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. Front Matter....Pages i-xxx Front Matter....Pages 1-1 How it All Began....Pages 3-17 The new Interface of Flash CS4....Pages 19-48 Drawing with Flash’s Vector Tools....Pages 51-79 External Assets and Symbol Management....Pages 81-103 Working with blends, filters, and 3D Transformations....Pages 105-122 Front Matter....Pages 123-123 Basic Animation in Flash....Pages 125-157 Playing with Dolls: Introducing Flash IK....Pages 159-182 Front Matter....Pages 183-183 The Programming Primer: A Flash Designer’s Intro to Actionscript 3.0....Pages 185-220 The Building Blocks of Interactivity....Pages 223-241 Learning the Display Model and Bringing It All Together....Pages 243-271 Managing External Assets and Communication....Pages 273-295 XML: The Best Way in and Out of Flash....Pages 297-318 Front Matter....Pages 319-319 Working with Text and Strings....Pages 321-348 Using Components....Pages 351-375 Front Matter....Pages 377-377 Using the Adobe Media Encoder—A Crash Course....Pages 379-401 Working With Audio in Flash....Pages 403-427 Working With Video in Flash....Pages 429-457 Front Matter....Pages 459-459 Publishing, Exporting, and Debugging Your Flash Project....Pages 461-489 Building Air Applications with Flash CS4....Pages 491-518 Back Matter....Pages 521-538

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.