Reviews ASTD Members Only

Flash 5
By Michael Feldman

Macromedia's Flash 5 has become a worldwide standard for Web-delivered animated and interactive content. Flash Player is built into the latest versions of Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, making it the most ubiquitous player on the Web.

The latest version of Flash offers significant improvements in the program's capabilities and user interface, such as the capability to incorporate interactivity into its movies. To assist in the creation of training and educational content, Macromedia has added a suite of learning extensions that allow easy creation of multiple-choice and drag-and-drop quizzes. Trainers with little or no programming experience can create interactivity by using the Object Actions panel. Any action or series of actions is translated into ActionScript, which is a language similar to JavaScript that lets users change object properties and apply conditional logic to actions.

A big complaint of Flash 4 users was that some controls were accessible only through dialog boxes that appeared after objects were selected or in certain modes. Macromedia has addressed that shortcoming by introducing several new streamlined floating panels. The library, actions pallet, movie explorer, and new panels are available at all times through a single click of the launcher bar at the bottom of the main work window.

Also, Flash 5 offers users considerably more options and tools for creating artwork and text, including the addition of vector graphics capabilities similar to those available in Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand. This new feature simplifies importing and manipulating vector-based graphics created in the other programs.

The caveat? You're not going to master new Flash 5 capabilities without a serious time commitment and help from a capable instructor or well-designed training course.

Recommendation

With Flash 5, Macromedia has managed to deliver expanded functionality and increased ease of use. Furthermore, they've amplified the value of the product to power-user professional designers and such "semipros" as education and training specialists who must master and use a wide variety of methodologies and techniques. Although Flash 5 doesn't provide instant gratification and requires a serious commitment to master, experience in coding, programming, or design isn't necessary.

Published: March 2001