How to Make Flash Animations Online

It is possible to make your own animations online.

As of April 2010, Flash is a widespread plug-in for Web browsers that enables multimedia experiences to be enjoyed easily on the Internet. Video streaming is among the most popular applications of Flash. While it is fairly straightforward for anyone to upload their own video, many want to create original animations. The demand for this type of software has caused some companies to provide online tools for building animations in Flash. These programs do not require any programming knowledge, and many make it simple enough to complete an animation in mere minutes.

Things You'll Need

• Web browser with Internet connection

Instructions

1. Animate your Flash project at Dvolver. This site offers an easy interface for constructing multi-scene animations. Using pre-designed templates, you quickly can piece together an animation and then share it with friends via a link. You have the option of selecting different characters, settings and skies, and then defining the movement for each character. Dialog is typed and appears onscreen in a cartoon style. The Dvolver system is among the quickest methods and is not bogged down by excessive features.

2. Create your Flash animation at Digital Films if you have more time on your hands to create a more customized result. Digital Films also offers pre-designed templates. However, these are broken down into smaller details. For the characters, you can select different hair, facial expressions and clothes rather than using just a single complete avatar. For the settings, you have control over the time of day and can vary the brightness of a scene between complete black and total white to emulate different moods or weather. Dialog is typed and displayed in a cartoon style, and scenes are constructed using individual character movement. Overall, the system is more involved but may offer the necessary features for your desired animation.

3. Listen to your dialog come alive with spoken audio using Xtranormal's novel approach to online animation. While other services simply display your dialog as text on the the screen, animations built at Xtranormal automatically convert typed text into sounds. This may be the key ingredient that makes your animation come alive and stand out over those built on other sites. The Xtranormal interface also provides other standard features, such as cookie-cutter settings and characters. The primary drawback to this system is the considerable increase in processing time before your animation is prepared. The system uses this time to convert the text into dialog.

References

• "Digital Films: Make Your Own Movie Online!"
• "Dvolver: Moviemaker"
• "Xtranormal: Make a Movie Now With One of These Showpaks!"