Insane Tools Flash Animator

Software Review by Tim Skyrme

Related Resources • Flash Authoring Tools • Animation Resources • All About Vector Graphics

From Other Guides • Animation • Web Design

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Learning to use the program is easy; in fact, you can start creating quite spectacular effects very quickly. The help file is good, and there are tutorials to get you started straight away. Just following directions and looking at how the samples are arranged will allow most users to get something happening in ten minutes or so.

 
Insane Flash Animator help file is very good and should be understood in no time.

The thing that took some getting used to for me is the fact that there is no pen tool, such as that found in Flash. This is probably because of the format that is being used behind the interface. There is a line tool with curves applied, which takes a little getting used to. You can add more points and bend lines later though, so you can correct areas at a later time if you don't get it right at first.

Something to absorb for the new user is the idea of keyframes, and the actions that take place on them. It should probably be explained that actions happen on keyframes, and the blending of these actions take place on the in-between frames. The length--or number of in-betweens--regulates the speed at which the actions are performed. This is the basis of any timeline-based program. If things are too slow, shorten the in-betweens by removing frames; and if they are too fast, just increase the in-betweens. It is that simple.

The drawing tools are fairly basic, but as I said, it is relatively easy to manipulate lines and colours and fills, and they seem to be controllable afterwards if the effect is not as was desired. There is the ability to control and change gradients, and the types of effects seem to have limitless controls, all of which you are offered when you click on the particular element.

 
Insane Flash Scripting. This is easily understood after only a short while.

About the Author After writing a book that required illustrations, Tim learned to use Photoshop and later expanded to learning Flash, Illustrator and Director. Studying these subjects eventually led Tim into Web design, and now he is involved in learning digital video and the editing side of this using Premiere and other associated programs. Tim writes a weekly newsletter for multimedia designers, and can be found on the Web at http://www.artzend.com.

Elsewhere on the Web • Insane Tools Home Page • Download Flash Animator

As a part-time user who does not require all the specialised effects of Flash, or the price tag and learning curve that goes with it, this is a very good value at $29.95 US.

You can download a free demo that is not time-limited, so an extended learning period is not a problem. If you upload an animation to the Web, then when it is clicked, you are taken to the Insane Tools Web site, until you have paid for it.

All in all, this seems like a very good program for the money, and well worth considering if you wish to add animations to Web pages, or even to create animations for other applications such as a CD-ROM. I found that the fact that there is no pen tool as such, made it a little difficult to make an animation. You will have to create a new brush for each element that you paint, or the changes applied to one element will be copied to the other. This is just learning curve stuff, and if you are not a dedicated Flash user who can afford to indulge themselves, this is a cheap and fun way to start learning animation, with more detail than that offered by some other higher priced programs.

Bottom line: this program is well worth investigating, and a demo version can be downloaded from Insane Tools Web site.where you will also find a complete list of product features, more screenshots, and samples.

[Editor's note: This review is for Flash Animator version 2.5. Insane Tools has since released a new version and renamed the product to 3D Flash Animator.]