Moho Forum

This is not a "which is better" question. I've been looking at graphic design job listings and often they mention Flash, so I'm wondering if ASP can do the same things as Flash or if Flash is a different creature entirely?

I don't know anything about Flash.

It depends on what you're trying to do.

Flash is great for frame by frame animations, and the drawing tools are nice maybe even better(on its own way).

But adobe just keeps ruining the software on every upgrade, at least on the animation side (main issues are exporting options)

To be honest with you, I would never recommend flash to anyone, adobe doesn't really care about the animation side, they are focusing more on mobile apps and websites and stuff like that. If you are into frame by frame animation you can check out toon boom, its quite popular in the industry and a really good software.

For cutout animation anime studio is the best option available.(as today)

There are exponentially more Flash jobs than Anime Studio jobs out there. Most people (unfortunately) have never heard of AS. So it wouldn't hurt to get hold of an old copy on eBay or something (I recommend 'Flash 8'), and tinker around with it so that at least you know how the tools work. Might be useful one day. And if you want interactivity, Flash is good (Toon Boom and AS aren't interactive). If you want optimisation, Flash is good (AS produces some pretty large .swf files compared with Flash).

But animation wise, Flash could be a whole lot better. Once you get used to AS and its quirky interface, it's one of the best and most affordable animation tools. If you absolutely want frame-by-frame animation, get Toon Boom (but be prepared for some frustration with the interface). For interactivity , try to find out as much as you can about HTML 5.0 as well.

So the answer is -- it depends...

Flash is not an animation program, although it can be mistaken for one. You only need Flash if you need to produce something interactive (although HTML 5 changed this). In terms of animation and drawing, any other software would be superior. Others already mentioned the limited export options of newer versions.

That said, studios will continue to produce in Flash and hire people who are familiar with it, because they invested in the software some time ago and have set up a workflow based on it. There are a few cases where Flash would be the best choice, namely in the cheap production of some endless series without much animation, but other than that you get better (visually more pleasing) results with other tools.

The restrictions of Flash have been worked in what's called a "Flash style" animation, and if your story needs exactly that, go for it. Just be aware that this is a very small portion of what's artistically possible in general, like 8-bit-music or stick figure animation.

For frame-by-frame I recommend TVPaint.

slowtiger hit the nail on the head. I no longer use Flash because ASPro is better for animation (in my opinion) and I don't do any interactive work. We have a person here where I work who does interactive web work, but she uses HTML5 rather than Flash anymore. And there is also the problem of tablets not using Flash (at least the iPad won't run Flash sites, not sure about others) so Flash may be on it's way out as an interactive tool as well. jahnocli recommended getting a copy of Flash 8, but if you're going to be using Flash you will need to learn Action Script 3, and I believe Flash 8 uses Action Script 2 (correct me if I'm wrong about this). Action Script 3 is WAY more difficult to use than Action Script 2 was, which is one factor why we stopped using Flash here when HTML5 came out. I've seen some very good animations done in Flash, not interactive, but just animations, but I find it extremely difficult and unintuitive to animate in Flash.

Jack

Learn animation, period, as most studios hire animators on their animation skills then form them for the software they use.

This said, Flash and ToonBoom are the most used animation software in TV animation studios, so knowing one of these cant hurt your chance to get a job, since a studio, faced with two equally good animators, would probably hire the one who has a good Flash/ToonBoom knowledge!

I understand the negative view folks have of Flash. It is often a nightmare to use. But the limits of what you can do with it, are down to the user only. Just the same as Anime studio or any other animation software.

I just wanted to quickly chime in on this. Appreciate that flash has very little in the way of assistive tools for character animation,(no peg bar, no 'true' palettes, very quirky bone implementation) but for illustration and character / set design it is a very quick, extremely easy to learn (at least as far as animation/illustration goes) and has a drawing toolset second to none in my opinion. As a freelance illustrator, I have consistently used flash for designing and illustrating my animation backgrounds & initial character designs, and for over 14 years it has never let me down. In terms of rapid turn-around character animation though, there really isn't a lot to compare to Anime Studio.

Don't forget about After Effects. I have so some pretty impressive animations done with it too.