Flash Tutorial - Why Use Flash

What is Flash and when you should use it?

The Flash technology is most often used for Web sites. (It can also be used on CD-ROMs and even TV.) Flash is a full-featured program and can create almost any technique you can imagine. On the other hand, you may not want to use Flash all the time. Although Flash`s vector images are compact and files are compressed when published, Flash still introduces an overhead to your Web site. Make sure that you do not make you viewers wait too long for your site to load.

In general, a good guideline is that you should use Flash only when it does not violate two basic priciples:

• the Flash files load fast
• the Flash tools are easy to use

Flash is most commonly used to create vector graphics-based animation programs with full-screen navigation interfaces, graphic illustrations, and simple interactivity in an antialiased, resizable file format that is small enough to stream across a normal modem connection.

How does Flash work

If you were to plot a bitmap on a grid, each pixel is detailed. Essentially, this is what your computer does when it displays bitmaps.

Vector images do not plot images on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Instead, vector files contain a description of the image expressed mathematically. Essentially, the file tells the computer about the image and the computer draws it.

Formats and Support

Macromedia/Adobe has released the specifications of the Flash file format (excluding specifications of related formats such as AMF), and compatible third-party tools exist. However, Macromedia/Adobe retains control of the format. Since Flash files do not depend on a truly open standard, this reduces the incentive for non-commercial software to support the format, although there are several third party tools which utilize and generate the SWF file format.

In addition to a vector rendering engine, the Flash Player includes a virtual machine called the ActionScript Virtual Machine (AVM) for scripting interactivity at run-time, support for video, mp3-based audio, and bitmap graphics.