For any professional designer or developer working in the world of web technologies or multimedia, Flash is the must-have application, and knowing how to use it effectively is vital. Add in ActionScript 3.0, and Flash becomes an even more powerful tool for the development of high-performance web applications.

The Essential Guide to Flash CS4 with ActionScript introduces and explores the possibilities available to you by using Flash CS4. You will learn the basics of Flash's working environment and, using a step-by-step approach, work through the features of Flash and ActionScript needed to quickly achieve results. From navigating the interface to using graphic tools to write scripts and troubleshoot, you'll master deploying highly interactive applications with rich audio, video, and animation.

Written for the beginning-to-intermediate Flash user, this book uses complete examples that highlight best practices that you can apply to your daily work as a developer or designer in today's rich media world.

Chris Kaplan is a multimedia consultant for Mosaic Learning, located in Greenbelt, Maryland. An award-winning multimedia developer, Chris has been working in Flash for more than 10 years on teams contributing to interactive experiences for the U.S. Mint, UNICEF, Ameriquest, the Bill of Rights Institute, and many others. As an audio engineer and composer, he has worked on productions for National Geographic, TLC, "America's Most Wanted," and in 2005, with Two Animators! LLP (www.twoanimators.com), he was a finalist for Best Cartoon at the Flash Forward Film Festival for his work on The Poochinos Dog Mafia. Chris has been streaming live video over the Internet for over 10 years as a webcast engineer for events with former vice president Al Gore, Cisco Systems, the Peace Corps, Buzz Aldrin, and the Office of Head Start. Chris brings considerable experience in combining live webcasting, video production, and post-production disciplines with creating multimedia experiences. He currently lives with his wife, Lindsey, and two daughters in Maryland.

Basics.- How it All Began.- The new Interface of Flash CS4.- Drawing with Flashs Vector Tools.- External Assets and Symbol Management.- Working with blends, filters, and 3D Transformations.- Animation.- Basic Animation in Flash.- Playing with Dolls: Introducing Flash IK.- Actionscript.- The Programming Primer: A Flash Designers Intro to Actionscript 3.0.- The Building Blocks of Interactivity.- Learning the Display Model and Bringing It All Together.- Managing External Assets and Communication.- XML: The Best Way in and Out of Flash.- Additional User Interfaces.- Working with Text and Strings.- Using Components.- Enhanced Media Development.- Using the Adobe Media EncoderA Crash Course.- Working With Audio in Flash.- Working With Video in Flash.- Preparing Your Project for Deployment.- Publishing, Exporting, and Debugging Your Flash Project.- Building Air Applications with Flash CS4.