Xara Xtreme Flash

**Availor** · 16 November 2006, 06:39 PM

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

**Egg Bramhill** · 16 November 2006, 10:31 PM

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.

**AntonyF** · 16 November 2006, 10:52 PM

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.

**Egg Bramhill** · 16 November 2006, 10:58 PM

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.

**Availor** · 17 November 2006, 04:25 AM

"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

**Intbel** · 17 November 2006, 06:42 AM

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.

**Availor** · 17 November 2006, 12:25 PM

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).

**Intbel** · 17 November 2006, 02:17 PM

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 ???

**Bob Hahn** · 17 November 2006, 03:02 PM

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.

**markJ** · 06 May 2008, 07:33 AM

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..

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