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Animations- Flash .swf or GIFs?

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7 replies
I want a simple image,animation created, very simple (the size of a matchbox)

What is the main differnce getting the image done as a flash swf comared to a gif. what is easier to do.

What are the pros and cons of both?

Using a Flash swf
Pros

Cons

Using a GIF
Pros

cons


Please list them above, as i wil be doing some animation soon.

can SWF's do somthing that GIFS canno? and vice versa one do somthing the other cant do ?
#animations #flash #gifs #swf
  • Profile picture of the author Zeid Makkawi
    I'll preferly using GIF since it'll be load faster and can be used on almost all
    platform or advertising inventory. The cons would be the image will having
    less quality or can't be as unique as flash.

    on the other hand, flash could have been great animation and smooth quality
    which will help your CTR, but it'll be load slower and not all advertising inventory
    would accept swf format

    Hopefuly it help
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    • Profile picture of the author Victor
      Using a Flash swf
      Pros:
      -Can do a lot more with Flash than with a GIF, including even making the banner interactive if you want to.
      -Image quality can be greater than a GIF, especially if it's a Vector graphic which can be resized and not cause any loss of image quality

      Cons:
      -Unlike the GIF file, the SWF will require that the Flash Player is installed in the person's browser (90%+ of browsers have it). I can't really think of any other con when comparing this to a GIF.

      Using a GIF
      Pros:
      -Could possibly be of smaller file size
      -Does not require a browser plugin

      Cons:
      -The graphic cannot have interactivity
      -The quality might not be so great
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      • Profile picture of the author penpal6
        Originally Posted by Victor View Post

        Using a Flash swf
        Pros:
        -Can do a lot more with Flash than with a GIF, including even making the banner interactive if you want to.
        -Image quality can be greater than a GIF, especially if it's a Vector graphic which can be resized and not cause any loss of image quality

        Cons:
        -Unlike the GIF file, the SWF will require that the Flash Player is installed in the person's browser (90%+ of browsers have it). I can't really think of any other con when comparing this to a GIF.

        Using a GIF
        Pros:
        -Could possibly be of smaller file size
        -Does not require a browser plugin

        Cons:
        -The graphic cannot have interactivity
        -The quality might not be so great
        for quality Flash, go for.swf
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      • Profile picture of the author Vlad Bacioiu
        Originally Posted by Victor View Post

        Using a Flash swf
        Pros:
        -Can do a lot more with Flash than with a GIF, including even making the banner interactive if you want to.
        -Image quality can be greater than a GIF, especially if it's a Vector graphic which can be resized and not cause any loss of image quality

        Cons:
        -Unlike the GIF file, the SWF will require that the Flash Player is installed in the person's browser (90%+ of browsers have it). I can't really think of any other con when comparing this to a GIF.

        Using a GIF
        Pros:
        -Could possibly be of smaller file size
        -Does not require a browser plugin

        Cons:
        -The graphic cannot have interactivity
        -The quality might not be so great

        here's a detailed explanation,depends on what you want
        I would choose .swf
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  • Profile picture of the author mandark
    Flash: high quality, slower load time, can look more professional
    Gif: lower quality, faster load time, looks more amateur
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  • Profile picture of the author iStealSushi
    They are two different types of files unrelated to each other. Think about the difference between a Youtube video (.swf) and a picture slide show of your last Christmas party. Big difference, see?

    A .gif file is an image file, much like the photographs you would take on your phone or camera. It's simply a multitude of images shown at a frame rate that appears to make it "animated". Got it? It's several image files that plays out in a slideshow to give the impression that it's animated.

    An .SWF file, on the other hand, has a variety of purposes, one of which is for actual animation. As I said, it has a variety of purposes, meaning you can make it your head banner with clickable buttons or a game out of it. It is not limited to just making animations.

    With that clarification out of the way...

    An .Swf file, depending on how you use it, trumps over a .GIF file in just about any way possible EXCEPT size and compatibility. However, the compatibility issue isn't even much of an issue nowadays since Flash is so widely used that most computers have it which just leaves us with the size problem. A .Gif file would be much easier to place on your website because it's small.
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