Topic: Flash or Live Motion - advice please.

Admission:- I've hated most flash sites I've come across, mainly 'cause many are way over the top, and so damned heavy on file size. However, I've also stumbled across a few superb ones recently, that are fast, well designed and blow you away... So much so that I've decided to go buy the prog and start a new learning curve. However, I've also been reading about Adobe's Live Motion, and what I've read (including some bowled over comments from one or two seasoned Flash pros) indicates that LM is superior to Flash for many reasons.

So far LM looks like being my preferred choice, but what would some of you guys choose?

Thoughts, advice..........


Phil

well, i never really tried LM, so i cant judge. but since macromedia "invented" flash and they are still determining the standards i guess that they will always be one step ahead of adobe.

For anyone following at home:

Flash 5 vs LM 1: www.designer-info.com/Writing/flash_v_livemotion.htm

FlashMX vs LM 2: www.digitalmediadesigner.com/2002/05_may/features/lmvmx020503.htm

[edit: and started a FAQ on this: http://faq.ozoneasylum.com/728/ ]

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

I'll be blunt and say that i know NO pros or respected design firms that use LiveMotion (i'd be interested who it was that made those comments). I've messed with it a bit, tho not recently, and never been too impressed. the simple answer would be that if you're trying to learn Flash has a huge amount of resources out there that are easily accessible vs not-so-much for LM. the more i get into Flash MX the more impressed i am, there's really some killer stuff you can do now. my pick, no question, is Flash till i have a really good reason to choose otherwise...

chris


KAIROSinteractive

I disagree with several assertions in the posts. Flash MX is the way to go. The property inspector alone made it worth the money(I moved to flash from Director). My main problem with LM is if it continues to not sell well and Adobe pulls it then your screwed on upgrades, etc.

I'm too set my ways to change to LM, I work alot in Director, and Illustrator exports .swfs (I wouldn't draw in either of these programs- give me AI and my pen tool anyday), so LM isn't my recommendation.

edit-tikiTypos, Im amazed anyone can understand a word i post.

[This message has been edited by tikigod (edited 08-22-2002).]

Thanks for your advice guys.

tikigod,
I spoke to a tutor in graphic design at one of our local colleges today who voiced exactly the same concerns as you.

fig,
I have a great deal of respect for what you do, and having read your comments here and also having briefly spoken to Steve Nelson and Emps, I'm already following your advice..

I downloaded the trial version of MX and started playing with it last night. I must confess, Wowwwww was my first reaction when I opened it for the first time, and as a complete newbie, I shut off my puter 3 hours later seriously punch drunk. Anyway I'm determined to learn this, and any help would be greatly appreciated...........
Incidently, the tutor I spoke to today is running an evening course in Flash over 5 weeks (15 hours) for newbies, starting in November. So regardless of what I learn between now and then, I think it'll be worthing doing.

tkx again for your advice.


Phil

thanks phil, that means a lot

as far as learning flash, 2 words: foundation flashMX (ok, so i squeezed "MX" on there to make it two words). best intro to flash book i've seen (by friends of ED) and it was recently rewritten for flash MX. i'd say start there and once you get into it start posting questions

chris


KAIROSinteractive

Chris,

Tkx for that. I'll pop into Waterstones over the weekend and see if they've got a copy....

One thing I did notice concerning the programs tutorials, which from a Complete Newbies standpoint is a glaring error, which I couldn't find any reference to, despite looking for it. When you tackle the tutorials, it says go to, open and click on etc.....no problem with that. However, as you finish the first tutorial, it says go to page 2, also no problem unless you're a complete and utter newbie (like moi)....I never thought that the timeline was what it was actually referring to. There they all are, the pages as the tutorial explains, but it makes absolute double dutch to the complete novice, as there's no reference to the pages being built into the timeline and the requirement being to actually click on the timeline to select the next relevant tut and so on - took me over an hour to work that one out. But hey, I figured it out, and the tutorials are absolutely superb, and what a great buzz when you get it right....

I now understand fully why you and tikigod sing the praises of flash so much. Not having deleved into this before, it's so obvious that if I can tweak and tween my way through these tutorials, then the only thing that will hold me back as the learning curve is slowly mastered in the many months ahead, is my imagination....

It's a superb program for sure, hats of to the developers - I'll be back in front of it again tonight....


Phil

I second fig's recommendation on Foundation Flash. When you get the hang of that go for Foundation Actionscript.

The O'rielly Actionscript book is also good to have as an all-purpose no bullshit reference. I like the Friends of Ed books but every now and then I just want to look something up and not have to search through 50 examples. So this ones good have on your bookshelf also. Hell if your doing alot of flash work keep it on your desk.

Also Ive found the new(MX) reference panel very useful(Not as useful as the actionscript dictionary they used to include in the box, cheap bastards).

Of coarse now that we just given you over $100 US in book recommendations have fun.