Adobe Flash has become a major force in many websites today. The ability to design animations and videos was once a difficult task for web designers. Today anyone can produce web multimedia including interactive games using Adobe Flash. While there are now other similar types of multimedia development applications, Adobe Flash still remains the predominate standard for most websites using multimedia elements. Some websites are even designed entirely using Adobe Flash. While web designers feel that Adobe Flash can be difficult for some users to access, many commercial websites are adopting the technology in ever greater numbers.
To learn Flash requires that a student study its many features and design functions. Not only do students need to learn the technical aspects of Flash, they also have to have an eye for visual and auditory design along with general web development skills. Many websites today utilize Flash along with other web technologies, requiring designers to be skilled in many applications and development packages. However, learning Flash does not have to be expensive or time consuming. On this site you will also find articles related to Flash tutorials.
Today students can learn Adobe Flash online with online flash tutorials and classes offered by many websites.
Our comparison of many common online tutorial services include reviews to see which ones offer the best courses and value for your money. In reviewing the tutorial sites, there were several important criteria utilized to determine which services were the best.
Here are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate and rank the best Flash tutorials available:
Quality of Instruction
The best tutorials and online classes cover more than the mere basics of Adobe Flash functions. Furthermore, some online tutorial courses are designed by experts in their field, giving students a better education than tutorials designed by unknown authors without professional design experience. Many tutorials are created with video presentations that offer learning at a student’s own pace. Other tutorials were found that offered live instructions which can be very helpful for beginning learners that are first using Adobe Flash and need help with the concepts.
Level of Experience
Students can come with different levels of knowledge and experience in Flash technology. While some students may be mere beginners, others may have working knowledge of Flash design. Tutorial classes often cover different levels for different students. Some sites offer different level courses while others combine beginning levels with advanced levels of concepts into one class. A course with both types of skill set levels need not be incomplete or ineffective. Students can often easily decide which part of the course or subject they wish to cover.
Features
Many Tutorial sites offer different features and functions that help students with their learning endeavors. Many sites offer subscriptions to a large range of courses for one monthly fee. Others may just offer single courses for a nominal charge. Certain tutorial sites allow students to post discussions in message boards and obtain support from live instructors, if the class is a live course. Other positive features can include online libraries, exercises, projects that can be completed by students, and even online galleries. Some tutorial sites even include certificates of completion or aptitude for courses taken.
Versions
The different versions of Adobe, and once Macromedia Flash, can make learning the fundamentals a headache. As Flash packages can be expensive, some students may have access to older editions of Flash while others may want to learn on the most current version which is Adobe CS4 Flash. Many tutorial sites offer courses that cover different versions of Flash, regardless of which version a student has.
Help and Support
Finding help can be difficult, especially if a student actually needs help. Many tutorial sites offer at least some type of support either through email or with a telephone number. A few tutorial sites that offer live instructors allow students to access help directly from their instructors.
Each student will have to decide if they wish to learn just the basics in Flash design or if they want a full range of skill sets that can be used in Flash projects. Tutorial websites that offer subscriptions can be of great value for those seeking multiple courses to increase not just their technical Flash skills but also their design skill sets. On the other hand, students may prefer live instructors and live classes online. These types of classes can offer greater interaction and help as well as feedback.
Whatever your goals or level of expertise when it comes to flash, online tutorials are a great way to get where you want to be. Our reviews of the best flash tutorials will help you find which service has the right combination of features and courses for you. Our favorites include the flash tutorials from Lynda, Total Training and Train Simple.
At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don't Have To.™
| Rank | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 |
|
Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor
|
lynda.com | Total Training | Train Simple | VTC | IWA-HWG | KillerSites | Rich Media Institute | Kelby Training | ExpertRating | Training Center.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Reviewer Comments |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall Rating | ||||||||||
| Ratings | ||||||||||
| Quality of Courses | ||||||||||
| Experience Level | ||||||||||
| Features | ||||||||||
| Versions | ||||||||||
| Help and Support | ||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
| Pricing | ||||||||||
| Monthly Subscription | $25 | $16.67 | $19.95 | $30 | $24.95 | |||||
| Annual Subscription | $250 | $199 | $250 | $199 | ||||||
| Price Per Course | $99.95 | $120 | $19.99 | $39 | $99.99 | $37 or $67 | ||||
| Versions Covered | ||||||||||
| Flash 8 | ||||||||||
| Flash MX 2004 | ||||||||||
| Flash CS3 | ||||||||||
| Flash CS4 | ||||||||||
| Quality of Courses | ||||||||||
| Basic Flash Concepts | ||||||||||
| Advanced Flash Concepts | ||||||||||
| Experienced Instruction | ||||||||||
| Course Exercises | ||||||||||
| Experience Levels Covered | ||||||||||
| Beginner | ||||||||||
| Intermediate | ||||||||||
| Advanced | ||||||||||
| Flash Content Covered | ||||||||||
| Drawing | ||||||||||
| Web Design | ||||||||||
| Actionscript | ||||||||||
| Animation | ||||||||||
| Gaming Development | ||||||||||
| 3D Graphics | ||||||||||
| Features | ||||||||||
| Live Instruction | ||||||||||
| Video Instruction | ||||||||||
| Free Class Demo | ||||||||||
| Help and Support | ||||||||||
| FAQs | ||||||||||
| Newsletter | ||||||||||
| Telephone Support | ||||||||||
| Online Message Board | ||||||||||