BP13_Flash2

Flash truly takes websites to another level.  Websites using a template are the fast food of websites.  Flash websites are like dining at a five star restaurant.  A totally different experience altogether!

There is so much interaction and dimension that can be added to websites using Flash.  The key seems to be to keep it systematic when adding layers to the different pages.  When you are adding audio to buttons you want to add the audio to each button at the same time so that the audio will occur each time a user clicks on one of the navigation buttons.

Screenshot from Paul Trani training at Lynda.com

One of the amazing things about Flash and the reason it is so difficult to navigate is there are so many options that the user has to choose from.  This is of coarse why it is such an amazing program and why it creates stunningly interactive websites.  Just in the adding audio section alone there were multiple ways in which the user was able to manipulate or edit the audio being uploaded.  First the user was able to choose and edit the audio from a library or upload their own.  Second once the audio was chosen the user then is able to choose from options of how long the audio will play, how loud, how it will fade and to what degree it will be interactive to the user through roll over bars.

Another feature to Flash that is outrageously creative is the video capabilities.  The user is able to upload video from a multiple range of sources and then the choices really start to appear.  The user is able to manipulate the way in which the frame fits around the video, the tools that are attached to the video bar, the viewing options and the way in which the video is introduced to the screen through animation.  The animation library has many options for the user to choose from.  Once the animation is chosen then the user is able to manipulate that action to fit his or her own specifications.  So even though the user is choosing from a set group of animations, he or she is able to manipulate it enough to make it their own.