For a video overview of new mobile workflows in Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5 features, see the video tutorial Flash Pro CS5.5 - Mobile Workflows.
The following features are new to Flash Professional CS5.5:
Authoring across devices and desktops
- Share assets during authoring
- You can now share assets between FLA files during authoring. The FLA files must be part of a Flash project managed with the Project panel. For more information, see Sharing library assets at author-time.
- Copy and paste layers
- You can now cut, copy, and paste an entire layer or set of layers within one Timeline or to separate Timelines. For more information, see Copy and paste layers (CS5.5 only).
- Scale content when changing Stage size
- When changing the size of the Stage via the Document Properties dialog box, you can automatically scale the content to fit the new Stage size. For more information, see Scaling content on the Stage.
- Export as bitmap
- Vector-based symbols can be exported as bitmaps when publishing a SWF file as a way of reducing CPU demands during playback. This feature is helpful for publishing on mobile devices with less-powerful CPUs. For more information, see Converting art between vector and bitmap formats (CS5.5 only).
- Convert to bitmap
- This feature allows you to create a bitmap in the Library from a symbol instance. The new bitmap can be useful in separate versions of the project for mobile or other lower-performance devices. For more information, see Converting art between vector and bitmap formats (CS5.5 only).
- Code snippets for mobile and AIR
- The Code Snippets panel now includes snippets specifically for mobile devices and AIR applications. For more information about using the Code Snippets panel, see Add interactivity with code snippets.
- AIR for Android support
- You can now publish a FLA file as an AIR for Android application. For more information, see Publishing AIR for Android applications.
- AIR 2.6 SDK
- The AIR 2.6 SDK is integrated and includes the latest APIs for iOS. These include access to the Microphone, reading from Camera Roll, and CameraUI. Retina display support is also included in the Resolution menu of the AIR for iOS settings dialog box.
- Debug on-device via USB
- You can debug an AIR for iOS or AIR for Android application on a mobile device via a USB port. For information about debugging ActionScript 3.0 code, see Debugging ActionScript 3.0.
TLF Text enhancements
- TLF tab rulers
- TLF text blocks now have tab ruler attached. The ruler allows you to create and edit tab stops in TLF text. You can also now type tab characters in TLF text fields. For more information, see Using tab rulers (CS5.5 only).
- TCM text for static TLF
- Flash Pro CS5.5 uses the Text Container Manager to handle TLF text that is not intended to change at runtime. The TCM avoids the need to include the full TLF ActionScript library in the published SWF file, significantly reducing file size.
- TLF text file size optimization
- The size of SWF files that use TLF text is smaller and performance is better in Flash Player.
- TLF text support for style sheets
- You can now use style sheets with TLF text the same way you can with Classic text. Both types of text require ActionScript to use style sheets.
User interface improvements
- Code Snippets panel HUD
- The new Code Snippets panel heads-up display (HUD) allows you to view the ActionScript code and description of each snippet before inserting it. You can also drag-and-drop instance references in the HUD code display onto instances on the Stage. For more information, see Add interactivity with code snippets.
- New Publish Settings dialog box
- The Publish Settings dialog box has been reorganized and streamlined. For more information, see Publish settings (CS5.5).
- Integrated playback controller with loop range
- A Timeline playback controller now appears at the bottom of the Timeline and the Motion Editor. The controller includes a Loop button which allows you to specify a range of frames to play repeatedly during authoring. For more information, see The Timeline.
- Project panel update
- The Project panel has been improved to make it easier to work with multi-document Flash projects. For more information, see Working with Flash projects.
- Document Properties panel changes
- You can now directly edit the Flash Player publish setting and Stage size in the Document Properties panel. You can also open the Publish Settings dialog box from the Properties panel.
- Visible property of symbols editable in Property inspector
- You can now toggle the visibility of movie clip instances in the Properties panel. This setting requires a Player Publish setting of Flash Player 10.2 or higher.
- New Library conflict resolution dialog box
- The Library panel has been enhanced with a new conflict resolution dialog when symbols of the same name are imported to the Library. The dialog now provides the option to place the duplicate items into a new folder.
Other improvements
- Pinning for IK bones
- You can now pin a bone joint to the stage when posing an armature. Pinning prevents the joint from moving relative to the Stage. For more information, see Constrain motion of IK bones.
- Cache as bitmap - opaque background
- When using the Cache as Bitmap feature, you can now specify an opaque background color for the bitmap. For more information about the Cache as Bitmap feature, see Scaling and caching symbols.
- Auto Recover and Auto Save
- Auto Recover enables Flash to periodically snapshot all open documents so that the user can recover from any sudden data loss event. Auto Save helps the user by periodically saving each document. For more information, see Set General preferences and Set properties for a new or existing document.
- Shared project format with Flash Builder
- Flash Pro projects can now be shared natively with Flash Builder. For information about working with projects, see Working with Flash projects.
- Incremental compilation
- When using the Publish command, Flash Pro now caches compiled versions of the assets in your FLA file to improve performance. Each time you create a SWF file, only changed items are recompiled.
- Fixes for RSL preloading and scripting problems
- A new ProLoader class has been added to ActionScript 3.0. This class makes it easier to script between a loaded child SWF file and its parent SWF file. For more information, see Loading display content dynamically in the ActionScript 3.0 Developer’s Guide.
