Adobe Flash CS4 Pro

Manufacturer: Adobe
Adobe Flash Professional formerly Macromedia Flash is an advanced authoring environment for creating interactive websites, digital experiences and mobile content.
. Please specify WIN or MAC when ordering. With Flash Professional you can author interactive content rich with video, graphics, and animation for truly unique, engaging websites, presentations or mobile content.

It may be better value to get Flash Pro in one of the following Adobe CS4 suites :
" Adobe Design Premium CS4
" Adobe Web Premium CS3.3
" Adobe Web Standard CS4
" Compare Adobe Suites

User Experience
Flash Professional includes a major focus on usability enhancements so developers can work more efficiently without the application getting in the way.

Script Assist - formerly Normal Mode
Normal Mode is back, only it's much better. Script Assist provides a visual user interface for editing scripts that includes automatic syntax completion as well as descriptions for the parameters of any given action.

Advanced library
With multiple files open, the library for each open file will be consolidated into a single panel that acts like all other panels in Flash-it stays where it's put. Navigate between open libraries more easily using the new drop-down list at the top of the library to access any other open library.

Object drawing model
Visualize shapes as objects by toggling a new object drawing mode to represent shapes as objects, along the lines of vector drawing tools such as Macromedia FreeHand.

Improved panel management
Improved panel management optimizes workspace as the user sees fit. Group panels together in tabbed-panel sets, ala Dreamweaver and Fireworks. Reduce on-screen clutter by grouping most commonly-used panels together.

Stage pasteboard expansion
For projects that require large graphics that extend far beyond the size of the stage in Flash, view objects much further off-stage. To expand the size of the pasteboard, just drag an object close to the edge and the pasteboard will automatically grow to fit.

Undo redo options
Switch between "object-level undo" and "document-level undo."

Video and Mobile
Flash Professional offers continued momentum to the rapidly expanding Flash video platform and new functionality for mobile content developers.

Higher-quality video codec
Flash Player 8 adds a new, far more advanced video codec. This codec provides superior video quality that is competitive with today's best video codecs at a much smaller file size.

Alpha channel support
Support for a real alpha channel at run-time. This revolutionary new capability provides the unique ability to overlay video composited with a transparent or semi-transparent alpha channel over other Flash content. Create dynamic presentations such as splashing water, smoke and fire effects, as well as presenters shot in front of a blue screen.

Advanced video encoding options
The advanced video encoder, available within the Flash authoring tool, as a plugin to professional video editing tools, or as a stand-alone tool, provides advanced encoding options that will allow developers to optimize quality and file size of video content. The standalone video encoder also includes batch-processing capabilities to encode multiple video files at once.

Video Encoder plug-in for professional video editing tools
Export video directly to Flash from leading professional video-editing and encoding tools such as Avid Xpress/Media Composer and Apple Final Cut Pro.

Interactive mobile device emulator
Build content once and test it on a wide variety of devices using preset profiles for every mobile device that supports Flash Lite. Configure the testing profile to include multiple devices. Filter the supported device list by target content type to easily determine which handsets support screen savers, wallpapers, in-browser content, stand-alone player, and so on. Reduce development time and simplify planning for delivery.

Improved actions panel
By combining the new Script Assist feature with the new target language drop down in the actions panel, it is now far simpler to use different versions of the ActionScript language. For understanding the syntax used by Flash Lite 1.1 better, the new Script Assist feature will do most of the work for you. These improvements add up to a far better development experience for mobile content developers new to Flash Lite.

Expressiveness
With the release of Flash Professional CS3, interactive content designers can express their creativity in incredible new ways.

Filters
Create more compelling designs with built-in filter effects like drop shadow, blur, glow, bevel, gradient bevel, and color adjust. Filters are visual effects applied to MovieClips and text fields and are natively supported and rendered in real time by Flash Player.

Blend modes
Going well beyond what other design tools offer, Flash Pro offers run-time control over blend modes, allowing graphical effects to be composited for fully dynamic user interactivity.

FlashType
A revolutionary new font rendering engine that provides clear, highest-quality font rendering, FlashType makes small fonts look amazingly clear and greatly improves readability. Choose from several options for font rendering, each optimized for different use cases. Optimize font rendering with the new custom anti-aliasing feature.

Bitmap caching
Supports unneeded re-rendering of vector objects by simply flagging an object as a bitmap. Even though the object gets cached as a bitmap, the vector data is still maintained so, at any point, the object can be converted back into a vector again.

Custom easing control
Easily, intuitively, and precisely control the velocity of animated objects through an intuitive graph that provides independent control of position, rotation, scale, color, and filters.

Improved text tool
Resize a text field using new, improved text handles. Text fields can be resized by grabbing any of the four handles.

Enhanced stroke properties
Select from a variety of cap and join types. Apply a gradient to a stroke as well as a fill. Render stroke intersections better with stroke hinting.

Advanced gradient control
Tighter control over gradients such as changing the focal point of a radial gradient and selecting from different overflow modes.
Overall Flash Pro CS4 is a super product. New Features include

Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator import
Import Adobe Photoshop (PSD) and Adobe Illustrator(r) (AI) files, while preserving layers and structure, and then edit them in Flash CS4 Professional. Optimize and customize the files during import with advanced options.

Convert animation to ActionScript
Instantly convert timeline animations into ActionScript code that can be easily edited, reused, and leveraged by developers. Copy animations from one object to another.

Adobe interface
Enjoy the new Flash Professional CS4 streamlined interface that emphasizes consistency with other Adobe Creative Suite applications and can be customized to improve workflow and maximize stage space.

ActionScript development
Save time with the new ActionScript language, featuring improved performance, increased flexibility, and more intuitive and structured development.

Advanced debugger
With Flash Pro you can test content with a powerful, new ActionScript debugger that offers greater flexibility and user feedback, as well as consistency with Adobe Flex Builder debugging.

Device Central screenshot

Device Central

Adobe Device Central
Design, preview, and test mobile device content using Adobe Device Central CS4, now integrated throughout Adobe Creative Suite 4. Create and test interactive applications and interfaces viewable with Flash Lite(tm) software.

Rich drawing capabilities
Visually adjust shape properties on the stage with smart shape drawing tools, create precise vector illustrations with the new Pen tool inspired by Adobe Illustrator, paste illustrations from Illustrator CS4 into Flash Pro and more.

User interface components
Create interactive content with new, lightweight, easily skinnable interface components for ActionScript Visually modify components' look and feel with the drawing tools - no coding required.

Advanced QuickTime export
Render content published in a SWF file as a QuickTime video using the advanced QuickTime exporter. Export content that includes nested MovieClips, content generated with ActionScript language, and runtime effects such as drop shadow and blur.

Sophisticated video tools
Create, edit, and deploy streaming and progressive-download FLV content with comprehensive video support. Ensure the best video experience with a standalone video encoder, alpha channel support, a high-quality video codec, embedded cue points, video import support, QuickTime import, closed captioning, and much more.

Timesaving coding tools
Save coding time with new code editor enhancements. Focus on relevant code with code collapse and commenting, and jump to code errors with the error navigation feature.