This review focuses on some of the major new tools found in Flash CS4. Each new issue of Flash has seen improvements. This version of Flash is no different. With Flash CS4 Adobe has really looked into the future of internet animation potential to establish its continued dominance for tools of this nature. However, like other versions of Flash. This one comes with a learning curve that many newcomers may be turned-off by.

Briefly the pros and cons of this new version of Flash are:
Pros:

• Major new tools for 3D and inverse kinematics
• Motion Editor
• XFL file format
• Improved integration with other CS4 apps
• Easy authoring of Adobe AIR.

Cons:

• Object-based animation model can be tricky
• Limited 3D and inverse kinematics toolsets
• Deco tool could be better. .

A new way to animate objects
One difficult thing about Flash is its tricky timeline. Tweening objects through the timeline, at least for me was always a little less than intuitive. Re-editing or revising often was met with headaches. In many ways I wished that Flash would animate objects Like Director does. Well now it does. Now you apply a tween to an object and then move it around on the stage, making sure that you also have your timeline playhead where you want it to be. It seems that Adobe ported over some of Directors code for tweening because when you animate on the stage, a motion path appears. You can then adjust and move parts of that motion path very easily. This is much simpler than setting up various keyframe locations or numbering points to tell an animation  how to move across a screen. Fantastic upgrade here.
Tweens can now be saved in a Motion Preset panel. This is done with the help of AS3.0. Very cool because at the end of the day it creates a smaller file size because motion is handled by code instead of frame by frame interpolation. To help with animation there is also a Motion Editor panel which provides animation properties of motion, transformation, and effects during animation. It’s not the easiest interface but is really the best place to make changes to your tweens.
Now if you don’t like all this fancy shmancy coded tweening you can still animate in the classic way with “classic tweens” and or, just convert your coded tweens to frame by frame editing. However, it is likely that once you see the power and ease of using AS3.0 to render your animations you will be hooked. This really is a great step forward for Flash.

The Deco Tool
Like to see stuff growing all over the place. Then Vine fill is for you. Otherwise, you need to create your own symbols to use with this tool. This new tool then still has some growing pains to go through or at least a future update of the default symbols you have available to you.

3D Tools Are Great First Effort
3D Rotation and Translation are two new tools to Flash that once again put it on par with Director esque ability. I am probably being unfair to put Flash and Director in the same sentence and say that one is better than the other. Personally I like Flash and appreciate some of the things that it has incorporated that could only be done in Director before. The 3D tools are a great enhancement that reduce the need to edit things outside of Flash. While integration with the rest of the suite is VASTLY improved these tools reduce workflow which is always a welcome addition.
In addition to allowing you 3-dimensionalize your stage so that things actually scale along an x, y, z axis appropriately without much effort. This once again creates an easier environment than the simple scale tool provided. .
All in all though you ought to look at the 3D tools as the beginning of what is to come within Flash. I would say it is a good start nonetheless.

How about them Bones
Seen anything from JibJab? Those animations did a great job at animating puppet style caricatures. Now you can apply bone links to your animations to make things a bit easier and take the guess work out of how to animate almost any lifelike object you have in your animation. Very powerful when used in conjunction with the 3D tools. Once again though there is further investment of AS3.0. This is the new standard so get used to it.
Breathe easy with AIR development
Now anything that you do in Flash can be rendered as an AIR application with a simple save as. Easy peasy.
The CS4 interface and XFL
Here are some ways that the interface has changed.

• The Timeline is now below the stage. After years of working withit above the stage I am finding this a weird adjustment. Once again, to wax repeatedly I get a feeling of Director in regards to the score. Of course the score floats together with the cast but the similarity is uncanny.

• The Properties inspector now hangs out in a sidebar. I think there will need to be some more thought as to whether or not this is a good idea.
• Flash joins the rest of its CS4 mates with its tiling panels and workspaces. I have fallen in love with the CS4 interface and almost hate to go back to the CS3 versions.

XFL file formats

• XFL is part of the key to further integration with the rest of the suite. Imagine InDesign layouts being ported over flawlessly into Flash (insert ooos and ahhhs.)’
• After Effects CS4 also supports XFL, this of course aids the collaborative possibilities between video animation and Flash multimedia.

What does this all mean?
If you are mired in frame based animation and constantly wish there were a “better” way to do things Flash CS4 may be for you. That is if you don’t mind the learning curve. Everything that Adobe has done with CS4 truly warrants an upgrade across the board. But Flash improvements are so vast that you will find yourself far behind the curve if you wait much longer. While some of the tools could be better you still find that they are in fact better than CS3.