Adobe Flash CS3 Professional

CNET editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
  Detailed editors' rating
  Setup and interface : 8.0
  Features : 9.0
  Performance : 0.0
  Service and support : 7.0
  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Elsa Wenzel
• Reviewed on: 04/23/2007

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Adobe Flash CS3

Flash remains the champ of professional vector software for the Web. However, creating Web pages, interactive games, and videos in Flash CS3 is no one-two punch; the complexity remains a barrier for new learners. That said, you won't find all of what Flash offers elsewhere. The strength of its many features as well as its convenient integration within the rich Creative Suite 3 make Flash an alluring and practical tool.

Most notable in this version of Flash is its improved integration with the other Adobe design tools, made possible by Adobe's merger with Macromedia. Macromedia Flash 8 introduced polished bitmap-handling and green-screen video capabilities that enhance the wow factor for viewers and users of the animation, videos, and games Flash creates, but the CS3 update focuses mostly on improvements for designers and developers.

We installed Adobe Flash CS3 as part of the Web suite on a Windows XP computer in about 40 minutes. (Unfortunately, some testers who had been running Flash CS3 beta software spent many frustrating hours unsuccessfully installing the final code.) Flash CS3 runs on Windows XP SP2 or Vista--and now both Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macs with at least 512MB of RAM and 2.5GB free.

You can now move around Flash CS3's panels of tools and even dock them outside the main workspace.

Interface
Once you start Flash CS3, the interface is more customizable than in the past; you can choose where to dock the timeline and other panels, letting them float outside the main Flash window, while you can drag features to the toolbar.

As with most of the other CS3 applications, unfortunately, we don't find the interface intuitive at all unless you have prior knowledge of Flash. Some of the functions to achieve the simplest effects are frustratingly complex. For instance, if you're using Flash to create a banner ad with a surface area that will link to a Web site, why can't you quickly add that link, as you can in Dreamweaver's Properties box? Instead, Flash requires that you invoke ActionScript.

Features
Flash CS3 introduces the time-saving capability of importing the layers of both Photoshop and Illustrator files. While importing a PSD file, you also can match the stage size and compression settings and turn layers into either movie clips or key frames. While you could bring in PSD and AI images in the past, now there's no more need to convert and name one layer at a time.

The introduction of Shape Primitive tools lets you alter shapes on stage, such as by making a rectangle's corners curvy.

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Recent user reviews

• Average user rating: 0 stars Not yet available
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• Showing 3 of 3 user reviews

• 1.0 stars

  1 out of 1 people found this helpful

  "Criminally OverComplex, Slow, Painful, and Buggy"

  by machobunny on May 11, 2008

• 4.0 stars

  "Downloaded the trial and the activator through utorrent"

  by Vish23 on July 10, 2007

• 4.5 stars

  "Flash CS3 is worth the price of an upgrade"

  by millbank8 on May 7, 2007

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Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest

• alaTest.com

  Editors' rating: 94

  Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 450 reviews of Adobe Creative Suite 2.0 Premium from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 81/100 and users 77/100. Comparing these reviews to 25072 other Design & Multimedia reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 94/100 = Excellent.

  Read full review

• maximumpc.com

  Editors' rating: 50

  Summary: Changes to the program include AVCHD editing support, which we welcome, and the addition of wizard-like features, some good, some so-so. InstantMovie, for example, allows you to easily turn a bunch of clips into a movie, parsing the best clips and ...

  Read full review

• maclife.com

  Editors' rating: 80

  Summary: . Premiere will miss out on many pro-level video projects until it accepts more video formats. Still, it has plenty of great stuff to offer, and it really sings for anyone who works a lot in other Adobe software.

  Read full review

• computerarts.co.uk

  Editors' rating: 90

  Summary: Elements is a good entry-level app that offers support for many devices and an easy to use interface. Recommended for those editing video on a budget

  Read full review

• whatlaptop.co.uk

  Editors' rating: 80

  Summary: A fully featured editing suite that may be too intense for laptop use

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• macformat.co.uk

  Editors' rating: 80

  Summary: The speed improvements alone make this a worthwhile upgrade - but theres a whole lot more to it

  Read full review