Macromedia Flash 3.0 Add Shockwave Flash Movies to Your Web Page! Jim Fox
If you are looking for the premier tool to add interactive graphics and animation to your web page, look no further than the latest version of Flash from Macromedia. Flash 3 is a vector graphics editor and animation authoring tool that creates dazzling effects in a compact file for fast and easy downloading.
Flash 3 exports compressed files called Shockwave Flash movies. These movies can easily be added to your web page by simply creating an HTML document that calls the Shockwave movie. Any browser equipped with the Shockwave Flash player will then be able to play them. This player is included with Flash 3 but is also available for free download from the Macromedia web site.
Flash 3 comes with an excellent set of tutorials to teach you the basic features. The tutorials are designed to let you actually perform various tasks so that you learn by doing as you go. Through the tutorials you can create a web banner, animate the web banner, create special effects, use symbol behaviors and then produce the final movie.
Flash 3 features new animation effects and improved usability without sacrificing performance or file size. Transparency and shape blending effects make it easy to create animations that are as small or even smaller than equivalent Flash 2 movies. With an improved interface Flash 3 is now easier to use and more productive than ever.
Some of the animation improvements added to Flash 3 include:
Alpha Channel Effects - Create graphics or symbols that fade in and out.
Shape Tweening - Define a starting and ending shape and Flash automatically changes the shapes in between to create a smooth transformation similar to morphing.
Mask Layers - Use mask layers to create a spotlight effect or to selectively reveal parts of a larger image.
