This is a guest post by Miss Techie, a great tech blogger and a good friend of mine. Hope, you'll enjoy it!
When reviewing software, the most difficult is not to pin a label on something and remember that there is no good or bad software, there is software for different needs. So, today I want to list 5 different Flash Slideshow creators. Each of them is the best – for different purpose.
1) Easy inserting into other SWF files or Power Point presentations - FlashSlider
2) Easy embedding into website, MySpace, blog etc. – Photo Flash Maker + Go2Album
3) 3D Flash effects – 3D Flash Slideshow Creator
4) Built in photo editing – SWiSH Pix
5) Cute templates and cliparts – InAlbum Deluxe
That's my top 5 Flash slideshow creators. Now it's your turn to choose.
My top 5 Flash Slideshow Creators
Best Free PPT to SWF Converters
Microsoft PowerPoint is known to be one of the most powerful and flexible tools for creating presentations or slideshows. Still, ppt format has its own disadvantages for web-oriented users. Converting ppt to swf is the easiest way to make your presentation web friendly. Swf format or Flash is compatible with all platforms and browsers, optimized for distribution on the Web, secure and small-sized. Flash presentations are perfect for embedding into web pages and sharing. Also, they look exactly like original ppt presentations if they are converted with a good tool. Today I offer you small reviews of two free PowerPoint to Flash converters.
authorPOINT Lite. This neat converter runs both as a PowerPoint plug-in and as a desktop application to give you more options. From within PowerPoint, you can set converting options (choose template, set picture and audio quality) and convert a presentation to Flash. authorPOINT creates nice looking slideshows with slides thumbnails, presenter's info, etc. Desktop application also allows batch conversion, adding your photo and logo to presenter's information, edit presentation details.
authorPOINT Lite toolbar
iSpring Free. It is PowerPoint add-in which works within PP and transforms ppt presentations to swf quickly and easily. It has Quick Publish option to convert ppt to Flash within a minute and Publish options which lets set such parameters as presentation title, slide range, autoplay and loop play, slide duration, animations, background color, etc. Besides, iSpring can help you insert Flash into PowerPoint presentations.
iSpring Free toolbar
These tools have also something in common: both of them offers uploading PP presentations to the Web – authorPOINT to authorSTREAM or WiZiQ and iSpring to SlideBoom. Both generate HTML. Both tools have professional paid versions with advanced options. I like and use both of them and hope you'll like them too.
Real world stats of RIA plugin deployments
Are you a RIA developer? Are you in need of statistics of RIA plugin deployments? Rich Internet Application Statistics website is the place exactly for you to get the stats of Adobe Flash Player and Microsoft Silverlight Player deployments. You can view statistics for more than 50 (!) browsers, 20 operating systems and tons of languages. You can view stats as pie or line charts.
Besides, you can get your own RIAStats for your website. Just insert a small JavaScript code into your website and get a personal URL to access your RIAStats. Don't forget to bookmark the page and get dynamic stats for your website.
Permanent LinkFlash charts – what, when, why, where, how?
Creating flash charts for one of my previous posts - What was hot in IT World 2008 - gave me an idea to write about flash charts. I thinks their use is not so wide as they deserve. Flash charts are really great for visualizing whatever data. So, read my What When Why Where and How of flash charts.
What is a flash chart or flash graph?
Chart or graph is data represented in a pictorial form. Flash chart is usually created to be published to the web – that’s why it’s also called web chart. Web chart is data represented in a form of flash “movie” (.swf file) that allows not only representing data as a drawing but also adding various animation effects, interactivity and other functions. Swf file format is ideal for flash graphing because it’s intended to be small enough for publishing to the web and it allows graph animation.
When do you need to use flash charts or flash graphs?
When you have a large amount of numeric data to publish to the web, chart in flash is perfect for its representation. When you need to enhance your site with an eye candy and give some information at the same time, bright animated flash chart is exactly what you need. When your data is dynamic and should be changed from time to time, live flash chart is the best solution because it allows to change data without changing anything in your web page.
Why do you need flash chart or flash graph to represent your data?
Charts are comprehended by the reader over 80 times faster than data. Chart makes relationship between different parts of the data obvious from the first sight. Flash charts are colorful and eye-catching while data represented as a plain text or data table is rather boring. Flash chart attracts your visitors while text data frightens them off.
Where are flash charts or flash graphs used?
Flash graphs are used everywhere where statistical data needs to be represented in the most comprehensible way. For example, web charts are perfect for:
- financial reports and business monitoring;
- network monitoring;
- surveys, polls, elections results;
- scientific data;
- any statistical views.
It's impossible to outline the boundaries of using flash charts. They can be used for displaying anything from network traffic to fluctuation in air temperature, from stock prices to rate of population growth.
How to create and publish flash chart or flash graph?
To create flash graph without wasting time for coding, you need a special graph making software. Such a utility allows to make a graph without any programming skills and publish it to website with ease. Try Animated Chart software for chart making. This flash charting component will help you to create a flash chart of any type, customize every chart item with some mouse clicks, save chart as swf, html or image file and even create a real time web chart based on live data from any source. To publish your flash chart to a web page, you need only to upload swf to your server and paste html code into the code of your web page. Animated Chart generates web ready flash graphs and gives you both swf chart and html code to be inserted into your page. To learn more about the software, to see chart examples or to read tutorials and tips for making flash charts and graphs, visit Animated Chart website.
Happy chart making! :)
Flasher Magazine from Lee Brimelow
Lee Brimelow has made a great New Year present for Flash community - the first issue of Flasher Magazine is available for watching online, downloading and subscribing via RSS or iTunes. It's a video magazine concentrated on Flash platform and Flash development. The premiere issue offers interview with Chuck Freedman, discussion of Flash Catalyst with Ryan Stewart from Adobe, trip through the southwest and featured FAQs regarding making tutorials. Thanks Lee for great job. We're looking forward to issue #2!
Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year, my dear readers! Wish you to be happy, healthy and wealthy in the New 2009 Year!
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What was hot in IT world 2008
The last week of the year is the best time to resume everything that happened in the tech world during the year. So, let’s look at some statistics represented as flash charts to learn what was at the top this year.
Top websites 2008
What are the most popular places of the Web world? The most popular websites according to Alexa ranking and their daily reach (% of global internet users who visit the sites):
Top search engines 2008
Search is an integral part of the Web. Search engines are the integral parts of our life. What search engines were used the most this year?
Top web browsers 2008
Thing which opens the Web for us is a web-browser. Which is the most popular this year?
Top software 2008
Top software of this year is evidently various anti-virus programs. What else was in greatest demand this year?
Top PC games 2008
Of course, computer world can’t be imagined without games. Leaders of this year among the PC games are below:
That’s how computer world lived this year.
All flash charts are created and published with Animated Chart software.
Merry Christmas to all!
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