Adobe Flash CS5 – top new features

Adobe Flash CS5

Adobe Flash CS5iPhone packager

Unless you’ve been under a rock these last few months you would be aware that Flash now lets you package and export your apps ready for iPhone. For reasons that would require a mini-essay from someone else a little less bewildered this has been rejected by Apple (as well as any other third-party tool created to do the same) so you’ll probably never get to experience your sweat and tears in the App Store. The tool is still there however. The fact that your app will run on all other phones and mobile devices means nothing’s really been lost, just the ability to choose yourself what you want to run on your phone.

The inclusion of AIR 2 on android and Flash Player on all other handsets means a healthy open market that will surely grow.



Code improvements

The code editor now has full support for code hints and auto-completion, also for external libraries. Some other clever additions are automatic adding of import statements and closing of brackets, so expect a solid speed boost if you’ve been coding using the Flash IDE in the past.

New file formats

The newly created XFL file format is supported by several Adobe applications allowing programs like InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash to integrate even better.

Improved Kinematics

CS5 sees even greater improvements to Inverse Kinematics, which came in CS4, and now adds physics to the mix. For example, as before this tool allows you to set up key pivot points, or joints, allowing you to move elements (for example, an arm, with shoulder, elbow and wrist joints) but now you can set up springs to make the motion more natural and fluid.
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This is a guest post, from Aaron Turner-Jones. Aaron is the Creative Director for a large, well known and long established Internet Development company, and is responsible for the production of concept design, brand integration and user experience. He is also the Adobe User Group Manager for Brisbane. You can see more of Aaron’s work at his website.

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