Video is one of the most exciting features on today's Internet, with widespread adoption being made possible by advances in bandwidth and software. But simply streaming video clips to Web users is only the tip of the iceberg! Flash CS3 offers a whole host of advanced video features, allowing you to create breathtaking user experiences.

And this book, the 2nd edition of the critically-acclaimed Foundation Flash 8 Video, shows you how to make the most of video in Flash CS3. The authors start with the basics of creating video ready for use on the web using popular applications such as Windows Movie Maker and iMovie, creating FLV (Flash video) using both Flash and other applications such as Sorenson Squeeze, and importing that video into Flash.

With that out the way, then turn their attention to essential practical techniques such as creating and customizing video players, applying blends and filters to Flash Video, effective use of video alpha channel and masks, captioning, cue points, interactivity using the Camera object, going full screen, and much more.

This edition is fully-updated for Flash CS3 and ActionScript 3.0, and includes many new examples.

• Learn how to create video for the web using popular applications such as iMovie and Movie Maker, and turn it into Flash Video using Flash, and other tools such as Sorenson Squeeze
• Learn several essential practical techniques for manipulating video in Flash
• New edition fully-updated for Flash CS3 and ActionScript 3.0, with new examples

What you'll learn

• All the essential video features of Flash CS3 and ActionScript 3.0
• How to create video using iMovie and Windows Movie Maker
• How to process that video into Flash Video (FLV) using Flash, Sorenson Squeeze, and Flix Pro
• How to create a video player and customize it
• How to apply fantastic filters and blend modes to your video
• How to use masks with video
• How to create applications with multiple videos
• How to allow the user to interact with your Flash using the camera object
• How to add captions to your video
• How to work will full screen video
• A whole host of tips and special effects

Who is this book for?

This book is for anyone who wants to learn Flash video from the ground up.

Summary of Contents

• Chapter 1 Creating and Playing Flash Video
• Chapter 2 Editing Video for Flash
• Chapter 3 Alternative FLV-Creation Tools
• Chapter 4 Creating a Custom Player
• Chapter 5 "Talking Head" Video and Alpha Channels
• Chapter 6 Adding Filters and Blend Effects to Flash Video
• Chapter 7 Masking Video
• Chapter 8 Flash Video Tricks, Tips, and Special Effects
• Chapter 9 Playing with Multiple Videos
• Chapter 10 The Camera Object and Flash Video
• Chapter 11 Cue Points and Captions in Flash Video
• Chapter 12 Going Small and Going Big with Flash Video

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In this book, you'll learn:

• How to create effective animations using the new Motion Editor and animation tools
• How to use the new 3D features to animate objects in 3D space
• Best-practice tips and techniques from some of the top Flash practitioners on the planet
• How to create captioned video and full-screen video, and deploy HD video using Flash
• Techniques for using the Flash UI components as well as XML documents to create stunning,interactive presentations

If you're a Flash designer looking for a solid overview of Flash CS4, this book is for you. Through the use of solid and practical exercises, you will soon master the fundamentals of this latest edition of the Adobe Flash authoring tool. Using a series of carefully developed tutorials, you will be led from basic Flash CS4 techniques to the point where you can create animations, MP3 players, and customized Flash video players in no time. Each chapter focuses on a major aspect of Flash, and then lets you take the reins in a "Your Turn" exercise to create something amazing with what you've learned.

This book focuses on the core skill set you need to feel at home with Flash CS4, and also introduces you to some of the biggest names in today's Flash community through interviews and actual "How To" examples, so you can learn from the masters. You will start by studying the Flash CS4 interface, and while you're at it, you'll be guided toward mastery of the fundamentals, such as movieclips, text, and graphics, which will lead you into some of the more fascinating aspects of Flash, including audio, video, animation, and 3D transformations.

By the time you finish, you will have created an MP3 player and a Flash video player, been introduced to the basics of ActionScript 3.0, learned how to combine Flash with XML, styled Flash text with CSS, created animated scenes, and worked your way through a host of additional projects. All of these exercises are designed to give you the knowledge necessary to master Flash CS4 from the ground up. If you're already a seasoned Flash designer, this book will get you up to speed with the latest version in relatively short order.

This book covers all of the new Flash CS4 features, such as the new animation and 3D tools, the new Adobe Media Encoder, and a pair of the coolest new additions to the Tools panel: a Spray Brush tool and a Deco tool.

You can discover more about this book, download source code, and more at the book's companion website: www.foundationflashcs4.com.

Summary of Contents

• Chapter 1: Learning the Flash CS4 Professional Interface
• Chapter 2: Creating Artwork in Flash
• Chapter 3: Symbols and Libraries
• Chapter 4: Actionscript Basics
• Chapter 5: Audio
• Chapter 6: Text
• Chapter 7: Animation
• Chapter 8: Animation, Part 2
• Chapter 9: Flash Gets a Third Dimension
• Chapter 10: Video
• Chapter 11: Building Interfaces With the UI Components
• Chapter 12: CSS
• Chapter 13: XML (Dynamic Data)
• Chapter 14: Building Stuff
• Chapter 15: Optimizing and Publishing Flash Movies

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Flash is one of the most engaging and innovative, and versatile technologies available—allowing the creation of pretty much anything from simple slideshows, animated banners and icons and cartoons, to Rich Internet Applications, Interactive videos, and dynamic user interfaces for web sites, kiosks, or DVDs. The possibilities are endless, except that now, it just got better. In 2007, Adobe released Flash CS3, which boasts a whole host of new features, including fully customizable workspace, full ActionScript 3.0 support, a PSD importer, a tween-to-code animation converter, and much more. And this book is all you'll need to learn Flash CS3 from the ground up, or learn about all these new features, if you already have previous Flash experience—Flash experts Tom Green and David Stiller take you step-by-step through all facets of Flash CS3, with the emphasis firmly on good design techniques that you use in your own projects. You can discover more about this book, download source code, and even view video tutorials at the book's companion site: www.foundationflashcs3.com.

• Learn Flash design from the ground up, or just get to grips with the new features, with a series of step by step tutorials.
• Provides an easy introduction to ActionScript 3.0 coding, but the focus is mainly kept on design.
• Learn from the expertswritten by renowned Flash designers Tom Green and David Stiller.

What youll learn

• The ins and outs of the Flash CS3 interface
• How to use all of Flash CS3's essential features, such as text, graphics, and animation
• How to use video and sound effectively in Flash
• The basics of ActionScript 3.0
• Building Flash user interfaces rapidly using components.
• How to populate a Flash movie with dynamic data such as XML.
• The Basics of creating Flash Lite applications (Flash for mobile devices)
• Using Cascading Style Sheets with Flash
• Optimizing and publishing your Flash movies

Who is this book for?

This book is for both beginners who want a solid grounding in Flash CS3, and designers with previous Flash experience, who want to get up to speed with the new features.

Summary of Contents

• Chapter 1: Learning the Flash CS3 Professional
• Chapter 2: Graphics in Flash CS3
• Chapter 3: Symbols and Libraries
• Chapter 4: ActionScript Basics
• Chapter 5: Audio in Flash CS3
• Chapter 6 Text in Flash CS3
• Chapter 7: Animation in Flash CS3
• Chapter 8: Video in Flash
• Chapter 9: Using the Flash UI Components to Build Interfaces
• Chapter 10: CSS and Flash
• Chapter 11: Dynamic Data (XML) and Flash
• Chapter 12: Going Mobile in Flash
• Chapter 13: Optimizing Flash Movies
• Chapter 14: Publishing Flash Movies

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