Flash learning Curve
Out of context: Reply #18
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- thewerkplace0
There are no shortcuts and it depends on what you want to do and why you are learning it.
I taught Interaction Design on the college level and I saw students wtih very minimal guidance do some incredible motion graphics over a semester. Only 2 or 3 pushed themselves. They learned motion and interaction design theory but did not make interactive projects.
As far as using Flash for Motion Graphics, yeah, you could learn it in less than 8 months especially if you have experience in video tools.
Learning how to build an application, on your own, with no Computer Science degree is a long road. To get it to work in a web environment where things are becoming smart clients on your own. Impossible unless you put in many hours a day with a mentor.
They way Interaction Design works these days is in a team environment. I use Flash to do low-fidelity prototypes these days, and hand it off to developers. You will notice that people are doing web sites now that use Javascript and CSS instead od Flash. The good news is that you can concept it and storyboard behavior with only a few hours of experience in Flash. It is great for that, very easy.
If you want a crash course, you will have to sacrifice. Take a job/apprentice at an ad agency, they will turn you and burn you, but at least you can learn the tol faster than you would by any other means in a team environment.
You can also do what the old schoolers like Mike Cina did, just give yourself mini-projects that blends code, concept, and style. That is still the best way to learn anything, building small things that you care about.