Archive for the ‘Flash Blather’ Category

Flash vs HTML5 – Don’t Be Stubborn

March 1st, 2011 | 4 Comments

The New Kid on the Block - HTML5

As a designer who has spent the better part of the last decade learning, working with, and teaching Flash, it has been very difficult for me to swallow the idea that there might be a new kid on the block. HTML5 is taking the web design world by storm, and many Flash designers are starting to wonder if there will be a place for them once all of our browsers become HTML5 compliant.

Well, let me start by saying that Flash is NOT dead. According to the Wall Street Journal, there is still a high demand for Flash developers, especially in the gaming market. Many smartphones (with the obvious exception of the iPhone) still include Flash functionality in their phones and don't plan for this to change.

Having said that, however, we must be realistic. If you plan on pursuing a career in web design, don't put all of your eggs in the Flash basket. Even though there is still demand for Flash, no one can deny that its role is significantly changing.  With the emergence of HTML5, CSS3, and a plethora of new Javascript libraries, developers are now able to create some amazing web apps, games, websites, and animations that were once the sole domain of Flash. And these new, amazing apps don't require any browser plugins! Heck, with HTML5, you can even embed video into your website without plugins!

Don't be Stubborn

Even though there will still be a place for Flash, don't sell yourself short by ignoring HTML5. Adding HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript to your toolkit will open up a whole new world of opportunities for you as a web designer. It won't be too much longer before Internet Explorer 9 ships, and at that point, all major browsers will fully support HTML5. So take the time to learn it. It will certainly be worth your while.

And who knows? Maybe in future versions of Flash, we'll be able to export to HTML5/Javascript!

HTML5 Resources

Following are a few HTML5 resources that will help you get started:

What are your thoughts on HTML5? Have you seen any amazing examples out there that have inspired you to learn it?

Flash and the iPhone/iPad

October 5th, 2010 | 2 Comments

It has been a while since the last time I posted, and for those of you who hang on every word I say, I sincerely apologize for my time away from the blog. I'm going to make a concerted effort to post a little more regularly.

Okay. Down to business.

The issue of Apple's decision to snub Flash on the iPhone and iPad has generated a lot of heated debate from Apple fanboys, Flash developers, and other people who love the Internet. The fanboys continue to think that Steve Jobs can do no wrong, the Flash developers want to continue making a living, and other people just want the best browsing experience possible. In the midst of this polarizing debate, there are surprisingly few people arguing for a balanced alternative. In the comments of a recent post that is definitely worth reading, Lee Brimelow argues for a few balanced options.

Many people have argued that a Flash plugin would simply run too slowly on the iPad or iPhone, but other mobile devices don't seem to be having any issues with it. I know I'm not the first person saying this, but it seems to me that Steve Jobs has ousted Flash simply because it provides content that competes with his precious App Store.

Don't get me wrong, I'm actually a bit of a Mac fanboy myself. I'm just not on board with this particular decision.

Is Flash in Trouble?

Things are definitely changing. There are a lot of things being done in HTML5, AJAX, and jQuery that used to be possible only in Flash, and I would certainly argue that if you can accomplish something without using plugins, then you should at least try. However, there are still a lot of really amazing websites and web apps being created with Flash that absolutely cannot be accomplished by any other means. Brimelow points to the FWA website as a brilliant example of a gorgeous website that cannot be created using HTML5.

Many people are trying to pit HTML5 and Flash against each other, but they are both fantastic technologies that have their place. True, some people are creating some terribly simple things in Flash that would be better off created using something like jQuery, but that certainly doesn't mean that Flash doesn't have its place.

From what I can see, Flash is most certainly NOT on the way out. It would certainly behoove the Flash developer to learn some of these other technologies, but as long as we keep creating rich, eye-catching Flash content, there will continue to be a market for it.

Adobe Unveils CS4

September 23rd, 2008 | 1 Comment

This morning, I joined hundreds of thousands of people around the world for an online streaming presentation of Adobe Creative Suite 4. My overall impression . . . Well, I guess I'm hard to impress.

(more...)

Flash Websites to Become More Searchable

July 1st, 2008 | 5 Comments

Adobe, Google, and YahooFor years, the advice has always been that if you want good search engine results, then you don't want to create your website entirely with Flash, because search engines have no way of effectively indexing swf files. Well, all of that is about to change.

(more...)

Papervision 3D

March 25th, 2008 | 1 Comment

As a trainer, one of the questions I get a lot from beginners is "How do I do 3D in Flash?" And historically, I've always had to break it to them gently that there really is no inherently easy way of creating 3D illustrations and animations for Flash without shelling out a few bucks on products like Swift 3D (which I still highly recommend, by the way).

(more...)

Before There Were Keyframes

March 12th, 2008 | 1 Comment

World's Oldest AnimationAs I watched the goat leap gracelessly into the air, I thought to myself, "What an amateurish attempt at animation!" Where's the anticipation, when the goat rears back before its jump? Where's the squash and stretch? Where's the follow through? Why was this done at such a low frame rate?

But then again, what more can you expect from an animation that was created over five thousand years ago?

(more...)