Anim-FX

The difference is when users create animations in Anim-FX, the program not only creates the .swf file, but it also creates a text file which is stored in the same folder. Later, when users wish to change certain elements of their animation, they can simply open the text file, make the changes, and send the new version to their server.

That HTML-style updating makes Anim-FX a rarity among programs of this ilk, and its quality makes it a program that deserves more than a little attention. Further, it is priced at a mere $27.

Anim-FX does not require programming, and it comes complete with 34 preset animation templates. Each of those can be altered in terms of text and colors, and each comes complete with sound effects if so desired. The sound effects are far better than you get with most such programs.

There are number of features available with Anim-FX, including some not offered by other such programs. Among those are multiline animations (up to five lines), freeze end frame, and unlimited characters.

The program also allows users to choose whether to loop an animation, and the number of times it is looped, jump to a URL, select a specific target frame, define text and background colors, determine sound volume, and define the X and Y positions of text.

Insertion of HTML coding is done automatically in editors such as Frontpage or Dreamweaver, but .swf files are not always imported perfectly into Frontpage, so users can use Notepad to edit the coding. That can be done by either copying and pasting it from the program's web site or retrieving it from a text file that is included with the program. Then, the user changes the name of the .swf file in that coding to match the desired effect.

A creation is saved in the program's directory under the name of the effect, and the user can then copy the .swf and text files to a desired folder. The program does have a lot of nice effects, including "Explosion" seen below. The entire selection is shown in the graphic on the left.

Animations can be resized, too. Text is scaled to match the resizing (which is done by changing the height and width values) unless the user chooses to use the "scale" parameter with a value of "noborder". Then the text remains, but the background is cropped out. Below is an example of an animation and one that is reduced to half the size of the first.

Anim-FX comes from the same people that created Mix-FX, a very good program that remains among my favorite animation-type tools. By combining ease of use, price, and features, Anim-FX is an excellent addition for any web designer's tool box.

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