Overview

In This Chapter

Exploring the uses of Flash 8

Identifying Flash file types

Introducing the structure of Flash documents

Since its humble beginnings as FutureSplash in 1997, Macromedia Flash has matured into a powerful tool for deploying a wide range of media content. With every new version released, the possibilities have increased for imaginative and dynamic content creation—for the Web and beyond. Macromedia has responded to the development community's unprecedented embrace of Flash by expanding advanced features and enhancing tools for new users. Never before has Flash incorporated so many new features in a single release.

In this chapter, we introduce Flash 8 and explore the many possibilities that are available for your productions. We also discuss how Flash compares to or enhances other programs that you may be familiar with.

Flash movies are usually viewed in a few different ways. The most common method is from within a Web browser, either as an asset within an HTML page or as a Web site completely comprised of a master Flash movie using several smaller Flash movies as loaded SWF assets. The Flash Player is also available as a stand-alone application (known as a projector), which can be used to view movies without needing a Web browser or the plug-in. This method is commonly used for deployment of Flash movies on CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or other offline media formats.