Flash CS5 First Look

This latest release of Flash has a number of great features, for pretty much everyone. In this article we will take a first look at this list of features so you can get up to speed on what's new and what's changed.

Text Layout Framework Text Engine

The newly introduced TLF text engine provides improved control over text properties and flow. You can now define how text should display within your applications with ease. For instance you can now create a two/three column layout without having to separate your text content. The text will even expand/contract as you change the various parameters within TLF.

Video Cue Points

Video cue points in Flash CS5 are now easier to add to videos. If you had worked with cue points in previous versions, this update will help you immensely. Adobe has now made it easy to add, remove and manage your video cue points with ease.

Packager for iPhone

A groundbreaking feature found in Flash CS5 is the ability to develop iPhone apps using ActionScript. This gives Flash developers an opportunity to expand their user base to the mobile platform while still maintaining other Flash versions of their application.
In fact there are already many apps in the App Store that have been built with Flash CS5. One of those applications is featured in my article on the Packager for iPhone, which is in this guide.

See walkthrough of this feature

XFL File Format

Another great addition to Flash CS5 is the new file format, XFL. This custom file format is mostly a "behind the scenes" feature. However it makes it possible to work with other Adobe applications, allowing others to make changes and exchange content without the complications found in previous versions.

The XFL file format also gives you the ability to work in an uncompressed format. This gives you the ability to work in team environments and even with source control (such as SVN). You can now expand the Flash file and edit individual assets with the changes being reflected the next time the Flash document is opened.

FXG File Format

Similar to the XFL file format, the FXG format gives creative’s the ability to exchange graphics in Flash with other Adobe graphics applications. This only strengthens the collaboration concept that Adobe is well known for throughout the entire Creative Suite. It will be interesting to see how designers, developers, and studios utilize these new file formats to the best of their ability.

ActionScript Editor Improvements

If the AS editor found in Flash has ever bothered you then you will be happy here too. Flash CS5 introduces a number of fixes and advancements for the forgotten editor. Some of these updates include code hinting for custom classes, self closing brackets and auto importing of custom classes, to name a few.

However another amazing update is the ability to use Flash Builder as your editor while seamlessly working with Flash. For example, if you edit a class in Flash with Flash Builder selected the class will open in Flash Builder, then when you test your changes Flash will regain focus. Once you leave the test Flash Builder will gain focus allowing you to quickly make changes. This workflow is especially useful to those developers that used Flex Builder in previous versions.

Note: A new panel has been added for non-developers, the code Snippets panel allows can be used to apply ActionScript 3 code for common interactions without learning complex code.

Flash CS5 for Designers

Well you may have noticed this article has mostly covered developers? While that is true there is much to talk about for designers, so let's dive right in.

One of the more interesting features found in Flash CS5 for designers is the ability to edit in Photoshop CS5. This gives you the ability to edit graphics in Photoshop and then pass them back to Flash without the need for extra files. This "round-tripping" ability will be especially useful for teams of designers that need to constantly make updates to Flash files.
Designers will find a nice improvement to the Decorative Drawing Tools, which have been given several new effects. While the animators will enjoy the enhancements in IK, such as the ability to apply realistic physics "spring" to your bone animations.
Working with fonts has also been improved. Font embedding is now FLA file based instead of text object. The new Font Embedding dialog box provides quick access to all of the font embedding functions available in Flash CS5, such as font style and family.

Online and Community Tools

The Community Help on adobe.com gives you access to community-generated content moderated by Adobe and industry experts. Comments and feedback from users help guide you to the correct answer. You can easily search Community Help to find the best possible content on the web about Adobe products and various technologies.
Another online tool found in Flash CS5 is CS Live services. These allow you to connect to Adobe tools from within the Flash authoring environment. CS Live includes web services such as Acrobat.com, BrowserLab, Live Review, and more.

Closing Thoughts

There you have it, a look at the new features found in Flash CS5. As you can tell Flash CS5 is a major advancement over previous versions of Flash. Now take the time to explore all of the new features and content on your own. As always post a comment on the forum and be on the lookout for great video training from PhotoshopCAFE on Flash other Creative Suite applications soon.

Bonus Feature

One of the "more simple" features found in Flash CS5 is the SWF Size History which is found in the Document Property Inspector. This displays the size of all SWF files that are generated during "Test Movie". This can be used to see how your SWF is growing as you change content. The SWF History will warn you with a yellow icon when the SWF size doubles.

About the author

Matt Keefe is a new-media designer, developer, author and trainer with a strong background in application development for web, mobile and desktop platforms.

Matt has worked with companies/studios including Adobe, Gigya, Media Fuse, Inverted Creative, Delphi, PhotoshopCafe, Kineticz Interactive, Organi Studios, Orcamedia and Lesson Pop. He has authored a variety of books including Flash and PHP bible, Flex and Java Integration Bible and was co-author of Foundation Fireworks CS4. His work has also been published in How To Wow with Flash for which he was a contributing author, and technical editor. Matt was also a technical editor for Essential ActionScript 3.

Currently Matt holds an ACE (Adobe Certified Expert) certification for Adobe Photoshop CS4 and works closely on new and upcoming technologies from Adobe and other technology companies. In his free time he runs Scriptplayground.com, a training resource that covers all popular programming languages.

You can view his online portfolio at mkeefe.com