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Package Assistant for AIR 2 update

by Serge Jespers on 05. Feb, 2010 in AIR

Just before the holidays, I released an alpha version of my AIR 2 Package Assistant application. As many of you know, AIR 2 allows you to build native installers. The only downside is that you have to use the command line in order to package these native installers.

I have just narrowed down the possible solution for the only reported problem. Some of you got an “Invalid input” error message and the packaging failed. I think this may be caused by forgetting to include the icons you use for the app. You have to include these in the final step where you add any additional files to the package.

I also updated the application so it now works with the AIR 2 Beta 2 runtime, which is available on Adobe Labs.

The Package Assistant application should still be considered in alpha phase. If you don’t mind testing alpha builds, go ahead and download the updated application. (Don’t forget to read these notes.)

If you find any other bugs or if adding the icons did not resolve the “invalid input” error message, feel free to leave a comment or email me directly.

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AIR 2 Package Assistant “public alpha”

by Serge Jespers on 23. Dec, 2009 in AIR, projects

I already sneaked this application last week but in case you missed that: I am building an application that makes it easier to package native installers for AIR 2.0. Instead of having to fiddle around with the command line to create installers, this wizard style application makes it very easy and straightforward.

Now before you go and install this application, there are a couple of things you should know.

This is an early version of the application. It may not do what you thought it would do and it may even explode ;-). If that is the case, please let me know. I’m releasing it now to get some feedback and to improve version 2 ;-) The application should be considered alpha quality.
It is currently OSX only. I ran in to a little snag with the Windows version but will try to get around that ASAP.
It currently only supports PKCS12 code signing certificates.
It’s not yet very user friendly if you make a mistake… If you for instance mess up your cert passcode, you’ll have to start over again. I’m also not saving the path to ADT.. These things are “on the list”.
Additional files are supported but are always relative to the folder that holds the main SWF… This is one that needs a lot of testing. If your setup does not work, please let me know.
If you have feature requests or you find a bug or something weird, please let me know. Just leave a comment to this post, send me an email or use the contact form on my blog.
Did I already mention that this should be considered alpha quality?
I think it’s fairly obvious but just in case: This application requires the AIR 2.0 runtime.

So… You’re still here. That must mean that you’re a geek like me and you don’t mind testing early builds of applications ;-). Good… Go ahead and download the application.

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Introducing: Package Assistant (AIR 2 package utility built with AIR 2)

by Serge Jespers on 17. Dec, 2009 in AIR

Two of the most requested features for AIR were the ability to create native installers and to launch/talk to native applications. Among other new features, AIR 2 allows you to do that. To build these native installers you have to use the command line compiler.

A while back I was thinking if it would be possible to write an AIR application that would talk to ADT (the command line compiler) and that would make it easier to compile a native installer. And here it is… Well… It’s not quite finished yet but it’s very close. I just couldn’t wait sharing this screencap with you guys because I think it’s a great example of how powerful AIR has become.

The wizard style application allows you to easily identify the files it needs and after just 4 steps you simply
hit the compile button. A lot easier than fiddling around with the command line ;-)

I should have this finished before the holidays so stay tuned!

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Microwave oven powered by Adobe AIR

by Serge Jespers on 08. Dec, 2009 in AIR

Oh wow… Just last April Fool’s day, I joked about this… and now it’s real!

From Crunchgear:

Two researchers from Japan’s Keio University (which yours truly attended just until recently by the way) have developed a kitchen appliance aimed at the total web geek in you, a YouTube-powered microwave. The so-called Castoven [JP] is based on a conventional, unbranded model of “good quality” but sports a 10.4-inch LCD screen in the door panel.

The main idea is to display a YouTube video whose length depends on the time you need to heat up what’s inside the Castoven. Say, you want to prepare a lunch box that takes 3.30 minutes to be ready. The Castoven would then automatically pull a video from YouTube with that length and display it on the screen until the meal is finished

The oven is powered by an AIR application that runs on your computer and gets YouTube videos through its API.

castoven-620x396

This is obviously just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure you can imagine this with cooking videos, news broadcasts etc.

Ok… So I joked about this a while back and it became a reality. How’s this for the next crazy idea: An AIR/Flash Player powered fridge. The application will suggest recipes based on what’s in your fridge and will tell you when items in it have expired. In the morning it shows you the latest news and weather updates and it can even tell you how much power/money it is using and how to lower the cost. It also tracks your purchases so that it can alert you of promotions in your local supermarket… And obviously all presented in a nice, user-friendly UI. You have 6 months… Go!

Flash on!

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The future of magazines?

by Serge Jespers on 07. Dec, 2009 in Cool stuff

I came across this video on Ubergizmo and I wish this was real today…! The video demonstrates a multi-touch tablet to read magazines in full color with video, audio and online capabilities. The video is created by The Wonder Factory and other than that, there really isn’t any more information out there. While it’s only a concept today, I really do hope we’ll see some of this in the future. Maybe we’ll even see it on an Apple tablet in the not too distant future?

UPDATE: Wow… I’ve just read that this is actually a real product. They’ve even showed a working prototype to the press last week. What’s even cooler is that it’s built with AIR & Flex!

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A peek behind the scenes of Avatar

by Serge Jespers on 26. Nov, 2009 in adobe

I’m sure it won’t shock you when I say that Adobe software is used extensively in Hollywood. Avatar, James Cameron’s new movie, is no exception. So which Adobe software did they use and how?

PHOTOSHOP was used during the early conceptual stages to create art for getting the film green-lit by FOX. In addition to being a core production and design tool, it was also used to create many of the ultra-high resolution matte paintings and textures that were used as finished artwork passed along to the 3D pipeline for CG environments, vehicles and creatures.

LIGHTROOM was used by artists in the previsualization (previs) animation department to organize and catalog the thousands of set and lighting reference images.

AFTER EFFECTS had a multitude of uses as you can probably imagine:

In the early stages of production, AE was used to place flowing camera moves on still artwork for concept art reels.
On the live and mocap sets, AE was used to quickly create test composites to see if the live-action and “simulcam” green screen shots were lining up with the virtual animation and backgrounds. Within a few minutes of each take being shot, artists were able to mock-up composites for James Cameron to look at and approve or re-shoot.
Automated rough comping of the video of the facial performances of the actors (recorded head via mounted miniature video cameras) into CG character face textures for the previs portion of the production. This allowed Jim a quick and easy way to know if the actor’s facial performances were going to be OK or if a take needed re-shooting.
AE is being used by some of the vendors hired for VFX work to create 3D stereo composites for finished shots, to create complex motion graphics for use in the 3D holographic screens in the various control room scenes, and to create “heads-up” displays for various high-tech vehicles in the film.
Adobe provides documentation to write complex procedural scripts for AE, and the AVATAR artists took full advantage of this. They created an automated rendering pipeline for comping the previs shots using AE’s scripting capability.

PREMIERE PRO was also used in different ways:

Each time Jim Cameron does a review/critique of VFX work, an HD recording is made of the session. Premiere Pro is used to take the edited recording and format into various packages for digital distribution. The process is automated, with typically 8 hours or more a day of reviews that need to be processed.
Premiere Pro was used extensively on set in combination with AE to check rough composites in playback context with animated sequences. A/B comparisons of VFX vendor work are easily set up and reviewed.
Although the creative editing for AVATAR is done using an AVID based system, Premiere Pro is able to read in cut-lists and other important metadata using its built-in AVID “AAF” import feature. Rather than bog down AVID editors with having to render out updated sequences for the animation department, the AVID editor can export the virtual “recipe” for the new cut to a small file that Premiere Pro then uses to automatically assemble the cut to match the AVID. Digital video files of the shots that are online in the master shot database are sourced as clips by Premiere Pro.

ACROBAT CONNECT was used for collaboration throughout the making of the film. In one example, it was even used by one of the Digital Supervisors to remotely connect to the computer of one of the interns on-set to to take control of her desktop and help her get through the temp composites that Jim Cameron (the director) needed ASAP.

FLASH PLAYER is used to deliver the movie’s website with high quality images and high definition video.

And to top it off the movie also has a very slick AIR application that provides exclusive content to fans including video interviews with the cast. In addition, the interactive trailer provides a way for fans to track official updates posted to Twitter,YouTube and Flickr.

If you were lucky enough to be in the MAX audience during the Avatar sneak peek, you’ll agree that the visual effects in Avatar are absolutely stunning. It’s great to see that Adobe software made some of it happen.

Avatar opens worldwide on December 18th, 2009.

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Raising the bar… again: FP10.1 & AIR2 betas on Labs

by Serge Jespers on 17. Nov, 2009 in AIR, Flash Platform, Flash Player, labs

Wohooow… It’s always great to wake up to new toys to play with! Flash Player 10.1 and AIR2.0 are now available on Adobe Labs.

This is a very exciting release for Adobe. Not only is it the first time that we sim-ship Flash Player and AIR for all 3 major operating systems (Mac, Windows & Linux), Flash Player 10.1 is also the first runtime release of the Open Screen Project. While we’re only releasing the beta version of Flash Player 10.1 for the desktop we do plan to roll out additional betas prior to the release with more features, performance improvements, new tooling options and support for mobile platforms. I’ve been lucky enough to play with some smart phones that already have Flash Player 10.1 and I am absolutely amazed to see the performance on these devices. It’s also great to finally have FP10 in the browser on a mobile device. It’s great to see you can now have the full web in your mobile browser!

We’ve already talked about and demoed some of the new features at MAX. Check out the feature page on Labs for a complete list of new features in Flash Player 10.1 and Christian Cantrell’s blog for a comprehensive list of new features in AIR. Christian also has a bunch of code samples on his blog demonstrating the new features. Also check out Adobe TV for more demos and tutorials.

Don’t forget… These are pre-release BETA releases. While the Flash Player and AIR teams do their very best to maintain backward compatibility, things may break. And that is exactly why we do these public betas. If you do come across an application that doesn’t work, make sure you tell us about it!

I can’t wait to see what you guys are going to build with this new set of building blocks… Flash on!

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Why I love the Flash Platform…

by Serge Jespers on 16. Jul, 2009 in Flash Platform

Before we start and just so we get this out of the way… For 2 years now, Adobe pays my paycheck. That said, I “saw the light” of Flash more than 13 years ago. Because of my long history with Flash, I feel I can say that this is an unbiased post.

Everywhere
First of all, Flash is everywhere. I’m not just talking about its ubiquity but also about the variety of devices it is available on. It’s not just a browser plugin anymore. The Flash Platform now extends from desktop to mobile to consumer electronics. There are already more than 1 billion devices in the market today that support Flash content. While this is a “lighter” version of the Flash Player, it already has a lot of its bigger brother’s features and is already used for lots of mobile applications, games and promotional content. Together with the Open Screen Project partners, Adobe aims to bring the same consistent runtime that you’re used to in your browser to a broad variety of devices. In the not too distant future, you’ll be able to repurpose the code base across multiple devices. I’m actually doing a workshop about that very topic at MAX this year!

Consistent
With Flash, you never needed to worry about how your application will look in browser X or on operating system Z. And you still don’t have to worry about that. If Flash Player is installed, the application works and behaves consistently across all browsers and operating systems. Even applications/sites built with Flash 1 still work as designed. If you want to use any of the new features that are available with a new release of Flash Player, you (as the developer) can use express install to transparently upgrade the Flash Player. The same thing goes for desktop development with AIR. A single AIR application installer runs on Mac, Windows and Linux machines without having to worry about operating specific settings or features.

Community
Even back in the early days of Flash, the community around it grew every day. Just about all of the early community sites around Flash are still alive and kicking. Ultrashock and FlashKit, for instance, are still going strong. If you get stuck somewhere, there’s always someone around to help out. If you’re looking for a particular ActionScript library, chances are that someone has already created one. Some of these ActionScript libraries have even caused some amazing innovations on their own. Papervision 3D and FLARToolkit are just a couple examples. Many sites and applications like Facebook, Flickr and Twitter even have dedicated ActionScript 3.0 libraries.

Open
Yes… Open! Not only is Adobe very open about what it’s doing and future roadmaps, the file formats used by Flash Player are also open. The specs for the SWF and FLV file formats are open as well as the specs for AMF (the binary format for exchanging data used by the Flash Player) and RTMP. Adobe also uses and supports many open source projects like Eclipse and WebKit and also contributes to the open source community.

But the most important reason is actually pretty simple. The Flash Platform is just a lot of fun to develop for and it’s very clear that the future is looking very bright for Flash Platform developers. Flash on!

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Adobe is on a roll! MAX, RTMP, Flash Player 10 for mobile, Acrobat.com and 200m AIR installs

by Serge Jespers on 17. Jun, 2009 in MAX2009, adobe, open screen project

Wow… Where do I start? First of all, you may have noticed that the activity on my blog has been rather low the last couple of weeks. June is a pretty hectic month and it’s not always easy to finish a blog post (I have several sitting in my draft folder now) while traveling.

This week, Adobe announced so much cool stuff that I have to catch up with all the news. So here we go…

MAX
Registrations for MAX are now open. Registrations for MAX are now open. Registrations for MAX are now open. Registrations for MAX are now open. This year, MAX offers more than 200 sessions and 100 hands-on labs. If you register before August 31st, you get $200 off the regular price of a full conference pass!

RTMP
As promised/announced back in January, Adobe now published the specs for RTMP. RTMP was designed for high-performance transmission of audio, video, and data between Adobe Flash Platform technologies. RTMP is now available as an open specification to create products and technology that enable delivery of video, audio, and data in the open AMF, SWF, FLV, and F4V formats compatible with Adobe Flash Player.

Flash Player 10 for smart phones
Just last night, Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayen announced that we will have a public beta for Flash Player 10 for smart phones at MAX. He also said that we will be initially targeting Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian and Palm webOS devices and that early builds have already been shipped to manufacturers.

Acrobat.com
Acrobat.com now becomes a full online office suite. Recently the team added Presentations to the offering and just this week Tables saw the light of day. Both apps can be found on http://labs.acrobat.com.

AIR
The AIR runtime is now installed on more than 200 million desktop computers worldwide. That’s 200 million in just 16 months. Obviously this is thanks to all the AIR developers out there that actually build applications using the technology. So big kudos to you!

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Building CPU efficient Adobe AIR apps

by Serge Jespers on 04. Jun, 2009 in AIR, Best practices, How-to

One of the biggest complaints we hear a lot about AIR applications is that they use too much memory and/or too much CPU. Sure… Adobe needs to (and will) make investments in improving the performance of AIR and Flash Player but you as a developer can already make some improvements to your app as well. I know this has been discussed before but repetition never hurt anyone. ;-) If you’re having issues with the app that you are building, you should definitely check out Arno’s blog post about this very topic.

With just 4 simple tips, you can dramatically improve the memory/CPU usage footprint of your application.

Use the lowest framerate possible
Dynamically change the framerate to fit your application needs
Only use Event.ENTER_FRAME handlers when necessary
Have as few Event.ENTER_FRAME handlers and Timers as possible

Check out Arno’s blog for more info on how to implement these tips. The AIR team also has a blog post about this topic.

If you have any other tips that you are currently using, please feel free to leave a comment. Also, if you have any questions regarding this topic, please feel free to get in touch.

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