Do it in a FLASH (Macromedia Flash 5)

Member Name: lukemartin

Product:	Macromedia Flash 5
Date:	13/08/01 (159 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: more powerful, more features, better integration

Disadvantages: harder for beginners, programming knowledge required

I praise the day that I first used Macromedia Flash in the Office. I was a complete newby back then, using Flash Version 2, which I found on a demonstration CD from PC Pro. I have since become very involved in the use of Macromedia's products, Flash 5 being my most frequently used.

If you are new to using Flash 5, it would be wise to leave plenty of time to learn the product before taking on any major projects, but once you have picked up the basics (made very easy by the tutorials built-in) everything else stems from there. There are endless possibilities for what you can create in flash, both for use on the internet, and interactive CD's as I have done in the past. These can be made even more impressive by the use of ActionScript, Flash’s own scripting language.

I would say there is probably a bigger advantage to using FLASH 5 if you have previous experience, and are using it for professional websites and CD’s. If you are not yet experienced in FLASH 5, then I would advise doing as I did at first, and use a previous version that you can get free on a cover disk. That, or you could download the trial version of FLASH 5 from Macromedia’s website.

The only real problem that I have with Version 5 is that if you have too many of the floating panels open at once (which is often necessary) the screen can become very cluttered. I had to upgrade to a 19” monitor to take full advantage of the screen layout. Apart from this, I think that the floating panels make this product much easier to use, and is in keeping with the other major Macromedia products that I currently use, Fireworks 4 and DreamWeaver Ultradev 4.

In fact I have become so impressed with Flash that I am now using it to develop my own personal website at www.lukemartin.co.uk which I hope will show of my skills to future employers. I would recommend Flash 5 to any experienced web developers, or any individual that has used previous versions and
has the willingness to learn the new features, especially if you have knowledge of programming.

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