What is the Primary Function of Flash Software?

Flash software is a revolutionary innovation in media presentation. The primary function of this application is to animate objects and edit photos and videos for web-based and other kinds of computer-assisted media.

History

The Macromedia software company originally developed the Flash application along with the Flash Player in the late 1990s to facilitate creation of online, animated content, according to Mindy McAdams in Flash Journalism.

Function

Flash generally functions to animate illustrations, create slideshows and edit videos for Web pages as part of what is increasingly called interactive media.

Significance

The significance of Flash software lies in its capability to produce complex animation more quickly and easily than previous methods.

Key Frames

A basic component of Flash is the key frame. A key frame contains an object placed in a particular spot on a canvas. Key frames are set at particular points on a presentation's timeline.

Tweens

Tweens include all the frames between key frames and represent the movement of the object from its canvas position in the first key frame to that of the next. In other words, the program automatically recreates the object or illustration and places it in the correct spot on the canvas in each individual frame.

Speed

The speed of the object as it moves through a tween is determined by the frames-per-second setting. The speed of fades and dissolves in slide shows is also determined by this.

References

• Flash Journalism: How to Create Multimedia News Packages; Mindy McAdams; 2005

Resources

• Macromedia Flash Tutorials
• Adobe Flash Products