Flash learning Curve
- Started
- Last post
- 21 Responses
- abba_cadaver
If I started learning flash right now but could only dedicate an hour a day (assuming an average intellect). How long do you think it would take before I could create sites on the level of those created by big spaceship, struck etc...
I know it doesn't matter I still have to do it, but I'm curious.
- tkmeister0
never?
- akoni0
dedicate about 10 hours... would be much better
- Mimio0
I'm not sure their sites completly hinge on their flash chops alone. It's a sensibility and approach developed over years and through many people. Some of their sites aren't that technical at all.
- Rocketegg0
How long is a piece of string?
It all depends on how quickly you learn things, your background in coding, etc, etc.
I'd go with: "A while"
- abba_cadaver0
I know there is much more to a good site than the technology. I'm just want to get an idea of how long it would take to get that type of knowledge.
And I'd love to put in 10hrs a day but between current work, winning new work and family I'm not left with much time.
- tkmeister0
also there's a lot of things you wouldn't get unless you put into practical applications as well as so many work-around techniques and what not.
it's just combinations of all.
- Seanbot0
never. unless your willing to completely dedicate your life to it for a long while.
- st33d0
It takes 5 years to develop any skill to the level of mediocre.
Till then...
- Engage0
6 months... but need to know what you're doing in the first place, unless you being told what to do.
- CyBrain0
If you really think Flash is your thing, then do everything to get a job where you're using it everday. I thought I knew a lot of Flash 4 years ago, but when I had my first job using it all day, I really learned about 5 times faster.
99% of Flash people will never create web sites on the level of Big Spaceship. I know I haven't.
And like everyone said already. It's also other factors like design, concept, illustration, photography, etc. that make a great web site, with or without Flash.
- mpfree0
I'd say 8 months
- Rocketegg0
Don't get disheartened though. There are enough online resources to get you going for the short-term.
Good luck with it.
- abba_cadaver0
Well however long it's going to take I need to learn. It's frustrating as hell outsourcing work and having it come back not quite right or they are not willing to pay attention to detail etc...
If it's going to suck I'd rather it be because of something I did.
By the way if anyone knows of any good flash developers around San Antonio drop me a line
- orkman0
CyBrain nailed it. You gotta be in it everyday. I think Flash itself is very easy to learn. 1-2 months. Type text, tween it somewhere, fade it out.
But Actionscript is a whole new world. It's programming and I would say 1-2 years to feel comfortable in it. And more years to get really good.
Big Spaceship and Struck do great work. But they have lots of crayons in their boxes other than Flash alone.
- dbloc0
7 1/2 years
- anayafx0
i like the more crayons then flash comment....
to really do good work you'll need more than just flash, so to answer your question...... yeeeaaars!dont forget the importance of good design in what you do, thats what sets all of those guys apart.
- mrbee28280
An hour a day ain't gonna do it. Something else will have replaced Flash by the time you have some serious chops with it. You need to be doing it about 4 hours a day.. a few at work and a few at home. I'm going on 10 years now and 1/2 may career I was designing/deving Flash at least 8 hour s a day.
- 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.
- dformat0
I've been doing the 1 hour thing for about a 3-4 years now (since MX).
I can tell you that unless you dedicate yourself 100% of all your free time, you won't advance much.
My new strategy is forget everything I know and emerge myself into the application.
- Coldice46780
Flash is a pretty hands on software that is fairly easy to learn the basics and make really cool effects and sites.
BigSpaceShip is on another level, because they are using Flash as a Frontend to dynamically generate graphics and text with Actionscript and xml.
So I would suggest finding some beginner tutorials and start working off of there, then move to the more advance stuff like scripting, and then to another level of optimization.
Serious you probably make a really cool looking site with basic skills comparable to looks and feel to pros, but it will be really bulky and not well executed. full Flash sites need to be optimized to reduce preloading time. redundant downloading so section users will never see.
I would just read up on the stuff, maybe buy the Flash 8 Bible. I definitely recommend getting some sort of comprehensive reference.