SEG3120 Analysis and Design for User Interfaces Flash

1
SEG3120 Analysis and Design for User Interfaces
Flash
Anis Zarrad
Parallel Simulations and Distributed Systems
(PARADISE) Research Laboratory SITE, University
of Ottawa
2
Outline

• What is a flash?
• Macromedia Flash MX 2004
• Flash concepts
• Flash Demos
• Conclusion
• Additional help

3
What is a flash

• Macromedia Flash is a multimedia graphics program
  specially for use on the Web
• Flash enables you to create interactive "movies"
  on the Web
• Flash uses vector graphics, which means that the
  graphics can be scaled to any size without losing
  clarity/quality
• Flash does not require programming skills and is
  easy to learn

4
The Software Engineering of Flash

• In terms of interactivity HTML ? DHTML ? Flash
• Specify exact positioning of the various page
  elements statically or dynamically.
• Progressive streaming by default (Flash MX as
  well as Flash Communication Server MX)
• Supports vector graphics
• Open source file format specs (not an open source
  technology, only the file format specs are)

5
Flash Concepts

• Timeline
• Organize and control a flash movie content over
  time in layers and frames
• Key frames
• A frame in which a change in an animation is
  defined
• Tweening
• In between ? in-tween ? tweening
• Motion vs. Shape
• ActionScript
• Symbols (graphic, movie clip, button)
• Path animation

6
Need to know

• Basic knowledge of HTML
• Basic knowledge of java script
• Knowledge of graphics programs like Adobe
  Photoshop and Illustrator will make creating
  graphics in flash much easier

7
Is it an industry leader?

• Macromedia Flash player numbers indicate that it
  is used by more then 386 million people.
• It is included in all the most popular browsers,
  so anyone with a new version of Netscape or
  Internet Explorer is guaranteed to be able to
  view Flash movies on the Web

8
Flash vs. Animated Images and Java Applets

• Animated images and Java applets are often used
  to create dynamic effects on Web pages.
• The advantages of Flash are
• Flash loads much faster than animated images
• Flash allows interactivity, animated images do
  not
• Flash does not require programming skills, java
  applets do

9
Flash vs. Animated Images and Java Applets

• Websites made up of music, videos, and custom,
  graphic intensive interfaces are all possible
  with Macromedia Flash.
• Quick loading, especially compared to traditional
  methods like GIF animations

10
Flash screen shot
Tool Box menu
Timeline frames
Stage
11
Demos

• Motion Tweening
• Simple animation
• Draw object motion guide
• Falling text
• How to change the color of an object.
• Shape tweening
• Morphing a shape
• Create your own Button
• Flash Sound

12
Conclusion

• Flash is easer to create them java applet
• Some applets are programmed so they eventually
  take up all resources on the computer, and this
  results in "freezing" the browser.
• There are things that you can program in java
  that just can't be done with Flash.

13
Additional Help

• With Shape Tweening animation change a circle to
  a square using 1- 40 frames.
• Use a modify transform to flip a horizontal text
  

14
References

• http//www.w3schools.com/flash/
• Macromedia Flash web site