[...]... revert to the default workspace for Flash CS4 Managing your workspace As you may have surmised, the Flash authoring environment is one busy place, and if you talk to an experienced Flash developer or designer, you’ll hear it can become one crowded place as well, as it fills up with floating panels and other elements This has all changed in Flash CS4 As you start creating Flash projects, you will discover... Professional We suspect you are here because you have seen a lot of the great stuff Flash can do, and it is now time for you to get into the game Flash can be one great big, scary application to those unfamiliar with it Or you may be here because, as a Flash user, you have found that CS4 is suddenly a lot different from Flash 8 or Flash CS3, and you need to get up to speed with this new stuff in relatively... choose to create a variety of new Flash documents Your choices include a blank Flash file (called a FLA, pronounced “flah”) for web content; an Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) file for desktop applications; a mobile document, aimed at cell phones or PDAs; a series of code-based files; and a Flash project for organizing multiple files in a given project A published Flash movie—not available from this... ever been on The version was Flash 3, and I have been using and teaching Flash ever since Flash CS4 will most likely be regarded by the industry as one of the most significant in the history of the product Flash CS4 has evolved into a serious design tool, able to handle everything from simple motion graphics to broadcast-quality animations It also marks the point where Flash is fully integrated into... ActionScript is 3.0, which was introduced in Flash CS3 The previous version of this language, used in Flash 8 and Flash MX 2004, was ActionScript 2.0 As you can see, it’s still available in Flash CS4, but we won’t be covering it in this book We will be digging into ActionScript 3.0 in greater depth in Chapter 4 Unless otherwise stated, you will be selecting the Flash File (ActionScript 3.0) option when... small Flash movie we call “Moonrise Over Lake Nanagook” (told you we were having fun) This chapter familiarizes you with the Flash workspace and the fundamentals of using Flash Professional CS4 Chapter 2 introduces you to working with the graphic tools and graphics files, and finishes with the exploration of a Monty Python–style banner ad Chapter 3 introduces you to symbols and libraries in Flash CS4. .. how fast the movie plays, and the units for the ruler Figure 1-7 Set the stage size through the Document Properties dialog box If you have been using Flash prior to this release, did you catch the change in the Document Properties dialog box? The default Flash frame rate has increased from 12 to 24 frames per second 10 LEARNING THE FLASH CS4 PROFESSIONAL INTERFACE For example, if you change the Dimensions... ACKNOWLEDGMENTS When Tom invited me to jam on the Foundation Flash riff a second time, there was no question I’d oblige It has been ridiculously cool to hear feedback on forums, in e-mail, and at conferences, and to see firsthand the creative outlet people get from Flash I really do appreciate the way these books keep me in touch with friends and acquaintances in the Flash community (Never mind that it’s a hoot... in Menu commands are written in the form Menu Submenu Submenu Where I want to draw your attention to something, I’ve highlighted it like this: Ahem, don’t say we didn’t warn you Sometimes code won’t fit on a single line in a book Where this happens, I use an arrow like this: Tom Green xxvii Chapter 1 LEARNING THE FLASH CS4 PROFESSIONAL INTERFACE Welcome to Flash CS4 Professional We suspect you are... you become more productive 5 CHAPTER 1 Creating a new Flash document Let’s create a new document To accomplish this, simply click Flash File (ActionScript 3.0) in the Create New area of the Welcome screen to open the Flash interface, as shown in Figure 1-3 This feature-rich authoring environment is the heart and soul of Flash If you are already a Flash user, the first thing that will catch your attention . Director Tom Debolski Foundation Flash CS4 for Designers Copyright © 2009 by Tom Green and David Stiller All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any.