returning to the tutorial I immediately encountered ANOTHER error that, being a Flash newbie, I simply couldn’t fix. So back to Adobe Tech Support (yechh!). This time, after 2.5 MORE hours on the phone (mostly on hold), the rep finally told me that the Cafe Townsend tutorial project was "full of holes" and that I should upgrade to Flash CS3.

I told the rep I wasn’t inclined to upgrade until I could get some utility out of my current 6-month old purchase. So I asked him which Flash tutorials actually DID work? He said that several of the Flash 8 tutorials were buggy. I asked if there was a ReadME, Release Notes or an Errata file anywhere that I could use to navigate around the errors. No such files.

Disgusted, this prompted me to ask for a manager. I was then repeatedly put on hold, usually for 30 minutes or more at a time - only to be recycled BACK to Help Desk (my starting point)! I spent 6.5 hours on the phone yesterday (8/20/07)!

After spending enormous amounts of money on these two expensive suites of Adobe software (CS2 and Studio 8), I am really disgusted that Adobe has absolutely NO interest in my satisfaction with their products - AFTER the sale. My Adobe Support experience is the WORST I’ve ever had with ANY company. I thought Dell was bad, but at least with Dell you can escalate an issue to eventual resolution (although it may take weeks). But Adobe has no such customer satisfaction intentions or problem escalation policy.

BTW, I switched to SwishMax, a Flash look-alike that’s easier to use, way cheaper, and actually produces a compatible .swf file. Plus, their Tech Support is VERY responsive - all the way from Australia (and their tutorials actually WORK!).

Shame on you Adobe! a classic bloatware ripoff company. A great argument for OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE. And NO, I will NOT be upgrading to CS3. Flash Buyer beware.

As Essential as Photoshop
If you do artwork or design Flash is just as important to have in your tool kit as Photoshop is. Flash is an all purpose, multi-functional graphics program. It does animation, drawing, painting, web pages, games, video encoding, and programming. It was originally intended to be a drawing programming, so the basic tool set is very intuitive and once learned aids in drawing. I have seen examples on the Web that actually use it to color their comic pages. I use the drawing tools to draw math diagrams or touch up AutoCad drawings.

The animation also has a low learning curve. You can create movie clips, button, or graphics to define your animated entities. There is a time line that is used to create the animation.

As shown you don’t need Action Script unless you are designing a game or website, or enhancing the animation. I myself am not much of a coder. But Action Script is relatively easy compared to other programming languages. I have just used it for simple things like buttons and links, but all you need to do is turn on "script assist" and have a good reference book. I have not programmed any games. I would not let Action Script discourage you from trying Flash. As mentioned, Flash is a multi-purpose tool and that is true for all skill levels. The degree of difficulty can range from drawing a line to programming a game.

I have yet to create an entire Flash site. That can get involved. But if you look in my profile, my site has some of the things that I have created in Flash. Not the most impressive examples. But one has buttons and another is an animation. It just shows that even with a basic understanding of Flash, work can still be produced.

The best program ever.
I use this program to create vector-based animations for my site, and for the people that don’t know actionscript, turn the script-assist on, it works. More exuses for great programs would be...

Toon Boom Studio (Great but over-priced.)
Anime Studio (The bone-rigging is awesome!)

Get a clue Macromedia
I don’t know if the macromedia personell will read this, but every person I’ve talked to about this program has said that flash was SO much easier BEFORE actionscript came into existence. I’m in a actionscript class right now and I am starting to believe it. I hope they get a clue and either make the script easier to use with a translator or something, or take it out completely, cause the current system right now, is failing miserabley.

Scripting Typically Required
Please note: This review is not intended for experienced Flash developers!

Let me qualify the following opinions by saying that I am a professional web designer who daily uses Adobe and Microsoft software, am of course comfortable with XHTML and CSS, and am what is often called a "power user" in computers in general. I did work through the tutorials to familiarize myself with the program. However, I don’t have prior Flash experience.

As a designer, I was disappointed to find that scripting is typically required to achieve professional results, especially with text effects. (This can be overcome by purchasing clunky addons which average around $50.) Theoretically, attractive text effects can be achieved without scripting, but the time it costs to animate words character by character is prohibitive.

This was a huge problem for me as I am not a programmer. Important: Truly benefiting from your investment requires learning ActionScript on top of learning the Macromedia Flash program itself.

This is not to say you can’t do a significant amount of animation without scripting knowledge. In my limited experience though, the major strength of Flash 8 seems to lie in the **development of interactive web applications** that include animation, and NOT in animation-centered uses such as presentations. For animation-centered uses you would be better off to choose a more specific tool such as those listed below.

Other programs to consider before you buy Flash 8 would be:
- Toon Boom: all-in-one (and high end) tool of choice for animators
- SwishMax: budget-friendly Flash8 replacement with 230 built-in visual effects
- e frontier’s MotionArtist: PowerPoint on steroids, presentation-oriented

For myself, I have chosen to stay with Macromedia Flash 8 since I already have it.

Scripting Typically Required
Please note: This review is not intended for experienced Flash developers!



Let me qualify the following opinions by saying that I am a professional web designer who daily uses Adobe and Microsoft software, am of course comfortable with XHTML and CSS, and am what is often called a "power user" in computers in general. I did work through the tutorials to familiarize myself with the program. However, I don’t have prior Flash experience.



As a designer, I was disappointed to find that scripting is typically required to achieve professional results, especially with text effects. (This can be overcome by purchasing clunky addons which average around $50.) Theoretically, attractive text effects can be achieved without scripting, but the time it costs to animate words character by character is prohibitive.



This was a huge problem for me as I am not a programmer. Important: Truly benefiting from your investment requires learning ActionScript on top of learning the Macromedia Flash program itself.



This is not to say you can’t do a significant amount of animation without scripting knowledge. In my limited experience though, the major strength of Flash 8 seems to lie in the **development of interactive web applications** that include animation, and NOT in animation-centered uses such as presentations. For animation-centered uses you would be better off to choose a more specific tool such as those listed below.



Other programs to consider before you buy Flash 8 would be:

- Toon Boom: all-in-one (and high end) tool of choice for animators

- SwishMax: budget-friendly Flash8 replacement with 230 built-in visual effects

- e frontier’s MotionArtist: PowerPoint on steroids, presentation-oriented



For myself, I have chosen to stay with Macromedia Flash 8 since I already have it.