Flash! huh! yeah, what is it good for?
October 13, 2010 10:57 AM Subscribe
Does anybody (in the top-tier creative-professional/digital artist) really use Flash anymore? I'm talking about the timeline-based-vector-animation-only side of Flash - not the ActionScript side. I'm teaching a (somewhat condensed/potentially fast-paced) class in media production - is it really worth it for the students to learn the vector-animation if it's really no longer something widely used in the creative industry (esp. when there are much better options)?
The class I'm teaching has included a section on Flash for a while - but it's only focused on the timeline-based animation of Flash. Because this isn't a programming class, I can't really spend anytime on ActionScript and interactivity (which is pretty much what Flash is used for now.) The class is a really an introduction to time-based digital media (video, animation, sound), so I'm covering a lot of aspects in a short period and can't really get in depth with any one thing. I'm considering replacing the Flash part of the course with something more current (I already have a lot of options, so I don't need any help there.)
Are my assumptions correct that the vector-animation aspect of Flash is not as widely-used as it once was, and there are better digital animation (ToonBoom, etc.) options that would be more valuable to learn when just starting out?
The class I'm teaching has included a section on Flash for a while - but it's only focused on the timeline-based animation of Flash. Because this isn't a programming class, I can't really spend anytime on ActionScript and interactivity (which is pretty much what Flash is used for now.) The class is a really an introduction to time-based digital media (video, animation, sound), so I'm covering a lot of aspects in a short period and can't really get in depth with any one thing. I'm considering replacing the Flash part of the course with something more current (I already have a lot of options, so I don't need any help there.)
Are my assumptions correct that the vector-animation aspect of Flash is not as widely-used as it once was, and there are better digital animation (ToonBoom, etc.) options that would be more valuable to learn when just starting out?
Er.... wait. The "yes" was to the question about anybody actually using timeline anymore.
Worth noting, too, that this is in the advertising agency world, with large clients. As Flash developers we overwhelmingly prefer to code, but that just doesn't always happen...especially when various banner templates enter into the picture.
posted by kaseijin at 11:10 AM on October 13, 2010
Worth noting, too, that this is in the advertising agency world, with large clients. As Flash developers we overwhelmingly prefer to code, but that just doesn't always happen...especially when various banner templates enter into the picture.
posted by kaseijin at 11:10 AM on October 13, 2010
Vector-based animation made sense in the world of low-bandwidth communications. Nowadays, broadband is the norm, and the simple fact is that Flash has never been a great _animation_ tool. You want to teach them some valuable media production/animation skills, get them into After Effects, IMO.
posted by dbiedny at 11:13 AM on October 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by dbiedny at 11:13 AM on October 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
It's very much something people still use. There's a whole lot of banner ads out there done with flash, and the majority of those are timeline-based. Whether it's as widely used for vector animation as it was, who knows? I'd guess that it probably is. It's just that the ActionScript stuff has made Flash useful for application development as well as animation. And of course you can also use Flash for traditional hand-drawn animation too, either by scanning images from paper or by drawing directly into Flash and using onion-skinning.
But I think where I disagree with you is that you're thinking in terms of tools, where you should probably be thinking about concepts. Flash is a perfectly good tool for teaching the principles of animation. It has timelines, layers and tweening (both motion and shape tweening). It's fairly easy to integrate sound and video. An introductory class really shouldn't be about teaching the ins and outs of one particular tool. Flash may not be the best tool for every job, but it's arguably one of the most versatile, and it's showing no signs of dying, despite a lot of snark from certain quarters.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 11:41 AM on October 13, 2010 [3 favorites]
But I think where I disagree with you is that you're thinking in terms of tools, where you should probably be thinking about concepts. Flash is a perfectly good tool for teaching the principles of animation. It has timelines, layers and tweening (both motion and shape tweening). It's fairly easy to integrate sound and video. An introductory class really shouldn't be about teaching the ins and outs of one particular tool. Flash may not be the best tool for every job, but it's arguably one of the most versatile, and it's showing no signs of dying, despite a lot of snark from certain quarters.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 11:41 AM on October 13, 2010 [3 favorites]
In my time building Flash (micro-)sites for the entertainment biz, we'd use timeline animation all the time. Usually, they'd be composed from bitmaps exported from Photoshop, Max or Maya and not vectors but, even when Actionscript was used to tie everything together, the timeline was still where all the magic happened.
I've been out of that for two years, so things might have chaged radically since then. Shops that used to be pretty much Flash-only have branched out in to Flex, Silverlight and mobile technologies.
posted by klanawa at 11:51 AM on October 13, 2010
I've been out of that for two years, so things might have chaged radically since then. Shops that used to be pretty much Flash-only have branched out in to Flex, Silverlight and mobile technologies.
posted by klanawa at 11:51 AM on October 13, 2010
My agency still does the bulk of our output in Flash, and with the exception of one client that requires timeline-only banners, it's all AS.
posted by jalexei at 2:41 PM on October 13, 2010
posted by jalexei at 2:41 PM on October 13, 2010
Those TV shows that look sort of like you could do them in Flash? Turns out a lot of them are done in Flash, the most recent that comes to mind being Ugly Americans, which debuted this year, so I guess it's still going strong there. I would assume that's timeline rather than AS stuff.
posted by Artw at 4:48 PM on October 13, 2010
posted by Artw at 4:48 PM on October 13, 2010
I'm curious what you would replace it with...
The two major contenders (in my opinion) would be After Effects and Toon Boom Studio. Both tools are superior to Flash (for timeline animation) in many ways (though After Effects and Flash, used together, are pretty awesome: self link.)
However, you mentioned that you have a short amount of time. AE and Toon Boom are way more complex than Flash and will take a lot longer to teach. You can teach the rudiments of Flash Animation in a day.
I agree with the person above who said that the techniques are more important than the tools. By the time students graduate, who knows what tools will be most popular. But the basics of tweening, easing, etc. will persist.
posted by grumblebee at 8:12 PM on October 13, 2010
The two major contenders (in my opinion) would be After Effects and Toon Boom Studio. Both tools are superior to Flash (for timeline animation) in many ways (though After Effects and Flash, used together, are pretty awesome: self link.)
However, you mentioned that you have a short amount of time. AE and Toon Boom are way more complex than Flash and will take a lot longer to teach. You can teach the rudiments of Flash Animation in a day.
I agree with the person above who said that the techniques are more important than the tools. By the time students graduate, who knows what tools will be most popular. But the basics of tweening, easing, etc. will persist.
posted by grumblebee at 8:12 PM on October 13, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
We have clients, for example, who specifically request timeline animation, no external AS files, etc, etc.
posted by kaseijin at 11:08 AM on October 13, 2010