Really Good Flash Sites

[Justin Cormack]

A question for the seasoned html'ers, css'ers and javascripters in the house. Couldn't some of the simpler animations done in flash like sliding panels, slideshows, moving boxes, moving text, rollovers and so on be done in dhtml using layers, css positioning and some javascript. Couldn't the javascript can be written with a WYSIWYG program like Dreamweaver?

Yes all those things can be done. Except the bit about writing the Javascript in Dreamweaver.

Look at things like lightbox which are javascript only.
http://www.huddletogether.com/projects/lightbox/

[Jim collum]

discovered http://www.camilleseaman.com today

[Marko]

A question for the seasoned html'ers, css'ers and javascripters in the house. Couldn't some of the simpler animations done in flash like sliding panels, slideshows, moving boxes, moving text, rollovers and so on be done in dhtml using layers, css positioning and some javascript. Couldn't the javascript can be written with a WYSIWYG program like Dreamweaver?

Yes, but why? Flash is a natural environment for animation, that was/is its primary purpose and it does it the best. If animation or a slideshow is really needed, then Flash is the right tool for it.

Another question altogether is the necessity and usability of such contraptions. All those things you mention are nothing more than embellishments which contribute nothing to the functionality of the page and take away a lot, regardless which technology was used for their creation. It is not unheard of to see a javascript such as this doubling or even tripling the bandwidth of an otherwise properly written and standardized page.

About half of my clients at least inquire about something along those lines somewhere during site creation process, often even after they have accepted more functional alternative. I always try to explain that, while I would be more than happy to charge them additional fees something like that would entail, it would be much more useful if they devoted half of the bandwidth and funds required to providing more content.

There are exceptions such as multimedia content, animated or not, and slideshows, but even then, it is, in most cases, best done as a Flash block embedded in the larger (X)HTML page instead of full-blown Flash page.

Web sites whose main purpose is presenting multimedia content are, of course, something else entirely. But that's a whole different world anyway and chances are they'll know which direction to take from the get go.

[J Peterson]

discovered http://www.camilleseaman.com today

This is very nice. She has a very apt name as well!

I'm working on something similar at the moment. The backend of it is highly complex and hair rippingly frustrating! So very gutted to find out it's a template site!!!

[J Peterson]

I always try to explain that, while I would be more than happy to charge them additional fees something like that would entail, it would be much more useful if they devoted half of the bandwidth and funds required to providing more content

This is so on the money and very well put.

[Brian C. Miller]

A lot of the simple embelishments can be done with CSS. There are a lot of really great CSS sites, and the basic setup doesn't take long. Then the rest of the site loads quickly, and you get to the most important part quicker: content!

[scrichton]

Frank I'll put this simply ... lets forget all the other responses that bad mouth formatting etc ... That site is beautiful.

Works amazingly fast. Combines a very natural interface with great content.

Thanks.

[Dan V]

Brian, I'm not a fan of flash, but your site's flash-lite and a pleasure to view. Love your work.

Often times I see Flash sites that seem to use Flash purely as a gimmick and do not serve the function of directing viewers around the photographs. The first sample that Frank gave, while interesting, is an extremely ineeficient way for people to view that photographers work. As new images pop up all over the place, and very slowly at that, it becomes very hard to tell which images you have already seen. This is a very time consuming way to show work.

My own site is Flash, and it's pretty minimal while at the same time I tried to make navigation fairly easy.

www.kosoff.com

Craig I really enjoyed your site, it's good to see another photographer who sometimes uses all the tones between zone 7 & 8.

[Brian K]

Dan thanks for the kind words.