photoshop style filters. hurray !
dont have to fuck around anymore to create a simple dropshadow (which you have to create over and over again
).*upgrades*Filters *
Create more compelling designs with built-in filter effects like drop shadow, blur, glow, bevel, gradient bevel, and color adjust. Filters are visual effects applied to MovieClips and text fields and are natively supported and rendered in real time by Flash Player.
Blend modes *
Going well beyond what other design tools offer, Flash Professional 8 offers run-time control over blend modes, allowing graphical effects to be composited for fully dynamic user interactivity.
FlashType—high-quality font rendering engine
A revolutionary new font rendering engine that provides clear, highest-quality font rendering, FlashType makes small fonts look amazingly clear and greatly improves readability. Choose from several options for font rendering, each optimized for different use cases. Optimize font rendering with the new custom anti-aliasing feature in Flash Professional.
Bitmap caching
Supports unneeded re-rendering of vector objects by simply flagging an object as a bitmap. Even though the object gets cached as a bitmap, the vector data is still maintained so, at any point, the object can be converted back into a vector again.
Custom easing control *
Easily, intuitively, and precisely control the velocity of animated objects through an intuitive graph that provides independent control of position, rotation, scale, color, and filters.
Improved text tool
Resize a text field using new, improved text handles. Text fields can be resized by grabbing any of the four handles.
Enhanced stroke properties
Select from a variety of cap and join types. Apply a gradient to a stroke as well as a fill. Render stroke intersections better with stroke hinting.
Advanced gradient control
Tighter control over gradients such as changing the focal point of a radial gradient and selecting from different overflow modes.