Editing SWF (section)

== Adoption ==
{{see also|Adobe Flash#Players|Adobe Flash#Animation Tools}}
Adobe makes available [[Plug-in (computing)|plugins]], such as [[Adobe Flash Player]] and [[Adobe Integrated Runtime]], to play SWF files in [[web browser]]s on many desktop operating systems, including [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Mac OS X]], and [[Linux]] on the [[x86 architecture]] and [[ARM architecture]] ([[ChromeOS]] only).

[[GNU]] has started developing a [[free software]] SWF player called [[Gnash (software)|Gnash]] under the [[GNU General Public License]] (GPL). Despite being a declared high-priority GNU project, funding for Gnash was fairly limited.<ref name="lwn"/> Another player is the [[GNU LGPL|LGPL]]-licensed [[Swfdec]]. [[Lightspark]] is a continuation of Gnash supporting more recent SWF versions.<ref name="lwn">{{cite web|last1=Willis|first1=Nathan|title=Gnash, Lightspark, and Shumway|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/525719/|website=LWN.net|access-date=13 June 2014}}</ref>

Adobe has incorporated SWF playback and authoring in other product and technologies of theirs, including in [[Adobe Shockwave]], which renders more complex documents.<ref name="compar"/> SWF can also be embedded in [[PDF]] files; these are viewable with [[Adobe Reader]] 9 or later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.adobe.com/pdfdevjunkie/the_flash_designers_guide_to_a|title=WordPress › Error|website=blogs.adobe.com}}</ref> [[InDesign]] CS6 can also produce some limited forms of SWF animations directly.<ref name="SmithTeam2012">{{cite book|author1=Christopher Smith|author2=AGI Creative Team|title=Adobe InDesign CS6 Digital Classroom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YfsNznDZ0GsC&pg=PA391|year=2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-45128-1|page=391}}</ref>

Sony [[PlayStation Portable]] consoles can play limited SWF files in Sony's web browser, beginning with firmware version 2.71. Both the [[Nintendo]] [[Wii]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Wii Internet Channel|url=https://www.nintendo.com/wii/channels/internetchannel|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223121519/http://www.nintendo.com/wii/channels/internetchannel|archive-date=2008-02-23}}</ref> and the [[Sony]] [[PlayStation 3|PS3]]<ref>{{cite web |author=Eric Lempel |title=PS3 Firmware (v2.53) Update |date=December 2008 |url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/12/01/ps3-firmware-v253-update |publisher=Playstation.Blog |access-date=2009-03-12}}</ref> consoles can run SWF files through their web browsers.

[[Scaleform]] GFx is a commercial alternative SWF player that features full [[hardware acceleration]] using the [[Graphics processing unit|GPU]] and has high conformance up to Flash 8 and AS2. Scaleform GFx is licensed as a [[game middleware]] solution and used by many PC and console 3D games for user interfaces, [[HUD (video gaming)|HUDs]], [[minigame|mini games]], and video playback.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}

The newer 3D features of SWF have been seen as an alternative to [[WebGL]], with a spurt of 3D engines like [[Papervision3D]],<ref name="KerrKeats2009"/><ref name="Lively2010">{{cite book|author=Michael Lively|title=Professional Papervision3D|year=2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-97060-7}}</ref><ref name="TondeurWinder2009">{{cite book|author1=Paul Tondeur|author2=Jeff Winder|title=Papervision3d Essentials: Create Interactive Papervision3D Applications with Stunning Effects and Powerful Animals|year=2009|publisher=Packt Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-84719-573-9}}</ref> [[Away3D]],<ref name="KerrKeats2009"/><ref name="Casperson2011">{{cite book|author=Matthew Casperson|title=Away3D 3.6 Essentials|year=2011|publisher=Packt Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-84951-207-7}}</ref><ref name="Ivanov2011">{{cite book|author=Michael Ivanov|title=Away3D 3.6 Cookbook|year=2011|publisher=Packt Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-84951-281-7}}</ref> Sandy 3D,<ref name="KerrKeats2009">{{cite book|author1=Cheridan Kerr|author2=Jonathan Keats|title=The Essential Guide to Flash CS4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YjSGwrX1q_kC&pg=PA286|year=2009|publisher=Apress|isbn=978-1-4302-2353-5|page=286}}</ref><ref name="McCuneSubramaniam2009">{{cite book|author1=Doug McCune|author2=Deepa Subramaniam|title=Adobe Flex 3.0 For Dummies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fzWVC_vH68cC&pg=PA388|year=2009|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-40789-9|pages=388–389}}</ref> and Alternativa 3D targeting 3D SWF.<ref name="Lengyel2011">{{cite book|editor=Eric Lengyel|title=Game Engine Gems 2|year=2011|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-56881-437-7|chapter=3D in a Web Browser|author=Remi Arnaud|pages=207–212|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QbSf3XwfM7EC&pg=PA207}}</ref> Although some of these projects started around 2005, until Flash Player 10 however they had no support of [[GPU]] acceleration, and even in that version of the Flash Player, shaders could be used for same materials, but vertex information still had to be processed on the CPU (using [[BSP tree]]s etc.)<ref name="Lengyel2011"/> After version 11 of the Flash Player added the new Stage3D low-level API, some but not all of these projects migrated to the new API. One that did migrate was Away3D, version 4.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Stage3D vs WebGL Performance | work = Airtight Interactive | accessdate = 2023-02-07 | date = 2011-10-28 | url = https://www.airtightinteractive.com/2011/10/stage3d-vs-webgl-performance/}}</ref>

Based on an independent study conducted by Millward Brown and published by Adobe, in 2010, over 99% of desktop web browsers in the "mature markets" (defined as United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand) had a SWF plugin installed, with around 90% having the latest version of the Flash Player.<ref name="Adobe">{{cite web|title=Flash content reaches 99% of Internet viewers |url=https://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/ |publisher=Adobe |access-date=2010-09-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827134318/http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/ |archive-date=August 27, 2010 }}</ref>

Due to the increasing popularity of HTML5 for games and animations, as well as the numerous security holes that had plagued Adobe's SWF player, Adobe declared its Flash player [[End-of-life product|EOL]] on December 31, 2020. On January 12, 2021, it pushed an update to its Flash player that blocked all Flash content from running.