Xara Xtreme Flash

This forum is specifically to discuss, demonstrate and answer questions relating to the new Flash animation feature of Xara Xtreme Pro

We have taken a new simpler approach to Flash animation and are including some simple, but really effective Flash animation capabilities. This is based on the animated GIF features that Xara X has had for many years.

So yes, Xara can now create fully animated, high quality, ultra-compact, very smooth Flash animation files (.swf)

The Adobe Flash player has absolute market dominance (something like a claimed 97% installed base), but the Flash authoring tools are not only expensive, they are renowned for being difficult to use and learn.

Flash is vector graphics based - and guess what's the best vector graphics editor around?

So really it's an obvious match. It's easier and quicker to draw vector graphics in Xara Xtreme than with any other tool and now it's easier to create Flash animations too.

We're not claiming this Flash feature is advanced, in the sense it does not support scripting, audio or embedded video. But it can certainly produce Flash files that are very effective and very, very compact.

This opens Xara up to a whole new sector of the market - and we hope will introduce a whole new audience to Xara. If you want to create Flash animations, want some of the easiest to use drawing tools to do it, and can't face the learning curve of alternatives, or cost of the full Adobe Flash authoring solution, there is now a new solution: Xara Xtreme Pro.

Warning - before you just jump in we really recommend you read the Flash Animation section of the Help. There are some key things you need to understand before you start. The Help includes a really simple step-by-step first example.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Charles Moir

This forum is specifically to discuss, demonstrate and answer questions relating to the new Flash animation feature of Xara Xtreme Pro

---

I have tested out several animations with and without text, in colour and in monochrome, big ones, small ones and some as big as yer 'ead.

Perfect for website banners and file sizes are good.

Smooth as silk .. congratulations.

I expected a timeline, and the fact that the frames are reversed still bugs me...

Quote:

---

I expected a timeline, and the fact that the frames are reversed still bugs me...

---

Availor ~ You, like myself, are an owner and user of Flash, therefore we see the "peculiarity" of freeze frame implementation to produce swf files as very strange. But I think you have to bear in mind that Xtreme is not trying to BECOME another version of Flash or Swish, but rather give those owners of Xtreme who don't own Flash/Swish the opportunity to create compact swf files. No, it's not an all singing all dancing swf editor with actionscript etc. I'm sure it was never intended to be.

As for the reversed frames I'm with you. It seems stupid having the background frame at the top, but perhaps it's what we're used to.

I agree with you both. I was used to the Frame gallery in the original order, and it made a certain sense to me: new frames and new layers stacked on top; you built upwards like a building. I find myself sometimes re-ordering the frame list now. But as you note, it's a case of being used to something and I'm sure we can re-train ourselves.

Flash works the way of the old frame gallery, click new layer and it's placed on top of the current one. Similarly I expect animators drew an image, then overlayed another acetate on TOP and drew the next scene. I just don't understand this reversal. No great problem, just strange.

"Can't teach an old dog new tricks" ;)

Add the onion skin to the fuss and you get a very annoyed and frustrated user trying to make an animation :)
I got confused, but I'm sure I'll get over it, still I don't understand the reason being.

Isn't Xara supposed to be user friendly, and every novice user knows that anything new should be on top (layer, frame, folder, shape etc), so why change that?

It seems obvious to everyone: If you put a shape and then another shape on top of it - if you want to subtract the shapes then it is obvious that the top shape will be subtracted from the lower one. Same here.

As simple as 2+2=5 :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AntonyF

I find myself sometimes re-ordering the frame list now.

---

Give us a button to reverse the order then we'll all be happy.
Reversing the order of around, say, up to twenty frames is okay, but when you have a hundred of 'em 'tis a royal pain.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Intbel

Give us a button to reverse the order then we'll all be happy.
Reversing the order of around, say, up to twenty frames is okay, but when you have a hundred of 'em 'tis a royal pain.

---

How about left to right frames set? Sounds much more obvious not only because it's the way it's used in most of the animation programs but also because it's easier to scroll left and right instead of up and down in case you have too many frames. This way you can create several layers with different animation on each (i.e. top layer has one set of frames and layer 2 has second set of frames).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Availor

How about left to right frames set? Sounds much more obvious not only because it's the way it's used in most of the animation programs but also because it's easier to scroll left and right instead of up and down in case you have too many frames. This way you can create several layers with different animation on each (i.e. top layer has one set of frames and layer 2 has second set of frames).

---

I agree having multiple layers would be most useful.
VERY USEFUL

Mr Moir ???

When creating animated gifs, I always felt that the layer gallery was backwards - having the next animated frame added on top, instead of below. That your first frame was now at the bottom and last frame on top. It would be like having the animated frames run right to left if it were horizontal. Now it's like a film strip, with the first frame at the top, last frame at bottom.

For illustrations, having a new layer added on top makes sense and even then that new layer may be re-inserted between two previous layers. But for animation, the next frame would follow the previous frame and not before. So I guess I'm one who likes this switch.

Not having any experience in Flash animation software, this addition to Xtreme is a plus. For making animated banners and graphics to spice up what would normally be a static web page. So much better than animated gifs and easier to do too. I was surprised at how easy it was.

I did another for my sister-in-law's future site. It's easy to get carried away with these animations :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bob Hahn

I did another for my sister-in-law's future site. It's easy to get carried away with these animations :)

---

Very nice animation, how many frames did it take to create it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Availor

Very nice animation, how many frames did it take to create it?

---

Thanks! The hahn-creations one has 14 frames.

wow definately cool!
i do want to do cartoon animations w/ lipsynch etc... so xara pro i still will want but we'll see what the upgrade option costs

RonC

This may sound stupid but is this a upgrade or can i buy this from my account with xara ? Ok found it ,i like this alot cant wait to get my hands on the reg version thats for sure !!!!!!!!!Thank you xara and everyone on here you make life so easy!!One thing can the plugins i got be used in flash as well ,i got eye candy and alienskin as well !!!!Just a thought!





thanks simon

Familiarising myself with Xara's new Flash components ... having the time of my life ...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bob Hahn

Thanks! The hahn-creations one has 14 frames.

---

This is really attractive. In regard to the star rising from left to fade...I know how to make it fade, but is there a trick to get it behind the text, or is it something simple that I'm just not catching?
---
Will

Intbel,

I even tried to enter my credit card number for you, but you wouldnt take it!

:D :D :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tallis

Intbel,

I even tried to enter my credit card number for you, but you wouldnt take it!

:D :D :D

---

Send it via pm ...

I *love* the new Flash function on XaraPro! Very cool. About five years ago I got an evaluation version of Flash and just couldn't make sense of it so I gave up. Here's my first Xara effort! It can only get better :-)

SFX

PS: Took me a while to find out how to put the swf file in here. In case others have the same problem:

HTML Code:

---

[flash=http://site/path/file.swf]quality=high width=500 height=128 parameter=parameter_value[/flash]

---

Love the simple small file flash animation in Xara,
great quick tool to make nice fading backgrounds and banners and
the file output size is wonderful..

I`d love a scrub bar to move through the preview faster to check
the part of the animation I want to check, as when the animation gets
long it becomes a drag whenever I want to preview (and preview often) and wait until it gets to the part I want to watch, scrub bar to move through it to that part?

layers would rock,

I`d love to be able to warp and morph vector shapes actually, that would be a huge deal for cartooning..

so be able to adjust the position of nodes (points) from keyframe to keyframe,
not add more points or delete them, as this might require more file size? (obvious I`m not a programmer) but be able to pull existing points around on the vector shapes path to adjust the shape,

right now I do the warping by grouping the shape and then stretching squashing it that way..

Also in illustrator they have this tool punk/bloat/nudge?
where you can push against a shape and it nudges the shape around,
like putty, not sure how to describe it..and a twirl tool which is way narly!!

um...can we get that, ...I know theres more important issues to address,
just asking hehe..:D

looking forward for more to come with flash capabilities...:)

Testing: