Recommendation for Flash software

[LoisWakeman]

Can anyone recommend free or inexpensive software to create fairly simple Flash movies - I will have to do this for a client, having held out for years against the damn thing. I'll probably need to do photo transitions, animated text etc; I think.

There is a sample of the sort of thing by the same client on this page http://www.sittingspiritually.co.uk/trilogy

- don't blame me for the design or content, "nuffink to do wiv me Guv"! I wince every time I am asked to do an update...

[donmcc]

Well, if you could finish up in month, you could just use the Adobe stuff on a trial. Might be risky if they want you to do updates later though.

[terrie]

lois: http://www.sittingspiritually.co.uk/trilogy I don't know squat about flash so I can't advise you but I love the name of the company...'-}}

I didn't see any flash on that page??? It was all static images...

Terrie

[Kelvyn]

No Flash on that page. Just Lightbox JavaScript. You can do that using LB2 code - http://www.huddletogether.com/projects/lightbox2/ or for more advanced transitions use jQuery, eg http://api.jquery.com/category/effects/

[LoisWakeman]

The animated thingy at the bottom of the middle section is Flash. :)

[LoisWakeman]

That's what I thought - but finding enough computers to trial it on might be a problem next time! I try to keep away from Adobe unless I absolutely have to pay them money. I find them greedy, arrogant and not helpful with support.

[Kelvyn]

Oh so it is - you can get that effect using transitions with jQuery which is why I overlooked it.

It is very simple, so I'd guess it was made using Swish (http://www.swishzone.com/index.php?area=products&product=max), which is probably the easiest to use, although there are some other basic tools. I used Swish some years ago having previously failed to work out how to use Macomedia (as was than) Flash creator.

[Bo Aakerstrom]

A quick search yielded this page (http://alternativeto.net/software/adobe-flash/). Some of the applications are free and for something as simple as what your example shows I'm quite sure one of those would do the job.

[donmcc]

I finally remembered the name of the Flash clone that my students once used. It is called Swish, and it does some of what Flash can do (perhaps all, now). It definitely does the text animation/transitions kinds of stuff.

[terrie]

lois: The animated thingy at the bottom of the middle section is Flash.Ahhh...AdBlock Plus blocked the changing...thanks...'-}}

Terrie

[LoisWakeman]

Thanks all for the recommendations guys - looks like Swish it is!