Journalists' Toolkit > Flash > CS4 Notes
Getting Started with Flash CS4
In the summer of 2004 I wrote a book titled Flash Journalism: How to Create Multimedia News Packages. It was published by Focal Press in 2005. A lot of people have used it to teach themselves Flash. Back then, the Flash version was called Flash MX 2004. (It was also known, informally, as Flash 7.)
In late 2008, Flash CS4 was released. In between my book and CS4, we've had Flash 8 and Flash CS3. So we're now at Flash 10 (informally).
I've been diligently keeping up with the changes in each new version, and there really have not been any radical changes since 2004.
Until now.
The first thing you'll notice if you have used an earlier version (or if you're looking at illustrations in my book) is that the general look of the program (we call it the interface) has changed a lot. Useful bits have moved to new locations.
- The Timeline used to be at the top, Now it's at the bottom.
- The Properties panel used to be at the bottom. Now it's on the right side.
- The Tools panel used to be on the left. Now it's on the right.
The other panels are approximately where they used to be, although they look a bit different now. The Stage is the same. And thankfully, most of the doodads in the Timeline and its layer stack look and act exactly the same as before.
Basic Functions
I'm using a book titled Adobe Flash CS4 Professional Classroom in a Book to work through Flash CS4 systematically. 
- Opening a file, starting a new file, saving a file -- all the same.
- Document Properties (p. 47 in my book) -- they work the same way, but now they are way over on the right-hand side, and the layout looks a little bit different.
- Importing assets (such as photos) -- the same.
- The Timeline -- works the same way and even looks the same, except it's now at the bottom of the application window.
- Frames and keyframes -- the same. Even that dumb little rectangular box that doesn't mean anything -- it is still there.
- Layers in the Timeline -- naming, making a new one, deleting, moving up and down, all the same.
- Docking and undocking the panels -- this takes some getting used to. It is kind of tricky if you're used to the old way.
- Preview or Test Movie -- still the same.
- Publish Settings -- the same.
Tools Panel
The old tools are still there, and still working the same way, so far (I have not tried them all yet).
New stuff:
- 3D Rotation tool, 3D Translation tool (yeah, sounds cool!)
- Paint Brush tool now has a second tool hiding underneath it -- the Spray Brush tool
- The Bone tool and the Bind tool (together; the Bind tool is hidden) are used for the new animation capabilities in CS4
- The Deco tool is hard to describe -- you have to play with it!
- Ink Bottle, which I have rarely used, is now hiding under the Paint Bucket -- this is very logical, actually
That seems to be the extent of tool changes and additions. Pencil, Pen, Selection (black arrow), Free Transform, Rectangle, and Oval tools are all unchanged.
Hidden tools become visible when you press and hold the mouse button on the tool that's covering the hidden one.
Panels
I haven't explored all the panels yet, but I'd like to point to the History panel because in workshops that I teach, people often ask about it. It's a bit hard to find. On the Window menu in Flash, find "Other Panels." Yesss ... it's hiding there, on a secondary menu that pops out. I always use a simple Undo (Ctrl-Z or Command-Z), but it seems a lot of people are accustomed to using the History panel in other applications. So never fear -- Flash does have one!
The Type tool still activates a detailed set of options in the Properties panel, but they are all different-looking now, in the new interface. The same options are still there, just in strange new places.
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Journalists' Toolkit > Flash > CS4 Notes