Add-ins
Instant FX Flash Browser / Transformer
Reviewed by Geetesh
Bajaj, April 5th 2006
Introduction
About InstantFX
Download and Installation
Using FlashBrowser
Pricing and Support
Conclusion
Introduction
As Flash SWFs get more ubiquitous, there's a need for a tool that
helps you organize and reuse your content. InstantFX SE Flash
Browser / Transformer is one such product - apart from being
a Flash SWF browser, it also includes an internal Flash SWF library.
In addition, it plugs into Microsoft Office applications like FrontPage
and PowerPoint so that all these SWFs can be inserted in web pages
or slides with one click.
In this review, I'll explore the PowerPoint add-in option that
allows you to browse and edit Flash clip art, SWFs saved on your
system, and even SWFs that can be found in your browser cache!
Back
About InstantFX
Flash Browser / Transformer is from XZAKT Media, a company
based in Australia. InstantFX offers several other products from
their site.
My contact at InstantFX for this review was Andrew Brisbane -
thank you, Andrew.
You can download a free trial version of InstantFX Flash Browser from
their site...
Back
Download and Installation
Installation is quick - and the add-in automatically shows up
in PowerPoint as a new toolbar (see screenshot).
After you buy the product, you are provided with a registration
name and code that converts the trial version to a full version.
Back
Using FlashBrowser
InstantFX SE Flash Browser / Transformer adds a new toolbar within
PowerPoint. Create a new slide in your presentation and click the Insert
Flash Clip Art to bring up the interface that you can see in
the screenshot below.
Now you can insert three types of Flash SWFs in PowerPoint depending
upon where it is sourced from:
- IFX Clipart: These are any of the readymade IFX clips
that can be exported as SWFs into a PowerPoint slide.
- SWF Files: This option allows you to browse from and
choose any SWFs found in your hard disk.
- IE Cache: This option finds any SWFs in your browser
cache.
Once you have chosen the source SWF, all you need to do is click
the Export option to export the file to the active PowerPoint slide.
Run the slide show to see the SWFs.
There are no settings for PowerPoint within the export screen
as Flash Browser/Transfomer SWFs are embedded into the PowerPoint
presentation. This means there are no external SWF files involved.
In addition, the second button on the InstantFX toolbar in PowerPoint
allows you to add some VBA code to your inserted Flash SWFs to
provide better navigation.
Back
Pricing and Support
InstantFX SE Flash Browser / Transformer costs just $17.95 for
a single license - that price was a surprise because I expected
it to be higher considering this product includes a Flash clip
art library. However, this does mean that more people will be able
to use the product - in fact, considerable savings are available
for multiple licenses.
Email support is complemented by a small online FAQ that I wish
was more detailed.
Back
Conclusion
InstantFX SE Flash Browser / Transformer not only allows to add
SWF files to your PowerPoint slides, but also lets you convert
them to EXEs and screen savers. In addition, you can manipulate
SWFs to change the size and color tint. Text, images and sounds
within SWFs can also be edited.
It's a nice product and I have no issues giving it a positive
recommendation.
Back
|
