The multitude of options may be daunting for inexperienced users but in reality the majority are non-essential and will only be called to action if a very particular result is sought. Thanks to an automatically refreshing preview window, each change you make can be checked before exporting and as a consequence the process of trial and error is much speedier.

The cracks begin to show however after you’ve checked out a few of the available effects. Since many of them are basic it seems like overkill to have a separate program to take care of them and would make more sense to get a copy of Flash Professional and build them from scratch. What’s more Text-Osterone, as the name suggests, has been designed to deal with text only. No options exist to work with basic shape animations, which might be handy if you want a corporate logo to feature.

Text-Osterone is a program that has been designed for those who have no experience whatsoever with Flash and as a result will more than likely produce substandard pages. As such, beginners can get a feel of what is possible and of course add more than just plain test to their site. It makes a good toy for those with curiosity but should not be used in an advanced setting.

Download Text-Osterone 1.117 in Softonic

Zinc empowers your Adobe (Previously Macromedia) 6, 7 8 and 9 SWF files with unrivaled functionality and flexibility. Create powerful Desktop Applications for Windows with over 800 new and extremely powerful commands for your Flash projects.

Zinc can completely customize every aspect of your Application from size, style, border and icon, and its powerful scripting support, {mdm}Script 2.0, allows unrivaled functionality. Zinc even allows you to completely skin your projectors and Application with over 100 pre-designed Skins!

Zinc 3.0 has been developed from the ground-up as a viable X-Platform Development Solution. The New Zinc 3.0 GUI has been redesigned and redeveloped to provide an intuitive development environment with minimal differences between the two Platforms. The new GUI also features an impressive WYSIWYG Design View.

Download Zinc 3.0.23 in Softonic

Instead of simplifying the animation process, this program gives you the most basic drawing tools and takes away your control over the animation process.

Immediately your control has been compromised, so it has obviously been designed for anyone who wants a quick fix flash animation without having to get their hands dirty.

Even if this is the case, the tools for drawing are far too limited and it doesn't even include a pen tool for freehand lines!

Controlling exactly how the on-screen objects behave is a challenge but for creating extremely simple slides and zooms, this program will suffice.

You can also insert buttons and change their properties quickly and easily.

However, this does not make up for the clunky interface and the lack of control that the user has. If you are interested in creating unique professional looking Flash movies, use Macromedia Flash, but if you want to create a quick and easy animation, there are a variety of more effective and user-friendly tools such as KoolMoves or Insane Flash Animator.

Download Selecto Flash Designer 5.0.21.1 in Softonic

Flash is a popular format to publish videos and animations, so it's always useful to have a program that can extract all the various elements inside it. Sothink SWF Decompiler is one of those programs: a tool capable of extracting the diverse elements that make up an SWF file. This includes images, sounds, text, and more. Sothink SWF Decompiler not only does the job quickly and efficiently, but is also very easy to use.

The program features a user-friendly interface with the popular ribbon-style toolbar. It also has support for drag and drop, making it even easier to work with, even for beginners. After opening a Flash movie, you'll be able to play it right in Sothink SWF Decompiler and see its structure on the right-side panel. Just note that you need to use an embedded player for it to work properly.

All the elements you choose to extract can then be opened up in a Flash editor for further work. Sothink SWF Decompiler also has a handy tool to capture any SWF movies or animations you see on a website. Unfortunately, it only works with Internet Explorer. In an age where it seems like most users prefer Firefox or Google's Chrome, Sothink SWF Decompiler is really behind the curve in this regard.

Sothink SWF Decompiler is an efficient, easy-to-use tool to extract all the elements inside an SWF movie.

Download Sothink SWF Decompiler 6.3 in Softonic

Opinions seem to be divided on Flash. Some people love the fact that programs like Adobe Flash allow you to create stunning presentations and animations with it. Others criticize it for its relative slowness and the difficulty behind creating even the most basic of graphics.

Flash doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon however, and that's where Sothink SWF Quicker comes in to help you create professional-looking flash presentations. Sothink SWF Quicker attempts to help users create these graphics in as simple a way possible. You can create your own small animations and movies with Sothink SWF Quicker, making your content more interactive than it otherwise would have been.

There are quite a few different effects you can create with Sothink SWF Quicker, including effects that allow you to transform one shape into another and photo morphing, which do essentially the same thing but with images. Sothink SWF Quicker also provides a set of tools to create vector graphics and texts in a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interface.

You can also add neat soundtracks to your designs by importing sound files such as .mp3, .mpeg, .avi, and .mov files. This adds a touch of audiovisual individuality to your Flash animations.

This is no substitute for learning to program in Flash, but Sothink SWF Quicker is a very good way for beginners to get started in the world of Flash animation.

Download Sothink SWF Quicker 5.3 in Softonic

Of course, you can’t just pick up a copy of the Macromedia heavyweight and start churning out sites like MTV. com in the first five minutes. KoolMoves makes for a great bite-sized introduction to Flash’s capabilities, allowing you to create graphics, animations, interfaces and page layouts through a slim-line interface.

The simplicity of KoolMoves is enhanced by the inclusion of a series of wonderful interactive tutorials, comprehensive Help section and a range of preset layouts and templates.

Once you’ve finished your masterpiece on KoolMoves, it proves very simple to export it as a SWF file in a matter of seconds.

Even seasoned Flash developers may find KoolMoves useful to use the program as an alternative, especially as it now includes a range of ActionScript features.

Download KoolMoves 8.0.0 in Softonic

However, Presto Web FX takes the pain out of Flash animation creation and allows you to get really creative with your website. It's not hugely varied though - there are only 10 animations to choose from ranging from a rotating cube to simple animations. However, each has it's own style, colors, lighting effects and shadows. The program also comes with a very easy to follow tutorial which takes you through the hardest aspects of the program although it's far from complicated and well within the grasp of beginners. It's especially ideal for those that want to create eye catching special effects for animated banners and advertising slogans on their site and the tutorial helps you with this specific task. The latest release of Presto Web FX also includes "Flacrobats" which is a special symbol font with shapes and symbols to make animated borders and embellishments.

Give your website a real Flash of inspiration with this easy to use Flash animation software that will wow beginners although not do much for web professionals.

Download Presto Web FX 2.1 in Softonic