Create expressive interfaces and interactive content without writing code
Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5.5 software is an approachable new interaction design tool. Transform static artwork from Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Fireworks software into fully interactive projects without writing code, and publish as SWF or Adobe AIR files.
Collaborate with developers who use Adobe Flash Builder (formerly Adobe Flex Builder) software, and leverage the expressiveness, reach, and consistency of the Adobe Flash Platform.
What’s the difference between Adobe Flash Catalyst and Adobe Flash Professional software?
Flash Catalyst is the newest addition to the Flash Platform family of tools. Flash Catalyst and Flash Professional address different project types and user skills. Flash Catalyst is an interaction design tool, based on the Flex framework, for rapidly creating expressive interfaces and interactive content without writing code. In Flash Catalyst, the user creates “states” and specifies interactions based on user events. Flash Professional is the industry-leading authoring tool for creating immersive experiences across the multiscreen environment, and requires some knowledge and use of the Adobe ActionScript language. Its design paradigm is the timeline, which is well suited for animation, motion, and video. Flash Professional also supports the largest number of runtimes, including output to mobile devices.
Top features in Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5.5
Approachable interaction design Create expressive interfaces and interactive content without writing code. Designers can define behaviors and control sophisticated interactions with simple menubased commands without requiring any development or coding skills.
Interactive components Turn static Illustrator, Photoshop, and Fireworks artwork into interactive components and add interactions that respond to user input. Interfaces and interactive content can appear with a branded look and feel, as the design requires.
Smooth animated transitions Graphically edit and create animated transitions between pages or states of components. Designers can extend their creativity by creating engaging experiences with objects that move and smoothly fade in and out.
Design-time data Define and preview the look and behavior of dynamic data quickly and easily. Similar to using placeholder text or images, you can use mock data without having to actually connect to a back-end system.
Video and dynamic media Integrate video, sound effects, and dynamic media as easily as working with static artwork, and then add interactions to control their playback. Even import SWF files that you can play from a specific frame.
Round-trip editing Edit artwork in Illustrator or Photoshop at any time while preserving structure and interactions. Reduce the number of steps required to edit artwork with full fidelity by preserving all layers and visibility settings.
Pages and states Use these building blocks to organize your projects and to control navigation and interactions. Create unique designs for rollovers and behaviors, and visualize exactly how content will appear through different stages of user interaction.
Powerful layout tools Get the look you want quickly and precisely with sophisticated page layout tools and functions. Rulers, grids, and guides provide accurate placement of objects while object arrangement tools perform grouping and alignment.
SWF and Adobe AIR export Export projects to the web as a finished SWF file that leverages the ubiquity, expressiveness, and reach of Adobe Flash Player 10 software, or directly to a customer as an Adobe AIR file that can run outside of the browser.
Flash Builder integration Open Flash Catalyst projects with Adobe Flash Builder software, making it easy to add connections to a database or web services while preserving the visual and interaction design defined by designers. Both Flash Catalyst and Flash Builder leverage the open source Flex framework, enabling designers to hand off projects directly to developers in a usable format.
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