Comments on: Flash CS4: The photo tour of features http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/ ...and especially enthusiastic about motion tweens in Flash... Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:47:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Thomas van den Berg http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-1623 Thomas van den Berg Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:13:47 +0000 http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-1623 Nice, though I'd loved to see some screenshots of the Code Editor too. Nice, though I’d loved to see some screenshots of the Code Editor too.

]]> By: ieaiaio http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-1148 ieaiaio Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:59:12 +0000 http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-1148 still less space for height. nice review! :) still less space for height. nice review! :)

]]> By: Todd Pasternack http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-960 Todd Pasternack Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:20:54 +0000 http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-960 Overall CS4 has been great, Jen (I have a pre-release version). I'm kinda bummed about not being able to switch between Document windows with a keyboard shortcut anymore (CS3 had the Command + ~). And the Help menu no longer allows for 3rd Party API files as it kicks to Adobe's site. Otherwise my work-flow between all the apps has been greatly improved. And thanks for the overview above! Overall CS4 has been great, Jen (I have a pre-release version). I’m kinda bummed about not being able to switch between Document windows with a keyboard shortcut anymore (CS3 had the Command + ~). And the Help menu no longer allows for 3rd Party API files as it kicks to Adobe’s site.

Otherwise my work-flow between all the apps has been greatly improved.

And thanks for the overview above!

]]> By: Jen deHaan http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-935 Jen deHaan Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:52:39 +0000 http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-935 Hi Digiguru, I've been working on a dual monitor setup while testing Flash (while on Mac, I don't have dual set up for Win - others do here though), and you can set up a custom workspace that's dual monitor - and at least for me it's generally working fine each time I open Flash. Personally I have the stage and Tools panel on one monitor (my Cintiq), and the other monitor has the rest of the panels I use the most -- Timeline across the entire length, Motion Editor, PI and Library, etc. When I open Flash it looks the way it did when I closed it on both monitors. If there's a specific workspace that isn't working for you (something specific keeps shifting between when you close it and open it up again), please let us know the specifics! Thanks! Hi Digiguru,

I’ve been working on a dual monitor setup while testing Flash (while on Mac, I don’t have dual set up for Win - others do here though), and you can set up a custom workspace that’s dual monitor - and at least for me it’s generally working fine each time I open Flash. Personally I have the stage and Tools panel on one monitor (my Cintiq), and the other monitor has the rest of the panels I use the most — Timeline across the entire length, Motion Editor, PI and Library, etc. When I open Flash it looks the way it did when I closed it on both monitors. If there’s a specific workspace that isn’t working for you (something specific keeps shifting between when you close it and open it up again), please let us know the specifics! Thanks!

]]> By: Digiguru http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-934 Digiguru Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:05:19 +0000 http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-934 Thanks for sharing this. Something that is concerning me when I see all these interface updates is Adobe ignoring people who use more than one monitor. There designer and developer modes show they are thinking about different people, but why not expanding on that by allowing a more solid way of setting up the enviroment to expand beyond a single screen. I'm sure you can un-dock panels, but doing this usually never works properly. Each time you open Flash things have shifted and so on. I want a timeline that runs the entire length of my 24" monitor, my actionscript panel to be on one screen, my libraries, tools, properties etc on another. If I remember correctly 3D studio max used to allow for this sort of behavour. Thanks agin for sharing this with the rest of us. Thanks for sharing this. Something that is concerning me when I see all these interface updates is Adobe ignoring people who use more than one monitor. There designer and developer modes show they are thinking about different people, but why not expanding on that by allowing a more solid way of setting up the enviroment to expand beyond a single screen. I’m sure you can un-dock panels, but doing this usually never works properly. Each time you open Flash things have shifted and so on. I want a timeline that runs the entire length of my 24″ monitor, my actionscript panel to be on one screen, my libraries, tools, properties etc on another. If I remember correctly 3D studio max used to allow for this sort of behavour. Thanks agin for sharing this with the rest of us.

]]> By: Rob http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-771 Rob Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:01:01 +0000 http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-771 Although the new "expressive/design stuff" is very exciting and all, it does very little for the end developer. Sure it is easier to do the things we can already do with Flash. But the real meat of the program, AS, is still neglected. Developers need better tools than the paltry offering in Flash. A decent AS editor and debugger would be a good start. How can 3rd parties create decent alternatives for free and Adobe cannot even attempt to charge us for such? It sometimes feels, as a developer, that Adobe is actively pushing me away. :( Although the new “expressive/design stuff” is very exciting and all, it does very little for the end developer. Sure it is easier to do the things we can already do with Flash. But the real meat of the program, AS, is still neglected. Developers need better tools than the paltry offering in Flash. A decent AS editor and debugger would be a good start.

How can 3rd parties create decent alternatives for free and Adobe cannot even attempt to charge us for such? It sometimes feels, as a developer, that Adobe is actively pushing me away. :(

]]> By: Mike http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-711 Mike Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:52:40 +0000 http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-711 Well, I am always struggling with the non standard windows and panels in Flash (since CS 3 that is). Like you want to activate a windows and click on the title bar, and it will collapse. Or the mouse wheel scrolling is different (slower) than it is in other programs (like Word or a browser). And the search results in the help (the tree on the left) is not even alphabetical (how could that get past quality control). And the workspace regularly forgetting panel layouts. And the fact that the panels when placed on your second monitor are still 'part of' the program, so they come to the foreground with it, and overlap for instance your browser with a tutorial. Or the standalone/debug player gets hidden behind the library window, until you close it and run again. Or the debugger treeview with variables being stateless, so you have to click click click to see a variable between each breakpoint (try that in a loop, it'll drive you nuts). Yeah, I could go on, believe me. Open up a bug tracker and I'll be all over it, just as long as I get something in return for the trouble. Thing is, some team at Adobe went all the way implementing a complete cross platform windowing system, except they forgot the quality control. Sometimes even just the controls (like scrollbars, and grabhandles) are placed att weird positions. In the mean time, all I do with Flash is CODE. And for that, the editor s*cks. Sorry tosay that. I'm also a .NET developer and Visual Studio is about 7 years ahead of you guys when it comes to A. Editing code with code hinting B. Project management C. Debugging (visualizers, edit and continue) D. Auto formatting And really, if I have to tell you this, than I have no hope. It's fantastic that you listen and respond, but all this stuff should be on your backlog. Flash needs to compete with Silverlight, and though your market penetration is nearly 100% Microsoft will beat your pants off with their tooling support. It's superior in every way. And no, my boss spends a fortune on CS 3, so he's not buying Flex Builder, although it is a very good program, comparable to Visual Studio. This is why FlashDevelop is so great, it's free to try out and they have some smart code inspection, so you get code hints for the classes you wrote, not just for variables that start with "mc_". it can also auto import packages, and it uses the Flex compiler, so it produces regular SWF. Phew long rant, hope to see some improvements in the (near) future. And seriously, read the website http://dearadobe.com, it's sooo true. Bye! Well, I am always struggling with the non standard windows and panels in Flash (since CS 3 that is). Like you want to activate a windows and click on the title bar, and it will collapse. Or the mouse wheel scrolling is different (slower) than it is in other programs (like Word or a browser). And the search results in the help (the tree on the left) is not even alphabetical (how could that get past quality control). And the workspace regularly forgetting panel layouts. And the fact that the panels when placed on your second monitor are still ‘part of’ the program, so they come to the foreground with it, and overlap for instance your browser with a tutorial. Or the standalone/debug player gets hidden behind the library window, until you close it and run again. Or the debugger treeview with variables being stateless, so you have to click click click to see a variable between each breakpoint (try that in a loop, it’ll drive you nuts).

Yeah, I could go on, believe me. Open up a bug tracker and I’ll be all over it, just as long as I get something in return for the trouble.

Thing is, some team at Adobe went all the way implementing a complete cross platform windowing system, except they forgot the quality control. Sometimes even just the controls (like scrollbars, and grabhandles) are placed att weird positions.

In the mean time, all I do with Flash is CODE. And for that, the editor s*cks. Sorry tosay that. I’m also a .NET developer and Visual Studio is about 7 years ahead of you guys when it comes to

A. Editing code with code hinting
B. Project management
C. Debugging (visualizers, edit and continue)
D. Auto formatting

And really, if I have to tell you this, than I have no hope. It’s fantastic that you listen and respond, but all this stuff should be on your backlog. Flash needs to compete with Silverlight, and though your market penetration is nearly 100% Microsoft will beat your pants off with their tooling support. It’s superior in every way.

And no, my boss spends a fortune on CS 3, so he’s not buying Flex Builder, although it is a very good program, comparable to Visual Studio.
This is why FlashDevelop is so great, it’s free to try out and they have some smart code inspection, so you get code hints for the classes you wrote, not just for variables that start with “mc_”. it can also auto import packages, and it uses the Flex compiler, so it produces regular SWF.

Phew long rant, hope to see some improvements in the (near) future. And seriously, read the website http://dearadobe.com, it’s sooo true.

Bye!

]]> By: Toby http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-708 Toby Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:14:23 +0000 http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-708 Looks nice, regarding AS editing, I would find it useful to be able to choose where the Document Classes are placed when opened in the Flash IDE. I would find it more useful to have them tabbed in the Actions frame rather than the main work area. The reason being that when you open a Document Class currently it both obscures the work area *and* make the Actions frame useless since it loses context. So then I have to keep minimizing the Actions frame since it serves no purpose whilst editing the Class (as far as I can tell) and then max it back again when I switch to the scene. Anyway, just a thought, I probably haven't taken some state into consideration where it wouldn't work but I thought I would share. Cheers Toby Looks nice, regarding AS editing, I would find it useful to be able to choose where the Document Classes are placed when opened in the Flash IDE.

I would find it more useful to have them tabbed in the Actions frame rather than the main work area. The reason being that when you open a Document Class currently it both obscures the work area *and* make the Actions frame useless since it loses context.

So then I have to keep minimizing the Actions frame since it serves no purpose whilst editing the Class (as far as I can tell) and then max it back again when I switch to the scene.

Anyway, just a thought, I probably haven’t taken some state into consideration where it wouldn’t work but I thought I would share.

Cheers

Toby

]]> By: gern http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-703 gern Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:11:06 +0000 http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-703 After reviewing the changes to Flash and the other apps in the CS4 design suites, I remain a little disenchanted with Adobe. Every release of Flash and Dreamweaver from Macromedia were must-haves and great leaps forward. This being Adobe's first release with their full control, I must admit, it makes me yawn. More interface changes and few actual productivity enhancements. Yes, the new Flash tweens are nice and the bone tool could be fun, but when I animate with code these do little for me. Using Dreamweaver since version 1.0 I'm a little more impressed with this new release, but have trouble justifying the $600 upgrade cost for the suite based on one application. These are the reasons I stuck with Photoshop 7 then upgraded to CS3. After reviewing the changes to Flash and the other apps in the CS4 design suites, I remain a little disenchanted with Adobe.

Every release of Flash and Dreamweaver from Macromedia were must-haves and great leaps forward. This being Adobe’s first release with their full control, I must admit, it makes me yawn. More interface changes and few actual productivity enhancements.

Yes, the new Flash tweens are nice and the bone tool could be fun, but when I animate with code these do little for me. Using Dreamweaver since version 1.0 I’m a little more impressed with this new release, but have trouble justifying the $600 upgrade cost for the suite based on one application.

These are the reasons I stuck with Photoshop 7 then upgraded to CS3.

]]> By: gern http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-702 gern Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:59:47 +0000 http://flashthusiast.com/2008/09/23/flash-cs4-the-photo-tour-of-features/#comment-702 Hey, Jen-- Any improvements to printing? I'd LOVE *real* pagination. I'd also love better I/O support locally and with a server. Maybe direct connections to MySQL and Oracle. :gern Hey, Jen–

Any improvements to printing? I’d LOVE *real* pagination. I’d also love better I/O support locally and with a server. Maybe direct connections to MySQL and Oracle.

:gern

]]>