Poor animator-wannabe wants cheap (or free) flash tools...

September 5, 2007 5:04 PM

Argh! Where-o-where can I create a Flash animation for dirt cheap/free (probably a short cartoon with music)?

Argh! Where-o-where can I create a Flash animation for dirt cheap/free (probably a short cartoon with music)?

I have a GREAT idea (like all other peoples in this meta-verse) for a flash cartoon series but I do not have the loot to pay for Adobe's software...is there a FOSS/Freeware/Cheap (under 20 bucks) alternative that I can use to make this cartoon a reality? Any help will be great...

posted by enriquem to computers & internet (5 comments total)

You could use something like ktoon then a another tool to convert it to a .swf/.flv file
posted by ReiToei at 5:23 PM on September 5, 2007

There is always Swish, a dumbed down version of Flash. You can buy different programs to do different things, which imho gets confusing on what you really need, but you don't have to pay for something you aren't going to use.

I tried the demo a few years ago and it allowed me to save my files, don't know if that is still true.
posted by idiotfactory at 5:58 PM on September 5, 2007

The advantage of Flash is that it creates vector artwork that allows for smooth high-res cartoon artwork in small filesizes.

The problem with using something like KToon and then converting to an SWF is that you won't get this benefit. Although it seems KToon may actually support SWF natively.

Otherwise you could use SWiSH Max, which has a free trial, and is less expensive than Adobe Flash at only $99, or less if you qualify for a discount.
posted by sycophant at 6:05 PM on September 5, 2007

You could download the Flash demo. It's full-featured, but expires in 30 days.
posted by O9scar at 7:00 PM on September 5, 2007

If you are a student, teacher, or somehow associated with an educational institution, you can get Swishmax for super cheap (19.95) at Academicsuperstore.com. I think it's a downloadable version so you can get it pretty quickly (once you submit proof of your eligibility for the academic pricing). I have never used the Adobe product, but I've used Swishmax and it's excellent once you learn the ropes.
posted by Alabaster at 8:05 PM on September 5, 2007