Adobe's Flash Catalyst Moves Forward

During a keynote at the Web 2.0 Expo, Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch demoed Adobe Flash Catalyst. The tool, currently in beta, is intended to help designers who work with traditional design tools like Adobe's Photoshop and Illustrator add interactive elements via simple menus without programming.

Flash Catalyst converts shapes into Flex and lets you turn various components into interactive components. It also generates Flex code in the background as designers point and click, adding interactive elements like a search box or scroll bars to the page. The software also can connect to services like Facebook to bring in live profiles of Facebook friends, which users can then embed in their designs.

Designers can then give the Flex code Flash Catalyst has generated to developers, enabling them to make further refinements. Developers can also add needed features, like a connection to a backend systems.

The result is a finished page that's completed more quickly -- and is often more in line with the designer's vision than with traditional methods.

Potential applications range from interactive ads, product guides and design portfolios to application user interfaces.

While Flash Catalyst is now in beta, a finished version would be out "soon."