Is Adobe’s new “Edge” a New Version of Flash?
In this article we take a fresh look at the new Adobe product in development called “Adobe Edge” – it sounds like a dream come true for Flash Developers – because it lets you design like flash and render in HTML 5. (Read on).
Apple must have some guidelines that say ‘Don’t use the F’ Word (“Flash”) with clients- or we will fine you 25 Cents.’ – Adobe gets it – so why not rename it to Edge?
HTML 5 - Adobe Edge - Flash
It seems like an awesome PR move and a wise decision by Adobe…
Flash developers and SEO’s have been watching – wide eyed – as Adobe Flash is slowly sun-set by Javascript and JQuery sliders.
And if you are a developer like me you’ve been long awaiting a Flash version that can actually export to HTML 5!
With all of the rumors circling the block of Flash on iPhones and iPads – and the war between Flash and Steve Jobs. It seems Adobe is making a wise turn – releasing a new product called Adobe Edge.
The coolest thing about Adobe Edge – is that it exports in HTML 5 – a soon-to-be web standard – soon to be supported by all major browsers.
Is Adobe Flash at it’s end of the line?
What Adobe Is Saying About Edge:
Adobe announced the first public preview release of Adobe® Edge – a new HTML5 web motion & interaction design tool that allows web designers to bring animation – similar to that created in Flash® Professional – to websites using standards likes HTML – JavaScript and CSS. Because of rapid changes around HTML5 – the company is adopting an open development methodology for Adobe Edge & is releasing the software on the Adobe Labs site much earlier than normal in the development process – before it even reaches beta – in order to allow user feedback to help shape the final product.
“Now – with Adobe Edge – we’re taking our HTML5 tooling to a whole new level and look forward to getting some really useful feedback from the community over the next few months – as we refine the product.”
While in public preview – Adobe Edge will be a no-charge download that web designers are encouraged to explore and provide feedback on – to help shape future preview releases. To download the software.
Check out Adobe Labs for the latest versions.
Adobe Edge – first shown at Adobe MAX 2021 – is ideal for designers who want an efficient way to leverage Web standards like HTML to create Web content with motion and transitions. Adobe Edge is being designed as a fast and lightweight professional-grade tool that complements Adobe’s existing Web tools – such as Adobe Dreamweaver® CS5.5 – Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5 & adobe Flash Builder® 4.5 software.
“Over the last year Adobe has delivered on several significant HTML5 milestones including contributions to jQuery – submitting code to WebKit – & enhanced HTML5 output in Creative Suite® 5.5,” said Paul Gubbay – vice president of Design and Web Engineering – Adobe. “Now – with Adobe Edge – we’re taking our HTML5 tooling to a whole new level and look forward to getting some really useful feedback from the community over the next few months – as we refine the product.”
The Adobe Edge preview works natively with HTML. It enables users to add motion to existing HTML documents without hampering design integrity of CSS-based layouts – & it also enables users to easily create visually rich content from scratch – using familiar drawing tools that produce HTML elements styled with CSS3. Users can import standard Web graphics assets such as SVG – PNG – JPG and GIF files and style them using CSS3. The design stage utilizes WebKit to enable design – preview and manipulation of content with incredible fidelity. The innovative timeline feature is both familiar for creative professionals and breaks new ground in animation productivity to enable users to define and customize motion applied to HTML elements with extreme precision. Content created with Edge is designed to work on modern browsers including those on Android – BlackBerry Playbook™ – iOS – HP webOS & other smartphone mobile devices as well as Firefox™ – Google Chrome™ – Safari™ & internet Explorer 9™.
This Adobe Edge public preview is available today on Adobe Labs as a no-charge download for anyone wanting to explore adding motion & animation to their HTML workflow or HTML animation to their skill set. Creative professionals are encouraged to dive into the public preview and provide their feedback at www.labs.adobe.com. The Adobe Edge preview is expected to be updated regularly as new functionality is added.
This summer Adobe is sponsoring the Expressive Web Tour HTML5 Camps in cities that include San Francisco – Tokyo – New York City and London to continue providing further support to people interested in HTML5.
In addition – Adobe has launched a new online resource showcasing some of the newest and most expressive HTML5 and CSS3 features being added to the modern Web. The new site – which was released today in beta – was created using new HTML5 and CSS3 features.
About Adobe’s HTML5 Innovations
Adobe Edge is the latest development in the company’s HTML5 and Web standards strategy which also includes commitment to innovate open source platforms like Webkit – contributing to Web frameworks like jQuery & extending existing tools like Adobe Dreamweaver and Flash to bring the next generation of Web standards to Web designers and developers.
Pricing & availability
Adobe Edge is immediately available worldwide for Mac and Windows platforms via a free download on Adobe Labs – www.labs.adobe.com. For more information including system requirements.
