Adobe® Flash® Catalyst is a new professional interaction design tool for rapidly creating application interfaces and interactive content without coding. These can range from interactive Ads, product guides and design portfolios to user interfaces for applications. Flash Catalyst enables designers to start from static compositions created in Adobe Photoshop® CS4, Illustrator® CS4, or Adobe Fireworks® CS4 and convert the artwork into applications and interactive content. The designer does this by visually defining events, transitions and motion. Flash Catalyst can output a finished Flash SWF or AIR application that’s ready to publish on the web. In addition designers can provide the project file to developers who can use Adobe Flex® Builder™ to add additional functionality such as connection to back-end systems.
- View screenshots and descriptions of the Flash Catalyst product interface
- Watch how static artwork can be used to create interactive content using Flash Catalyst
Increase your Creative Productivity
- Leverage your existing skills: Use your existing design skills without having to learn new ones
- Integration with Creative Suite: Create your designs in Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4 or Fireworks CS4 and import native files with all layers and pages intact
- Fast design: Turn static graphics into dynamic content by selecting objects and specifying actions from menus
- Round-trip workflow: Easily move back and forth between Creative Suite and Flash Catalyst while preserving your work
Read the Flash Catalyst team blog
Signup to be notified when Flash Catalyst is available on LabsEmpowering Interaction Design
- Easy interactivity: Add interactivity based on states and events instead of timelines.
- Interactivity without coding: Do interaction design without coding
- Consistent Execution: Know that your designs will work exactly as you create them. No risk of losing something in translation.
- Expressive: Creative compelling designs by leveraging the rich typography, graphics, video and audio capabilities of the Adobe Flash Platform.
- Span the range of simple to complex projects: Develop a range of projects from simple Ad banners to complex application interfaces.
Faster time to market through agile design and development workflows that support iterative development
- Agile prototyping and iterative design: Try a number of different designs quickly. Work with developers in parallel without losing fidelity.
Leverage your work: Quickly transition from wireframe to design to working application while reusing your work at each stage - Separate pixels from plumbing: Adobe Flash Catalyst and Adobe Flex Builder are a powerful combination enabling seamless collaboration to build stunning applications and interactive content
- Fast time to market and easy deployment: Create and publish your projects to the web or collaborate with developers using a single project file.
Getting Started
Follow these steps to begin experiencing Flash Catalyst:
- Read about Flash Catalyst development in the team blog
- Learn about “Gumbo” – the next-generation of Flex Builder
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Ask questions and share your feedback in the Flash Catalyst forum
Please note that your submission of comments, ideas, feature requests and techniques on this and other Adobe maintained forums, as well as Adobe's right to use such materials, is governed by the Terms of Use. - Signup to be notified when Flash Catalyst is available on Labs
Community
Below you'll find references and links to help you participate in the Flash Catalyst community.
Online Forum
Ask questions and discuss ideas with other Flash Catalyst users in the Labs forums.
Please note that your submission of comments, ideas, feature requests and techniques on this and other Adobe maintained forums, as well as Adobe's right to use such materials, is governed by the Terms of Use.
Weblog
Read about Flash Catalyst development in the team blog.
Visit the Flash Catalyst team blog
Resources
If you want to learn more about releases on Labs as well as other Adobe technologies, visiting a user group or connecting with an Adobe Community Expert is a great place to start.
Product Details
FAQ
- Who is the target customer for Flash Catalyst?
- Flash Catalyst is targeted at designers that use the Creative Suite and want to create applications and interactive content without coding. This includes interactive designers or people that aspire to do interactive design but didn't want to learn how to code.
- Why is "Themo" now called Adobe Flash Catalyst?
- Adobe announced the Adobe Flash Platform at MAX. The platform includes a family of design and development tools that work together to create applications and interactive content. The product is branded with Flash to communicate that is a key part of the Flash Platform tools family and integrates with this family of tools.
- Is Flash Catalyst a designer or developer tool?
- Flash Catalyst is a design tool to that works very similarly to other Creative Suite applications. Developers can certainly use it however the focus is on the design rather than the code.
- Do you have to learn Flex in order to use Flash Catalyst?
- No, Flash Catalyst does not require you to learn Flex.
- What formats does Flash Catalyst export?
- Flash Catalyst can export directly to Flash SWF, AIR and FXP which is a common project file format shared with “Gumbp” the next generation of Flex Builder.
- Can you use Flash Catalyst on its own or does it require other tools?
- Flash Catalyst can be used either on its own or with other tools. It does not however require the use of any other tools.
- Will Flash Catalyst be available on Adobe Labs?
- Flash Catalyst will be available on Adobe Labs as a public beta in early 2009.
- When is Flash Catalyst shipping?
- A final release date has not been announced.
- How much will Flash Catalyst cost?
- We have not yet determined the product pricing.
