Flash and Fireworks-worth getting? hard to use?

[d scott brandt]

On July 31 Joan Graham <grahamjo at oplin.lib.oh.us> wrote:

> I've seen postings about Flash and Fireworks. Librarians, are you using
> these products? Are they appropriate for library sites? Difficult to
> learn? Your opinions and experiences with either program will be much
> appreciated.

While I agree with most of what Dowling said regarding the use (or misuse)
of software like Flash in attempts to simply make sites more attractive or
"trendy" looking, I wouldn't agree that "Animation is an express route to
user annoyance." Simple animation, maybe. But not animation which does
have a purpose. (His point, I take it, is that most doesn't.)

Check out: http://www.lib.purdue.edu/~techman/ovidprn.swf   While
this is just a piece of a work in progress, it does demonstrate some of
the potential of Flash for use in things like tutorials. (BTW, the Flash
Lessons tutorial which comes with the product focuses on using it
primarily for drawing, but I think the interactivity and animation are
much more likely to be readily usable.) 

As for the difficulty of using, I can only comment on the experiences of
myself and three colleagues. We found it fairly easy to learn, especially
if you jump to the Lesson Plans on animation and making movies. (Start
with simple animation to get the concepts down, then check out archive
sites like http://www.flashzone.com to download examples you can look at
and take apart.) If you are using it to design graphics (i.e., drawing),
my only comment is that you have to be good or somewhat facile at art
design, otherwise, using the product is similar to many other high end
graphics packages. 

(I just got Flash 4 in the mail, so I'll be able to comment on that in a
couple of weeks. I just got back from vacation on Cape Cod and I have a
lot of catching up to do before I start teaching classes in mid-August.)

Scott

D. Scott Brandt				  Technology Training Librarian
Associate Professor		 	    Purdue University Libraries
<techman at purdue.edu>	            <http://www.lib.purdue.edu/~techman>