Flash CS3, the latest version of Flash is out and
available to everyone. If you haven't already
upgraded you might be wondering if you should
spend the money on the latest version. The full price
is a hefty $700, but you can upgrade for $200 if you
own a previous version of Flash.
I have upgraded from Flash 8 to Flash CS3 and have compiled a list of the new
features and my opinions about them in regards to
how they relate to creating cartoon animation in
Flash.
- Adobe Interface:
Since Adobe
bought out Macromedia, this latest version tries to
incorporate the same look and feel across all of the
Adobe products. You can move your windows and
panels differently in order to make more space on
your screen. Nothing wrong with that, but not the
greatest reason for upgrading.
- New Drawing Tools: The Pen tool has
more ways to modify lines. The Oval Tool and
Rectangle Tool have new controls. You can adjust
the curve of the corners for rectangles and can pop
out the center of an oval or only show portions of it.
Great if you want to make a pie chart, but that's about
it. These tool changes are more suited to graphic
designers rather than artists and animators.
- Photoshop and Illustrator Import: If you
use these other programs and import artwork into
Flash on a regular basis, then you will like the new
ability to have greater control over which layers are
imported and whether you want them to arrive as
symbols or not. Since I create all of my art in Flash
and don't use these programs, these features won't
even get used.
- Copy Motion Tweens: Although I haven't
personally found a use for this yet, I believe it will
come in handy at some point. You can select
tweened animation on a layer and copy the
movement and tween information and then apply it to
another symbol by copy and pasting. You can also
copy and paste the info onto the new symbol as
action script code instead if you like, but you better
have sharp coding skills in order to edit it.
- Action Script 3.0 The new action script
code is so different that it's like learning a new
language altogether. That may not be a big deal if
you just want to make cartoons, but if you want to add
a simple "replay" button at the end of your film...look
out! What was once just two clicks is now a gigantic
nightmare! With the new code you'll need to click
around 20 different times in various categories and
type in 6 different names or titles. Luckily this can
all be avoided by changing your version of Action
Script code back to version 2.0 and it will work easily
again.
Verdict: The good news is that you can draw
inside symbols that have been flipped horizontally or
vertically with the brush tool. Also, the animation in
movie clips will now appear when you export out to
quicktime video which it could not do before.
The bad news is that Flash CS3 hasn't been significantly
changed much at all. My opinion is that if you don't
have the money to upgrade or buy CS3,
then stick with the version you are using, you won't
be missing much. However if you are working with
other businesses or companies, then it's best to have
the latest version of the software.
Hope that helps!
-Ryan Simmons
Ryan is a professional animator and artist. Over the last ten years, he has worked with such studios as Warner Bros. and Dreamworks on various film projects. As co-owner and art director of Cartoon Solutions, Ryan has won many awards for his short films and television commercials featuring Flash animation. Now his Flash tutorial videos can help you to acquire the same skills to improve your Flash animations.
Cartoon Solutions has many Flash CS3 tutorial videos, some of which are absolutely free!
Three Full Flash CS3 training courses are available as well:
- Flash CS3 Drawing Course: Contains 17 Flash tutorial Videos to help you improve your drawing skills as well as help you create your own character in multiple views with mouth positions and eyeblinks.
- Flash CS3 Animation Course: Contains 15 Flash tutorial Videos that teach traditional animation principles and techniques in the Flash environment. Learn about smooth, high quality animation, acting, dialogue and cycles while creating your own multi-scene animation.
- Flash CS3 Master Course: Combines the Flash Drawing Course and the Flash Animation Course for a complete course that covers all aspects of drawing your own characters and animating them, at a discounted price.
Whether you are a novice or a seasoned veteran of animation, a Flash CS3 Video exists at Cartoon Solutions to help sharpen your skills. The free Flash tutorial Videos cover topics such as:
- Character Animation using Symbols
- Animating dialogue using the "Mouth Comp" system
- Creating an Explosion Strobe Effect
- Changing the colors of a Symbol

You can purchase individual flash CS3 video tutorials, that focus on certain aspects of animation. Some of the more popular topics are:
- Animating a Walk Cycle
- Building a Character for Animation
- Creating Mouth Positions
- Drawing Character Faces
- Drawing with the Brush Tool
Check out the following downloadable products:
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