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Filters are one of the best new features of Flash 8. They are easy to use and will go a long way toward polishing Flash graphics. The intuitive Filters panel supports a variety of Filter options, including layering filters and saving presets, without any scripting or special timeline structures required.
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The built-in filters are a long-overdue addition to the Flash authoring environment, but they are somewhat limited on their own. The good news is that Filters can be combined with Blend modes, Properties, Transform tools, Timeline Effects, and tweens with Custom Easing curves to expand their potential well beyond the default settings.
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Custom Easing extends the power of easing beyond linear Ease In and Ease Out — the Custom Easing dialog box launched from the Properties panel enables you to control easing with a curved interpolation path that can have multiple control points for adjusting animated elements. You can apply a single curve to all properties of the tween, or create unique curves to adjust the progression of various properties individually within the same tween.
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The new Blend mode menu in the Properties panel brings some of the power of Photoshop into the Flash authoring environment — graphics can be blended in more subtle and interesting ways.
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The set of Timeline effects that was introduced with Flash MX 2004 to auto-render layout and animated visual effects has not been modified significantly in Flash 8, but they are a little easier to work with in the new version. There are still limitations on how Timeline effects can be edited or combined with other transformations, but the effects are harder to "break" by accident.
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Macromedia has pulled out all the stops to support expressiveness in this release. If you can't kick out some cool content with Flash 8, it might be time to pump up your creative fuel or reconsider your career options!
