The Essential Guide to Flash CS4 with ActionScript

For any professional designer or developer working in the world of web technologies or multimedia, Flash is the must-have application, and knowing how to use it effectively is vital. Add in ActionScript 3.0, and Flash becomes an even more powerful tool for the development of high-performance web applications.

The Essential Guide to Flash CS4 with ActionScript introduces and explores the possibilities available to you by using Flash CS4. You will learn the basics of Flash's working environment and, using a step-by-step approach, work through the features of Flash and ActionScript needed to quickly achieve results. From navigating the interface to using graphic tools to write scripts and troubleshoot, you'll master deploying highly interactive applications with rich audio, video, and animation.

Written for the beginning-to-intermediate Flash user, this book uses complete examples that highlight best practices that you can apply to your daily work as a developer or designer in today's rich media world.

For any professional designer or developer working in the world of web technologies or multimedia, Flash is the must-have application, and knowing how to use it effectively is vital. Add in ActionScript 3.0, and Flash becomes an even more powerful tool for the development of high-performance web applications.

The Essential Guide to Flash CS4 with ActionScript introduces and explores the possibilities available to you through using Flash CS4. You will learn the aspects basics of Flash's working environment and, using a step-by-step approach, work through the features of Flash and ActionScript needed to quickly achieve results. From navigating the interface to using graphic tools to write scripts and troubleshoot, you'll master all of the of deploying highly interactive applications with rich audio, video, and animation.

Written for the beginning-to-intermediate Flash user, this book uses complete examples that highlight best practices that you can apply to your daily work as a developer or designer in today's rich media world.

• Learn to create and manage assets in Flash using the graphics tools and the library.
• Acquire a comprehensive understanding of animation using the new Motion Editor and inverse kinematics tools.
• Discover the dynamic world of ActionScript development including classes, events, and XML.
• Learn to use and customize Flash's UI components.
• Become familiar with audio and video assets including preparation and integration.
• Debug, publish, and deploy Flash applications for the Web with Flash Player and the desktop using the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR).

Summary of Contents

• Part One: Basics

  • Chapter 1: How It All Began
  • Chapter 2: The New Interface of Flash CS4
  • Chapter 3: Drawing with Flash's Vector Tools
  • Chapter 4: External Assets and Symbol Management
  • Chapter 5: Working with Blends, Filters, and 3D Transformations

• Part Two: Animation

  • Chapter 6: Basic Animation in Flash
  • Chapter 7: Playing with Dolls: Introducing Flash IK

• Part Three: ActionScript

  • Chapter 8: The Programming Primer: A Flash Designer's Intro to ActionScript 3.0
  • Chapter 9: The Building Blocks of Interactivity
  • Chapter 10: Learning the Display Model and Bringing It All Together
  • Chapter 11: Managing External Assets and Communication
  • Chapter 12: XML: The Best Way In and Out of Flash

• Part Four: Additional User Interfaces

  • Chapter 13: Working with Text and Strings
  • Chapter 14: Using Components

• Part Five: Enhanced Media Development

  • Chapter 15: Using the Adobe Media Encoder—A Crash Course
  • Chapter 16: Working with Audio in Flash
  • Chapter 17: Working with Video in Flash

• Part Six: Preparing Your Project for Deployment

  • Chapter 18: Publishing, Exporting, and Debugging Your Flash Project
  • Chapter 19: Building AIR Applications with Flash CS4

Paul Milbourne is an Adobe Certified Expert and Instructor for Flash. He has been a Flash platform consultant in the Washington- Baltimore metropolitan area for the better part of a decade. His journey has allowed him to work with such clients as the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens, Democratic National Committee, and many others. For the most part, Paul has made a handsome career cleaning up after other developers. This experience has exposed him to most aspects of Flash development through a multitude of industries.

His true passion is the advancement of the Flash community in that area. Paul is the principal and founding member of the Baltimore-Washington Adobe Flash User Group, which now boasts more than 300 members. His vision is to unite that community in a collaborative effort, both informationally and vocationally.

Paul currently studies computer science and art at the University of Maryland. And, though he was a professional chef in a former life, he is not responsible for any of the food references in this book!

Chris Kaplan is a multimedia consultant for Mosaic Learning, located in Greenbelt, Maryland. An award-winning multimedia developer, Chris has been working in Flash for over 10 years on teams contributing to interactive experiences for the U.S. Mint, UNICEF, Ameriquest, the Bill of Rights Institute, and many others. As an audio engineer and composer, he has worked on productions for National Geographic, TLC, America?Äôs Most Wanted, and in 2005, with Two Animators! LLP (www.twoanimators.com), he was a finalist for Best Cartoon at the Flash Forward Film Festival for his work on The Poochinos—Dog Mafia. Chris has been streaming live video over the Internet for over 10 years as a webcast engineer for events with Vice President Al Gore, Cisco Systems, the Peace Corps, Buzz Aldrin, and the Office of Head Start. Chris brings considerable experience in combining live webcasting, video production, and postproduction disciplines with creating multimedia experiences. He currently lives with his wife, Lindsey, and two daughters in Maryland.

Michael Oliver is chief technology officer of Corent Technology. He has 38+ years of experience in the industry with Sun Microsystems, Sperry Corp, SAIC, OpenText, and several Internet startups in roles from salesperson to CTO and almost everything in between. He is an Apache Software Foundation committer and a published author, and has been active in promoting standards such as WfMC, IETF, and others.