Flash CS3

From the moment the application loads it’s clear that Adobe has created the best-looking version of Flash ever. And while previous versions had become increasingly bulky, Flash CS3 is a more introspective update. Existing features, such as Live Filters (introduced in Flash 8) and Tweening have been enhanced with Copy and Paste capabilities. You can now copy the same animation rules from one symbol to another, for example.

The program’s eccentric drawing tools remain intact, but have been tweaked to bring them into line with the rest of CS3. The pesky Pen tool is a significant beneficiary, which thankfully now behaves much more like its Illustrator analog. The shape tools are joined by the new Rectangle and Oval Primitives, which create editable standalone objects rather than just instantly sticking together like their default compatriots.

ActionScript 3.0 has been available since Flash Player 9 went live last year. It’s faster than previous versions and offers simplified event handling plus new classes dedicated to creating rich applications. Now, with full support in Flash CS3, designers have the right equipment to code with it too.

Of course, there’s now much better integration between Flash CS3 and other CS3 products. There’s no longer any need to perform gymnastic stunts when importing Photoshop and Illustrator files – text remains editable and shapes can be brought in as paths. It’s enough to make us punch the air with glee.