Before CS3, scaling a rounded rectangle button in Flash would distort the corners. The feature allowed you to lock the corners and scale the center and edges independently. This single feature saved UI designers thousands of hours. Suddenly, you could build a single button symbol and stretch it to any size imaginable without visual corruption.
Perhaps the most significant technical leap in was the introduction of ActionScript 3.0 (AS3). While previous versions of ActionScript were script-like and forgiving, AS3 was a complete overhaul. It was a robust, object-oriented programming language that complied with the ECMA-262 standard. adobe-flash-cs3
Symbols are the "building blocks" of a Flash piece. Converting a drawing to a symbol allows you to reuse it without increasing file size and is required for most animations. Adobe Flash CS3 Tutorial: Merge VS Object Drawing Before CS3, scaling a rounded rectangle button in
The drawing tools became more aligned with Adobe Illustrator and Fireworks, offering improved vector capabilities. You can learn more about these in the professional Adobe Flash CS3 user guide . Suddenly, you could build a single button symbol
AS3 transformed Flash from a simple animation tool into a serious application development platform. It allowed for complex games, rich internet applications (RIAs), and sophisticated data handling. However, it was also divisive. It alienated many "timeline-based" designers who relied on simple gotoAndPlay snippets. It forced a separation between the "designer" and the "developer" that would eventually characterize the industry. But for serious Flash developers, AS3 was a dream come true—it was faster, cleaner, and exponentially more powerful.