Adobe is the giant of print-orientated graphics, but Macromedia stole the Web graphics crown with its bitmap-orientated Fireworks and its dynamic, interactive vector-based Flash. Adobes response was to try and offer the best of both in a single application: LiveMotion.

Not surprisingly, there was plenty for users to get to grips with in version 1 (see October 2000, p103), especially as LiveMotion took a radical approach to object creation and formatting built on multilayered objects and non-destructive styles. Perhaps its as well to let everything bed in, but theres little new creative power in version 2. In fact, the most obvious difference is that the previous range of Photoshop filters has been removed.

LiveMotions integration with GoLive (see April 2002, p80) has been improved. Using the Web palette you can mark objects as variables, and GoLive will detect these replacement tags to enable automated graphics production, animation building and file updates. You can change both text and styles directly from within GoLive, which will launch LiveMotion and generate the new SWF file. You can also automatically update all the SWF files on a site.

The name LiveMotion comes from its ability to bring compositions to life as animations; these are then output as QuickTime movies, animated GIFs and, most importantly, Flash SWFs. Unlike Flashs frame-based approach, LiveMotion is property-based, modelled on After Effects. In fact, the similarity is such that you can cut and paste After Effects keyframes into LiveMotion, as well as opening files saved in AMX format.

Another welcome import from After Effects is the ability to time-stretch an effect or the entire animation. You can also take more control of the animation process by temporarily locking or hiding objects in the Composition window or the Timeline and calling up the most common animatable properties with single-key shortcuts.

The biggest change is the introduction of scripting. Using the JavaScript-based Script Editor, you can create automation scripts to take care of repetitive or complex tasks complete with loops, mathematical functions and conditional logic. It offers colour coding, auto-indent, syntax checking, find and replace, a DOM browser and an advanced debugging environment. Its serious power, but its seriously intimidating. Thankfully, the average user can still benefit from presupplied scripts.

Control over LiveMotion through Automation Scripting is only half the story: Player Scripting lets you control the Flash player during animation run-time. Using the DOM browser in the Script Editor, you can access all the power of Macromedias ActionScript language to give your compositions intelligent interactivity. You can use LiveMotion 2 to create anything from an online game to a chat room or an XML-based e-commerce site.

Well, thats the theory at least, because Im less convinced. The new power is at the cost of complexity, as the most common actions are no longer available as simple-to-add Behaviours. Im also unconvinced that advanced users will actually use LiveMotion to create the Web applications that Adobe claims, as LiveMotions programming environment is less friendly and less powerful than Flashs.

Many users were expecting LiveMotion to introduce SVG support. After all, Adobe claims SVG is the Web graphics technology of the future. But targeting Macromedias Flash SWF technology means Adobes LiveMotion is a vain attempt to compete with Flash in the high-end field of Web application development, whereas Adobe should have pushed LiveMotions real strength: producing the creative graphical elements for high-impact Web and multimedia design.

Tom Arah