A preview of Adobe’s HTML5 animation tool, codenamed Edge, will soon be available for download from Adobe Labs. In the meantime, PM Doug Winnie gives a quick tour of some upcoming features.
Doug & colleagues will be speaking at the aforementioned HTML5 camp at Adobe. From Labs you can sign up to be notified when Edge is ready for download.
After Effects style UI… AWESOME.
[I recall myself saying just that in 2000, when I came to Adobe to work on the AE-style, SVG-producing LiveMotion. ;-p (A huge problem then was that the browser makers couldn’t get their stuff together and support open animation standards, so we were stuck supporting just Flash as the output format. Having your app’s success dependent on generating a format & runtime controlled by one’s competitor is, eh, *not so good*.) –J.]
This looks amazing!
Can’t wait.
Sounds nice. Let’s hope that it’s not such garbage like the Flash IDE 🙂
That’s great. I’m still holding off a little longer to learn html5 but I hope i can start using this programme when I do.
That is wicked cool. I signed up already, but hadn’t seen the trailer!
The funny thing is that people believe that HTML5 is amazing and we just waiting for a tool. The problem is that you can only do a fraction of effects and blendings in HTML5 that Flash can do. No tool in the world can fix the canvas/css3 mess. Good luck to try to do a perfect blend and transformation of text/vector/bitmaps with good antialias and speed that work in all browsers.
True. But this is more than a great start. And there are plenty of circumstances where those effects and blending modes are not necessary. Much can be done with simple animation. This is brilliant work by Adobe. And John, you must feel excited as this is reminiscent of the great interface that LiveMotion had back in the day! I’m super-stoked! Let me at it!
Will the output be WebKit-only (like the output of the Flash converter) or will it be cross-browser for Firefox, Opera and IE >=9?
The output will work across multiple browsers including Firefox, Internet Explorer 9 and WebKit browsers. In addition, the output will work on Android and iOS mobile browsers too. We are working hard to support other browsers in the future, but WebKit and non-WebKit browsers are supported.
WOW!
This is the stuff I am waiting for; Adobe showing that they are THE TOOLMAKERS!
The superb (clean) AfterEffects UI and WebKit rendering… Heaven!
Thanks for sharing with us John!
Best,
Bastiaan
I want to marry the people that developed this. Every single one! 🙂
Thanks John for the post — We are all very proud of Edge, and we are so excited to bring this to everyone very soon.
I recently purchased HYPE which is an app developed by a couple of former Apple employees. It appears that Hype and Edge have a similar approach. I’ll be really interested in the further development of Edge. I’ll be especially interested it if competes cost wise…Hype was inexpensive. If Edge competes cost wise I may buy it as well. Good job….looking forward to seeing Edge development.
[There are plenty of ways to compete with Hype other than on price. –J.]
Nice functionality, but with all due respect does Adobe really need to pitch this as yet another app? The product line already feels overextended. But I suppose as long as enough people are buying into it then by all means.
[What would you suggest instead? Making Flash author/emit HTML5 animation? We’re doing that, too. But of course then some people would complain that they’re being “forced” to buy Flash in order to make HTML, or that the Flash object model wasn’t designed from scratch with the limitations of HTML in mind (which is certainly true), etc. –J.]
Tis true, damned if you do, damned if you don’t. It’s just that at times it’s really starting to feel like way too many applications have to be launched and shuffled based on file format.
[Of course, in mobile land where I live, you try building a semi-serious/complete app & get people jumping down your throat saying, “NOOO! Don’t make me think! Make me jump among 16 tiny apps to do anything!!” –J.]
But I suppose from Adobe’s POV the more tools you can convince people it takes to build something the better it is for sales.
[If that were true, you wouldn’t have editable type or vectors in Photoshop, or Flash export from InDesign & After Effects, or… –J.]
Not that I believe Adobe is that simplistic, but it must play some part in the app overlap. I could probably help better illustrate my frustration with Adobe’s app-overload if I went into more detail, but I’ll spare us all my tiny two cents for the time being. After all I’m just one little voice amidst hoards 🙂
[Your feedback is always welcome. –J.]
ps-For what it’s worth, I’ve been meaning to tell you that for the first time in FOREVER I found myself actually excited about “Adobe stuff” with the release of the latest iPad tools. I bought them all and while IMHO they’re not entirely “there” yet, they exhibit some of that Adobe innovation which I used to get excited about ten years ago, something I haven’t seen from Adobe in quite some time. I just figured I’m often so quick to share my discontent I ought to go the other way once in a blue moon as well. [Again, not that Adobe hinges on even a fraction of any sentiment I carry 🙂 ]
Wow, that look really sweet! But the part that sold me was the “its completely additive : we won’t touch your code, so you can easily work with developpers”. Now THATS what I’m talking about ^^.
I wonder if it will be part of the Creative Suit or if it will be a standalone app only?