stuck

[egypturnash]

Trying to make clean, low-profile Flash files is like trying to program in assembly language. And optimizing your code as you write it. And some optimizations you have to do, because the assembler will try to do them for you - and do them wrong.

Want a camera move? Sure, you can do it. Better hope you got all your timing right underneath it, though. Changing it hurts.

Want a cross-fade? Sure, you can do it.

Want to cross-fade between two shots with camera moves? Sure, you can do it. Changing anything around it is going to be a hell of chasing down little fiddly sub-sub-sub-sub changes.

Want to change the overall timing of a shot with a camera move in the middle? It's gonna hurt!

man, I really need to just try using Something Else. The thing is, I don't actually like animating any more. On the other hand, the amount of technical hackery I have to do in Flash is part of why I don't like animating any more. It's a nice little vicious cycle, isn't it?

Flash was never written for the kind of animation people have gotten out of it. And over the years, its user interface hasn't evolved to help animation one iota. You still have to go through the exact same complicated mental gyrations just to do something as fundamental as a camera move. Why do I keep using this damn tool?

Habit. And the fact that it's an "industry standard". It's the devil I know; it's the devil everyone wants.

Comments

[pete23.livejournal.com]

Mmmm... Maybe there's space in the market for an animation package which just outputs Flash - i.e. just use it as a distribution channel, and actually do the work in a higher level animation language which compiles down to flash. Obviously someone would have to do the yucky stuff, but hopefully only once...

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Well, such things exist - or seem to. I have demos of Toon Boom and Anime Studio lying around, both of which purport to be able to output SWF. There are even some studios that use these tools for animation.

The thing is, interoperation with the existing market requires you to be able to throw around FLAs. Nothing else reads or writes them except the Flash editor. This is the painful lock-in.

[doctorpinkerton.livejournal.com]

I second the above. One of these days, somebody's going to write a nice front end, more kind to the animator, that can output that format. You're living proof that there's a market for it.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I am. I just don't have the energy to really carry animation through to completion any more - and the amount of work you can get out of someone trained to use a zillion Flash workarounds before they burn out is kinda acceptable.

[doodlesthegreat.livejournal.com]

Well, it looks like Adobe is stepping up to improve the program, especially now that competition from software like ToonBoom Harmony is starting to show up.

Here's a demo of what they want to get into the next revision of Flash:

http://www.peterelst.com/blog/2007/10/03/adobe-max-chicago-sneak-peeks/