What’s new in Flash CS4



    New features

    The following features are new to Adobe® Flash® CS4 Professional.

    The following video tutorials introduce the new features:

    Object-based animation

    Object-based animation dramatically simplifies designing in Flash while simultaneously providing greater control. Tweens are now applied directly to objects instead of keyframes, providing precise control over each of the individual animation attributes. For more information, see Motion tweens.

    Motion Editor panel

    Experience complete independent control over every keyframe parameter including rotation, size, scale, position, filters, and more using the keyframe editor. Use the keyframe editor to graphically control easing using curves. For more information, see Editing property curves with the Motion Editor.

    Motion Tween Presets

    Apply pre-built animations to any object to jumpstart your project. Select from dozens of pre-built presets, or create and save your own. Share presets across teams to save animation time. For more information, see Applying motion presets.

    Inverse Kinematics with the Bone tool

    Easily create chain-like effects with a series of linked objects or quickly distort single objects using the Bones tool. For mor information, see Using inverse kinematics.

    3D Transformation

    Animate 2D objects through 3D space with new 3D transformation tools. Transformation tools including rotate and translate allow you to animate across X, Y, and Z axes. Apply local or global rotation to rotate an object within relationship to itself or to the Stage. For more information, see 3D graphics.

    Decorative drawing with the Deco tool

    Easily turn any symbol into an instant design tool. Whether creating patterns that can then be applied using the brush or fill tools, or creating kaleidoscope-like effects using single or multiple symbols with the deco symmetry tool, Deco provides a new way to design with symbols. For more information, see Drawing patterns with the Decorative drawing tools.

    Adobe Kuler panel

    The Kuler panel is your portal to groups of colors, or themes, created by an online community of designers. You can use it to browse thousands of themes on the Kuler web site, and then download selected themes to edit or to include in your own projects. You can also use the Kuler panel to create and save themes, and then share them with the Kuler community. For more information, see Kuler panel.

    Authoring for Adobe AIR

    Deliver interactive experiences to the desktop with new Publish to AIR. Adobe® AIR™, a new cross-operating system runtime allows you to leverage local desktop resources and data to deliver even more personal, engaging experiences. Using the same skills you use to deliver to the Flash® Player, your content can now reach even more audiences across more devices – web, mobile and now the desktop. For more information, see Publishing for Adobe AIR.

    Sample Sounds library

    A new included library of sound effects makes creating content with sound even easier. For more information, see Importing sounds.

    Vertical Property inspector

    The Property inspector is now vertically displayed taking better advantage of wider screens to provide you with more Stage real estate.

    New Project Panel

    Work with multiple-file projects more easily with the new project panel. Apply property changes to multiple files, save symbols to a designated file folder at the time they are created, and more. For more information, see Working with projects.

    Adobe Media Encoder with H.264 support

    Deliver the highest quality video with more control than ever before. Encode to any format recognized by Adobe Flash Player with the same tool found in other Adobe video products such as Adobe® Premiere® Pro and After Effects®. For more information, see Adobe Media Encoder help.

    Adobe ConnectNow integration

    Adobe® ConnectNow™ lets you share your screen and meet with other users online. You can open ConnectNow directly from the application interface by choosing File > Share My Screen. For more information, see Working with ConnectNow.

    Edit in Soundbooth

    Users of Adobe® Soundbooth™ can now edit imported sounds in Soundbooth directly from within Flash. The Adobe ASND sound file format enables non-destructive editing of sound files. For more information, see Edit a sound in Soundbooth.

    Enhanced metadata support

    New XMP panel enables users to quickly and easily assign metadata tags to their SWF content. Enables addition of metadata into SWF files that is recognized by Adobe® Bridge and other Creative Suite® applications that recognize XMP metadata. Improves organization and enables fast find and retrieval of SWF files. Fore more information, see Add XMP metadata to a document.

    Collaborate with Flex developers

    Import code-only ActionScript® 3.0 SWC components developed in Flex™ Builder™. For more information, see Creating components for Flex.

    XFL import

    Import content from InDesign® and After Effects with complete file integrity. XFL is a new file format which enables designers to easily deliver content for further development in Flash. For more information see Opening XFL files.

    Support for Adobe Pixel Bender

    Easily apply custom filters and effects at runtime for real-time creative expression. Use Adobe® Pixel Bender™ to create unique filters, blends, and fills - which are now portable to multiple applications with Adobe Pixel Bender - to produce compelling, on-demand visual effects for the Adobe Flash Player runtime environment. Write a filter once, and then share it or apply it multiple times using ActionScript 3.0.

    JPEG deblocking

    This publish settings option reduces the the appearance of the common artifacts found in highly compressed JPEG files. For more information, see Specify publish settings for SWF files.

    Improved Library panel

    Work with assets more easily, thanks to a new, improved Library panel that includes search capability, sorting, and the ability to set properties on multiple library items at once. For more information, see About the Library panel.

    New Creative Suite user interface

    Boost your efficiency with intuitive panel docking and spring-loaded behaviors that help streamline your interaction with tools throughout Adobe’s Creative Suites. For more information, see Workspace.

    New Font menus

    The font menu in Flash now includes previews of each font and each style included in the font. For more information, see Setting text attributes.

    Hardware Acceleration

    Published SWF files can now take better advantage of available hardware for better playback performance. For more information, see Specify publish settings for SWF files.

    Community Help

    Community Help is an integrated environment on adobe.com that gives you access to community-generated content moderated by Adobe and industry experts. Comments and ratings from users help guide you to an answer. Search Community Help to find the best content on the web about Adobe products and technologies. For more information, see Using Community Help or Help and support.