6 Replies Latest reply: Jun 18, 2014 1:58 PM by sinious RSS

    creativeJS vs Adobe Edge Animate

    mrwizzer2 Community Member

      As a Flash developer, I'm wondering which avenue to take to best leverage my experience with Flash Professional into creating HTML5 content.  Should I begin learning how to use creativeJS, or would Adobe Edge Animate be a better approach?

       

      The interface for Edge Animate seems quite similar to Adobe After Effects, which I'm also familiar with, so the application environment isn't so much a concern, rather, it's what will provide the best results now and in the future in migrating to HTML5.

       

      Thanks for any feedback!

        • 1. Re: creativeJS vs Adobe Edge Animate
          sinious CommunityMVP

          The FAQ answers this question a bit:

          http://html.adobe.com/edge/animate/faq.html

           

          Which product is right for me – Edge Animate or the Toolkit for CreateJS extension for Flash Professional? What are the differences between the two?

           

          Edge Animate works natively with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create animated and interactive content for the web. The Toolkit for CreateJS is targeted specifically at Flash Professional users who want to apply their existing Flash skills for creating content that is output as HTML.

           

          It's a matter of preference on the IDE. If you plan on creating complex SWF animations in the future then it's fairly ideal (especially with deeper integration in CC) to stay with Flash Pro. If you're more comfortable coding then a combination of Flash Builder (code / 3d / Flex), Flash Pro (sophisticated 2d animation, 3d), and Edge Animate (HTML JS/CSS compatible animation) is ideal. If you just want some easily generated HTML5 effects then Edge Animate.

           

          Nothing is a real replacement for knowing how to code JavaScript and OpenGL ES. If you're really targeting Canvas for any sophisticated animation, at some point you'll need to get a bit dirty with these maturing technologies, outside of Flash, Edge or anything else.

          • 2. Re: creativeJS vs Adobe Edge Animate
            ChipNow Community Member

            In my mind, it isn't just a matter of IDE. From my current understanding, it has much to do with what you are trying to accomplish. Synchronized sound, for example, is not an easy thing to manage in HTML5. Yes EA 3 does deal with sound to an extent but still can't deal with issues like mobile restrictions, loading delays, and the like. Does CreateJS manage that stuff better when coming out of Flash Pro? I don't know. It's a challenge. Flash hasn't lost all it's luster yet. For me, who started with Animate and have challenging project needs, I find myself looking hard at Flash for its maturity.

             

            So much depends on project needs.

             

            My $.02.

            • 3. Re: creativeJS vs Adobe Edge Animate
              mrwizzer2 Community Member

              Thanks for your input, ChipNow. 

               

              I have to agree with you wholeheartedly on the synchronized sound example.  I was astonished to find how difficult it was to synchronize a simple narration with a few graphics using HTML5, something so basic in Flash. 

               

              It feels to me like we developers are caught in an awkward point in time when folks seem to be abandoning the Flash ship before there are any suitable lifeboats at the ready.  Nothing yet comes close to being a replacement for the power and versatility that Flash brought to the table.

              • 4. Re: creativeJS vs Adobe Edge Animate
                sinious CommunityMVP

                No Flash does not do anything special to CreateJS in the way of extending it. Adobe is a sponsor however so they do have some say in the futures direction.

                 

                When dealing with any media you have to consider the webs built in security. Playing media on a users (I'll call it) "device" may be entirely unwanted. Consider how many times you're working on something, go to look up something (ActionScript.org forums for example?) and a video with loud audio starts playing while you're reading a forum post. It's ridiculous and shouldn't be allowed.

                 

                Mobile devices are even more restrictive. Try playing any audio without the user clicking first. The device requires what it considers user intent in order to even allow media to play, for all the right reasons (bandwidth, etc). Flash / apps level all these problems, and there really is no replacement for Flash. Unless you get an amazing library, you'd better start learning advanced JavaScript/CSS if you really want to get anything done.

                • 5. Re: creativeJS vs Adobe Edge Animate
                  ChipNow Community Member

                  Thank you, sinuous. In my testing, some Android browsers support autoplay and others don't. Nothing on iOS supports autoplay. Every audio element requires a click. I'm sure this is going to lead to audio element pooling. As many audio elements as you really need will require that many tap requests from the user. The model is screwed up. I don't think it will get sorted out until SMIL becomes a reality.

                  • 6. Re: creativeJS vs Adobe Edge Animate
                    sinious CommunityMVP

                    Agreed ChipNow. If telecoms want to extol the merits of their unlimited 4G/LTE/XTE/yada plans for phone that all sport a 1920x1080+ resolution screen then they should really back off on some of this, pretty soon.

                     

                    Although I always though it was an awkward dialog, the simple concept of Flash popping up the permission dialog before allowing a SWF to access your microphone, webcam, etc, was the best way to go. I hope in the future I see a site simply request using rich features similar to how an app does with the option to remember your selection and then allow rich media sites to do as they wish.

                     

                    Then again, with all the computing power on even basic handsets, Flash Player for devices may live once again. My FP11 and older projects look/perform perfectly (AS2.0 even) on Android. There is no replacement for Flash..