Re: Does anyone use Flash to just animate anymore?

Thanks for your reply, it sounds like you're building your projects in a different way from me, but I'll keep the tips in mind if I get in similar situations.

Then again, my own methods are changing quite a bit. Up until last Oct. I only used Flash MX for animations then exported a quicktime to bring into iMovie/Final Cut Express. Now I'm running CS4 Production Premium as well as Final Cut Studio and Shake, and I'm moving to a more varied approach.

I just started bringing swf files into After Effects, and I'm already really happy with this new method. I guess I don't have to bother setting up a solid green background in Flash then using green screen keying to layer the character anymore (and I can use green in the character models if I want!) I'll use Flash for animated characters and scenes, then bring those into After Effects for assembling into composites and further animation that makes more use of Ae's features. Files rendered from there will be brought into Final Cut Pro (or maybe Premiere, haven't even tried it yet, though). I think this flow gives me the ability to fix any sync issues along the way as well.

My main goal is broadcast level video content, with web clip versions as a secondary. I've never done ActionScript on anything, it's all keyframing and tweens. I appreciate all the "rich interactive content" Flash does, but it's not my thing as a creator. For me it's all about film/TV animation, and I know Flash has been accepted into the big leagues, being used for mainstream shows and even the occasional feature. Not bad for a little app made for web banners and rich content (at this point, I want a definition of what they feel "rich" even is).

Even though I'm liking the new symmetry of the Fl+Ae combo, I was looking over the Toon Boom apps while passing some time at work today. I see all the Fox animated shows are in their demo reel now, I wonder what else they use in production. I'm wondering if the combination of Flash and After Effects would be considered equal or better than any of their confusingly tiered product line. I'm guessing as a one man-one computer operation, I wouldn't need to bother with Harmony, but there's still three other versions. I had a demo of Toon Boom Studio a few years back, but I found it less inviting than Flash at the time and didn't do much with it. I'm not looking to get into it now , but I wonder if it's become a stronger animation platform since I tried it.