| Studio MX 2004 represents an incredibly rich array of capabilities, reflecting the variety of Web sites and applications developers are called upon to create. Any particular Web site or Internet application is likely to use only a small subset of these capabilities. Some Studio MX features address common requirements, such as displaying pages containing words and/or images and navigating those pages. Others address specialized or advanced needs, such as displaying dynamic data, playing video and audio, or applying cinematic effects such as fade-ins and fade-outs. In some cases, the choice of tool is clear. For video and audio, for example, use Flash. This chapter covers situations where you have more choices. This chapter presents a high-level view of Studio MX, as well as some associated products, and what each of the Studio MX programs can do. This chapter also does double duty as a quick tour of Studio MX and environs, and as a guide for determining which tools and features you might use for a particular project. (I'll be talking as if you will be using all these tools yourself. Obviously, tasks may be divided up among the team members . However, the association of task to tool remains the same.) There's a certain amount of overlap in what the Studio MX programs do. For those common functions, which program you choose for a given task may be mostly a matter of taste or experience. That's sometimes the case when choosing drawing tools, for instance. At the same time, each of the programs clearly has unique strengths and limitations. Using the best tool for the job will help you work faster and provide more value to your client and the people accessing your site. | 