Macromedia
Studio MX 2004 with Flash Pro
Working
in multimedia and web design, I’m always looking for the most complete, reliable
tool to achieve my goals. Well Studio MX 2004 is definitely one of them. It
covers all aspects of web development and design. The package includes the
latest version of Flash (create rich and interactive applications), Dreamweaver (professional web site and application builder),
Freehand (create illustration and layout for print and web), Fireworks (design, optimize and integrate web graphics) and ColdFusion (web application and development for the Windows
version of Studio MX 2004 only). Ok, let’s have an overview of what Studio
MX 2004 is about.
| Features |
Info
|
- Dreamweaver
MX 2004
- Flash
MX 2004 PRO
- Fireworks
MX 2004
- FreeHand
MX
- ColdFusion
MX 6.1 Developer Edition
|
|
The
first thing you’ll notice is the new completely customizable and intuitive
user interface that maximize usable workspace which is actually common to
all Studio MX 2004 tools so you can get easily familiar with them, also in
the same time enhancing productivity and workflow. We now have a new start
page window that offers quick access to recently used file, help resources,
tutorials, quick tours and even a variety of templates to work with. And with
a seamless integration that allows you to share and manipulate projects between
Studio MX 2004 applications, it makes project management much easier. So if
you already have experience in the web domain, you’ll feel right at ease with
Studio MX 2004.
But
great news for those who are just starting to get involve with Internet technology,
Studio MX 2004 has to be one of the most accessible creation tool available.
Help and technical support are at the tip of your finger…literally. Each application
has a complete tour guide, lessons and tutorials to get you started and they
are pretty straight-forward and easy to follow. You will actually enjoy learning
and experimenting with what Studio MX 2004 has to offer. And if that’s not
enough, you have a worldwide community of users available at Macromedia’s
website that is virtually an endless resource center. And then there is the
Macromedia exchange and the extension manager that basically allows you to
view and download a complete variety of components, scripts, custom tags and
content to add features to Macromedia applications and extend their functionality.
For
example: you can find advance techniques tutorials, integrate code samples
to your project or create projects from source files. The best part of all
this is that most extensions are free! So whatever obstacle you encounter
working with any application of Studio MX 2004, you can be sure that the solution
is somewhere in there.
Now
let’s take a quick look on what’s new with the tools of Macromedia Studio
MX 2004. These are just quick overviews of some of the new features available.
Flash MX 2004/Flash MX
2004 Professional
The
first thing you need to know about Flash MX 2004 is that there is two versions
available, the standard version and the professional version. The difference
between them is that the professional version has more advance features such
as form-base development, a Flash video exporter and improved video encoding
and also mobile and device development. I’ll focus more on what’s new in the
standard version for now.
Timeline Effect
You
can now quickly and easily create common animation with the timeline effect
and a new behavior window without having to repeatedly adding keyframes
therefore saving you time.
Enhance Productivity
You
can now use cascading style sheet you create in Dreamweaver
MX 2004 to your Flash projects, a new history panel, a built-in Spell-Checker
and a Search and Replace.
Action Script 2.0
A
more stable programming model and an object-oriented programming support.
Improved Performance
With
an enhanced compiler and the new Macromedia Flash Player 7, runtime performance
is up to 10x faster. Better graphic manipulation,
video playback and a better memory use.
Dreamweaver
MX 2004
Cross-Browser Validation
Use
this cool Cross-Browser Validation to dynamically check the compatibility
of your pages with all the leading browsers.
Built-In Graphic Editor
Crop,
resize a make small edits within Dreamweaver with
Macromedia Fireworks technology.
Increase support for
latest technologies
Work
with Coldfusion, J2EE, new PHP server behaviors, .NET, XML namespace
support and all other leading server technologies.
Enhance Coding Tools
Code faster and better with new right-click coding tools.
Fireworks MX 2004
Performance Improvement
Faster
runtime, better scale and transform manipulation and improve data-driven graphics
wizard.
New Effects
Contour
gradients, dashed strokes, Live Effect noise.
New Photo Retouch and
Animation Tools
Correct
red eyes, Live Effect motion blur and a Replace Color tool.
New Drawing Tools
Create
auto-shapes that include a variety of unusual shapes that are full customizable
and easy to manipulate.
Freehand MX
Multiple Attributes
Apply
infinite stroke, fill and effect attributes to a single vector or text object.
Object Panel
Easily
control and change objects properties with the Object Panel that regroups
all your visual elements including multiple attributes.
Live Effect
Apply
complex manipulation and effects without affecting the original object.
New Creation Tools
Create
3d appearances with the Extrude tool with complete control over its attributes
including rotation, lighting and shared vanishing points.
Coldfusion
MX 6.1
Updated Platform Support
Deliver
support for Windows Server 2003 and IIS, Red Hat Linux 7.3,8 and 9, SuSe 8, Solaris 9 and AIX 4.3.3, 5.1
Simpler Installation
Redesign
cross-platform installer, enhanced web server configuration wizard and new
free installation support.
Performance and Stability
Improvement
Increase
productivity with a faster CFML compiler, over 170% faster than Coldfusion 5, updated JDBC/ODBC drivers and java virtual machine
v1.4.2, improved upgrade and migration tool and increased backward compatibility.
So
there you have it, a quick look at what Macromedia Studio MX 2004 is now capable
of. And this is a just sample of the features available, believe me, there
is much more you can learn and use with these tools. So if you read all the
way to here my guess is that you’re interested to found more about it. I suggest
you go to the Macromedia website and take a closer look and download the trial
demos for each application, they’re free and you get the full version software
for 30 days. So have fun in your creativity and give Macromedia Studio MX
2004 a try!
Carlos-David
Donoso
03.11.24
