Hello everyone! I am searching for an animation software that is not very big in size. My main goal is to create an exhilerating intro. to my website just like Microsoft Studios have created before any of their games start. Does anyone know of an animation software that can help me reach my goal? It would be greatful if you would tell me the url. Thanks.

Hey,

My friend created an intro for me using Flash MX 2004 Professional from Macromedia. Hope this helps!

oops, soz, i think it might have been just normal Flash MX 2004, not professional.

I thought of using Flash MX 2004 but I was wondering that how could I speed up the download process of the Movie Clip? I have tried compressing the movie, deleting unnecessary files from the library, reducing the jpg. quality but it still doesn't work very quickly. Is there any way that I could improve the performance but still keep the quality of my intro?

i dont think that you wouldent be able to do that with flash mx 2004 but if you draw anything in flash the files will still be very small becuase flash draws in vector. if your using jpgs then i would suggest you open them in photoshop and save for web or you can save them again and choose a smalled compression thing. (or bigger?) well it will say what to do to make it smaller.

Well I just stick to Macromedia Flash to create flash content, but I think I remember a little program called Swish. It was very easy to use and had a variety of effects. You might check that out.

I have been playing around with a new program called 'xtivity'. I'm finding it to be quite a nice program and its very simple to use. Its pretty cool to use if you want something to create flash animations and aren't too worried about the having to code actionscript. You can even import your photoshop files (layers and all) into the program and it will retain each individual layer. Its quite a bit bigger than SWISH (its approx 80meg), but its definitely worth checking out if you want to try something other than the macromedia product.

Are you exporting as an swf? If so, you can adjust the output compression (granted that this may reduce image quality). As suggested previously, you could try using Save for Web in the photoshop. If the jpegs have alot of flat color you might consider drawing in flash or illustrator as vector images. This may bring the file size down.

Basically, most intros are flash files which can be made with Macromedia Flash. However, if I were you, I wouldn't bother making an intro. There isn't anything special about it in my opinion. To keep your visitors updated, I'd suggest adding a blog to the main page of your site. That way, members have something to come back for. Most amateur sites have blogs, that's what makes them stand out from the rest.

I don't suggest updates; no one cares whats going on. Seriously.

Sounds like Flash is the one to go for - Swish as mentioned is good for creating a quick intro that focuses on moving and rotation text and shapes - but for more detailed results and better control - get to grips with Flash!

dan