There’s a new Flash CMS on the block and it’s called FlashMoto. The concept sounds fantastic and the interface design is extremely well done. But what’s actually under the hood? Let’s take a closer look!

What is FlashMoto and what does it do?

FlashMoto allows users to create and manage a Flash Web site very quickly and very easily using a purpose-built back-end system developed in Flex. This is commonly referred to as a Content Management System or CMS. The site is currently in beta and open to the public.

Special Features

• CMS Wizard:
  A simple and understandable step-by-step guide for creating a fully-functional dynamic Flash website.
• Advanced WYSIWYG editor:
  Drag and drop objects and enter data for any part of your website.
• Quick Content Editing:
  Quick access to separate content elements, like News, Galleries, Contact Forms, Music Players, and edit them without digging through the entire website structure.
• SEO-friendly & Deep Linking:
  Easily establish Web site meta data, link pages and add Google Analytics. Deep linking methods and well-organized architecture guarantee the right indexing of your content across search engines.
• Rich Media Library:
  Upload, edit and maintain all your images, photos, video and audio files.
• Font Manager:
  Easily add any kind of fonts and symbols. You can even make your site multilingual very easily.

Control Panel

Once you’ve created your account and log in for the first time, you’re presented with the control panel with the following choices:

• Content Wizard
• WYSIWIG Editor
• Quick Content Editing
• Website Preferences
• Help & Support

Although there’s an option to switch off the control panel when you next log on, the control panel options are a really nice way to give new users an overview of all the options. Each icon has an attractive, 3D animated rollover which, when clicked, takes the user to the corresponding section.

What’s nice about these choices is that FlashMoto caters for users of all abilities. If you’re a complete novice with very little Flash experience, you can using the Content Wizard that breaks down site maintenance into Editing Website Content, Editing Site Structure & Layout, Changing Website or Control Panel Settings and Help & Support. If you’re more comfortable with Flash however, you can jump straight into site design and start adding content and special modules such as an image gallery and audio player.

Forthcoming Help & Support

No matter what your level of expertise, the prospect of the Help & Support features are really nice. There are lessons and tutorials, a user guide for the Control Panel and a Frequently Asked Questions section. Admittedly, because the site is still in beta, no tutorials or user guides have been added yet, but it’s nice to see that a help and support system has been integrated well into the app and are prominently accessible for any moments of frustration.

Building a Site

This is where the fun begins. There’s so much you can do to develop your own site with FlashMoto, it’s knowing where to begin that might cause some problems for anyone who has not created a Flash Web site before. One of the simplest places to start is by looking down the tool panel on the left hand site. It’s here you see icons/options for adding text, an image, a shape, a Flash file, video, a “slot” (basically interactive buttons) and a module. The modules really help speed-up the addition of interactive content by allowing you to insert a news block, an image gallery, a video player or an audio player.

Resizeable Modules

One of the killer features of FlashMoto is the way each module can be resized by the user to whatever dimensions you want. You can drag items around the screen to reposition or you can even use x and y co-ordinates in the module properties sidebar to the right of the screen for more precise positioning. Here’s a screenshot showing some of the options available to the user regarding how modules can be manipulated:

Customizing Modules

It wasn’t until I started customizing modules with FlashMoto that it dawned on me how effective this kind of application really is. There are no XML files or ActionScript files for the user to update to populate an image gallery with images for example. Instead, the user simply double-clicks on a module to access a configuration screen where you can add images, thumbnails, access a media library, and add text via a beautiful text editor as show below:

Extra Features

Other nice touches I really liked about FlashMoto were, the familiar use of a top, horizontal menu bar we’re accustomed to with our desktop apps that allow us to open, save and edit files. I found the undo and redo tools particularly useful, so if something doesn’t quite work out right, users always have undo to fall back on.

I also liked the ability to move around open windows just like a regular operating system, so you could keep configuration screens open and place them where you wanted so you could still see your site design underneath. The fullscreen feature was also very useful, which obviously takes advantage of your entire monitor real estate.

Finally, previewing your Flash site has never been easier. No compiling, no annoying error messages, just one click of a button, and the site you just built is immediately visible. Talk about efficiency! You can even grab the URL of your preview and share it with friends or clients.

Conclusion

Although this review is not exhaustive, it should give you a very clear idea about how solid FlashMoto is. You really need to see for yourself to understand how useful a tool like this can be.

Everything about FlashMoto has been well thought out. The design, the features, but above all else, the usability and the way the interface and experience is totally focused on the user. When you can marry usefulness with well designed applications (both from an aesthetic and usability perspective), then you can’t go far wrong.

FlashMoto is an incredible demonstration of how Rich Internet Applications should be developed. This kind of CMS really underlines how powerful Flex is. The dawn of extremely attractive, functional, and useful applications is already upon us because of apps like FlashMoto, and the line between desktop applications and online applications is starting to blur. Much, may I add, to the benefit of the end user.

For more information, visit FlashMoto.com.

Yes, you heard me correctly. We’re starting a new program that I think you’re going to like. Each month, we’re going to give away one free file on each marketplace (FlashDen, ThemeForest, AudioJungle, GraphicRiver, and VideoHive). Here on FlashDen we’re starting this program out with a bang! Please welcome the never-before-seen gallery by Parker&Kent!

Author: ParkerAndKent

File: AS2 XML Free Photo Gallery

Description:

Elegant and simple gallery with smooth transitions and space-efficient masking. To see the options, simply hold your cursor over the plus icon to the right of the image. There you’ll be presented with buttons to see the galleries and thumbnails, and to start the slideshow. Roll over each image to see the hidden description roll into view. The vibrantly-colored (editable) tooltip follows the cursor around making sure the user knows exactly what he or she is looking at. This is the perfect gallery solution for any website wanting to add a little class.

Main features:

• Unlimited number of galleries supported
• Unlimited photos in each gallery
• Automatic slideshow option
• Gallery size can be edited via XML
• All colors can be edited via XML
• Thumb size, borders, rollover, spacing, etc. edited via XML
• XML path manageable through flash vars
• Basic HTML text supported
• Well-organized Flash library
• Rich help file
• Everything has been heavily tested and debugged

Usage:

You are granted ONE free usage of the item in a project, either commercial or non-commercial. You may not use the file in multiple projects unless you purchase licenses in the usual way.  You may not redistribute the item in any way.  If you need a different license for this file, you may purchase it here.

A big thanks for the free file, ParkerAndKent! Here are some of ParkerAndKent’s other great files:

Download it here!

Also, be sure to check out this month’s free files from all the other Envato marketplaces.

Flashtuts+, the “sister” Web site of FlashDen, is part of the envato Tuts+ network, and features some of the best Flash, ActionScript and Flex tutorials on the Web in an easy-to-follow and engaging format.

Each week on FlashDen we will provide a roundup of all the previous week’s tutorials from Flashtuts+ as a reminder to brush-up on your Flash skills or to learn something new.

Read More …

As more and more developers turn to ActionScript 3, more and more AS3 frameworks appear to be popping up to assist the Flash community.

Frameworks are basically reliable libraries of code that you can use to rapidly deploy a project while also streamlining common tasks. Think of them as a way to help develop and glue together the different components of a software project.

Here’s a quick roundup, in no particular order, of some of the most interesting AS3 frameworks available right now. Hopefully it will be a source of inspiration for your next project! Let us know in the comments if you’ve already used any of these frameworks or if you’ve used a framework not listed in this article.

Read More …

Flashtuts+, the “sister” Web site of FlashDen, is part of the envato Tuts+ network, and features some of the best Flash, ActionScript and Flex tutorials on the Web in an easy-to-follow and engaging format.

Each week on FlashDen we will provide a roundup of all the previous week’s tutorials from Flashtuts+ as a reminder to brush-up on your Flash skills or to learn something new.

Read More …

Adobe released Acrobat.com Tables yesterday which promises to be “a simple way to share data.”

Sexy Spreadsheets

Built in Flex and delivered through Flash Player, Acrobat.com Tables is the interactive Adobe equivalent of a Google Docs Spreadsheet or a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, but with the following advantages:

• Real-time, simultaneous editing. No-one is locked out of the table while others are making changes.
• As tables are always available online, data can be accessed from anywhere, at any time of day or night.
• One spreadsheet without the need for multiple versions and certainly no need to e-mail spreadsheets back and forth.
• Ability to personalize the display of shared data. Private views can be used to display the information most important to you without affecting others working in the same table.

Tasks such as adding, removing, or simply repositioning columns/rows has never been easier through the drag and drop interface. Basic formulae are also permissible, all bundled inside a clean and responsive interface.

Online and Offline Office Suite

With the release of Acrobat.com Tables, it would seem Adobe are doing two things. Firstly, they are heavily investing in and promoting Flex as a viable solution to developing Rich Internet Apps (RIAs). This is great news for Flex developers. Secondly, Adobe are slowly but surely building an online range of office suite applications to rival Google Docs.

Through the combination of Flex, Flash and Air, Adobe have the potential to quickly consolidate their applications into both an online and offline world of collaboration and success. Acrobat.com Tables joins existing apps Buzzword (Word Processing) and Presentations (a competitor to Microsoft’s PowerPoint) into the steadily growing collection of Adobe online productivity apps.

UNIQLO, the Japanese clothing brand, are well known for using Flash in creative ways on their Web site. If you’ve never heard of UNIQLO and want to see for yourself, then simply check out some of their previous promotional sites such as UT Zoom, UNIQLO Jump, Grid or the Tokyo Fashion Map.

What’s so outstanding about their Flash productions is the way they simultaneously engage the user and promote their fun and feisty brand.

Worldwide domination

Not content with having stores throughout the entire world (China, Hong Kong, South Korea, United Kingdom, France, United States, and Singapore), UNIQLO have now decided to reach out to the entire globe by creating and sharing a rather spiffy new Flash widget that you can embed on your Web site or blog to show the weather wherever you are. For example, here’s the widget for Melbourne, Australia where envato are based:

Value for money marketing

What’s so inspirational about the calendar is not just how good it looks and how the visuals and audio pull you in, but it’s also a reminder of how effective marketing and viral tools are one of the cheapest and yet powerful ways to promote a brand and sell products.

User interface

My other favorite part of the calendar / weather widget is the actual Flash interface the user interacts with to create the customized widget:

Winning formula

It’s simple, it usable, and despite the array of options and variables (countries, cities etc…), it’s hard to go wrong or screw something up. You can even choose the size of the widget to fit your Web site. In a matter of seconds you can customize your own widget and get the code you need to embed it on your blog, your Web site, or even your Facebook page.

The UNIQLO Calendar is free to download and use on your own Web site.

We hope everyone reading this is also an avid reader of our sister site, Flashtuts+. If not, where have you been?!

Flashtuts+ is part of the envato Tuts+ network, and features some of the best Flash, ActionScript and Flex tutorials on the Web in an easy-to-follow and engaging format.

Each week on FlashDen we will provide a roundup of all the previous week’s tutorials from Flashtuts+ as a reminder to brush-up on your Flash skills or to learn something new.

Read More …

Brand new Web site ColoRotate hopes to help designers and developers create the perfect color palette via its new online tool. Developed in Flash, ColoRotate attempts to make individual and entire color palettes easy to create along with an interactive experience along the way.

First Impressions

My initial reactions upon first seeing ColoRotate were, (i) Oh no! Not another color palette application! and (ii) This tool doesn’t look very intuitive! Look at all those icons! However, having played around with ColoRotate for a while (because just like first dates, you should always be careful about judging something (or someone) on first impressions ), I have to conclude that I have mixed feelings, both good and bad about ColoRotate. Here’s what I did like about the tool:

The Good…

• It’s totally free! You get quick, free access simply by logging in using your GMail account.
• It looks dynamite. The interface is very clean and attractive.
• All those icons I was dubious about when I first saw the app? Just roll over them with your mouse - they all have tooltips! This was a very simple yet nice usability touch to help new users get accustomed to the new tools and icons.
• Too many colors in your palette? Drag a color and drop it outside of the palette. Boom! It’s gone!
• It’s feature rich: The user is able to change a plethora of options such as hue, contrast, tint and much more.
• Need inspiration, or need a starting point for your own creations? ColoRotate has a built in social aspect in the sense of being able to view other people’s palettes and use them as starting blocks for your own color creations.

I was generally impressed with how the app was developed in Flash. The interactive color diamond, the ability to search, scrollable and paginated content, and the capability to save and share palettes - these are all really nice to see from within a Flash application.

The Bad…

The downside to ColoRotate however, is that although the interface looks very nice and performs well with lots of options, it’s not very easy to dive right in and create palettes quickly. There’s an investment of time required to truly master the power of this app, and I can’t help but feel that the application is too complex for the needs of most users.

The blend tool for example should be really easy to use - pick two colors. Then click a button to blend them. But instead, there are options to rotate and animate the color diamond, bidirectional arrows appear, even a padlock icon flashes which is probably telling me that I’m doing something wrong! Not being able to achieve the desired result quickly left me feeling perplexed and frustrated. Also, although icons are a good way to keep interfaces simple, and although most of the icons in ColoRotate have tooltips, I felt some buttons should just have contained text like “Add” or “View” instead of trying to utilize a conceptual icon for something that would be better conveyed in words.

Even saving a new palette you have created is somewhat flawed. Instead of having a button that says “Save”, the only way I could find to save my color palette was by clicking “Copy Palette as”. Bizarre!

The Future…

Despite the shortcomings, it also looks like ColoRotate is here to stay. The makers of ColoRotate have created a plugin for Adobe CS4 which will be released Fall 2009. This will allow you to use the ColoRotate tool directly within any of the following Adobe CS4 applications - Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Fireworks, and Flash. Unfortunately, this comes at a price - $39. There is also going to be an optional, additional charge of $2.50 per month to pull in your data from the ColoRotate Web site.

It remains to be seen whether the plugin will become popular simply due to the pricing model or indeed the usability, but as far as the free online version is concerned, I would say it’s worth checking out and persevering with to see if it’s the tool for you. Personally, I have yet to find anything as good as ColorSchemer Studio which I totally recommend for any Web or Flash designer out there. But that said, I am a firm believer that “one man’s gold is another man’s trash”, so you just don’t know until you try… ColoRotate could be the answer you’ve been looking for.

Conclusion

I was totally wrong about first impressions. You should always trust your instincts. With Web applications and people you go on a first date with.

Feedback

What are you thoughts on ColoRotate? Check it out, play around with all the features. I would particularly be interested to hear how easy or difficult you think the tool is to use, and also if you think you would continue to use this tool again. You know where the comments are, please share your thoughts!

As the years pass by, Flash becomes faster and more powerful when it comes to rendering 3D. You only need to look at the effect Papervision3D has had on the Web industry to see how well suited Flash is for 3D.

There’s always been a gap in the market however for a true 3D engine able to render fully immersive 3D scenes inside the browser via Flash. Well, that’s getting addressed right now with an extremely compelling 3D platform known as Alternativa3D.

Free Non-Commercial 3D Engine

The 3D engine is distributed as a SWC library and the best part is that it is totally free for non-commercial use as long as you link back to the Alternativa Platform from within your work. All that is required is to register an account for free. Commercial licenses are also available, so once you’ve honed your skills with the free version, it’s just a matter of time before you can use the technology to attract large clients and earn some serious dough!

Stunning Examples

You only need to look at the examples on the Alternativa3D Web site to see how this cross-platform engine is perfectly suited for virtual tours, entire online worlds and also gaming. Click the images below to see how Alternativa3D can be applied in a multitude of ways:

3D Web Sites

Alternativa 3D is also being used in the Web industry for navigable 3D Web sites such as online casino BuzzLuck:

But it’s not just large scale e-commerce sites that are using the open source 3D engine, even developers are using it for their portfolios such as the site below:

For more information and to get started, check out the online tutorials and documentation and a bunch of other great tutorials over at TechLabs. Who knows, this time in a few months, you could be living in your own, custom-made 3D world!