Converting from Flash to HTML5: Your Top 5 questions answered

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What is the need for Flash to HTML5 conversion services?

Firstly, Flash will become obsolete in 2021, Flash-based courses are going to become inaccessible to learners. Despite this clear need, there are also several other reasons to use HTML5 to Convert Your Flash eLearning Content:

  • HTML5-based authoring tools provide templates that allow rapid eLearning course development
  • HTML5 can replace the limited interactivities of Flash with dynamic and interactive eLearning courses. This can boost the engagement of learners and provides an enhanced eLearning experience.
  • Flash has security flaws that make it vulnerable. Transitioning from Flash to HTML5 can make your content more secure.
  • Converting from Flash to HTML5 makes your content mobile-ready and more responsive. HTML5 format readily adjusts to different mobile devices without compromising on usability. This means your content is device-agnostic and mobile-ready.
  • Apart from the mobile compatibility issues discussed above, iOS-based Apple devices, such as iPhone and iPad, have traditionally never supported Flash. By converting from Flash to HTML5, your eLearning courses will become accessible on these devices.
flash to HTML5

How can you identify if your existing eLearning courses use Flash?

Look for extensions such as .swf and .flv in your published package for the course. A .swf or .flv file indicates an animation file created using Adobe Flash. These files can only be run with a Flash Player or with a web browser that has the Flash plugin installed.

ALSO READ :   Best Practices When Migrating from Legacy Flash Courses to HTML5

Alternatively, your Flash-based online courses will not run upon turning off the “play Flash content” option in your browser.

All major browsers such as Google’s Chrome, Microsoft’s Edge, and Mozilla’s Firefox have announced the Flashplayer plugin will no longer be supported after December 2020.

How to handle high-volume Flash to HTML5 conversion?

  • Prioritize the courses to be converted: Gather legacy courses, Audit courses for relevance, Draw up the priority list of courses to be converted from Flash to HTML5.
  • Choose the right conversion strategy
  • Choose the right authoring tool: 

There are two kinds of authoring tools, i.e., rapid development tools such as Articulate Studio 13, Adapt and iSpring, or standard mobile learning authoring tools such as Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Adobe CS6 with CreateJS and Trivantis Lectora.

Outsourcing Flash To HTML5 Conversion: Achieve scale in conversion, Leverage the vendor’s authoring tool expertise, Reduce turnaround time by speeding upconversion

What is the best strategy for Flash to HTML5 conversion?

A lot of your legacy courses most likely depend on Flash elements. Converting from Flash to HTML5 requires a strategy of prioritization and analysis to understand the need. This strategy can save time as it is likely that most files have been untouched for years. Additionally, the course content may need updating.

Here is a quick strategy as discussed in our previous blog:

  • Identify the courses that need to be converted based on priority
  • Identify the Assets Associated with the Courses
  • Identify what type of Flash to HTML5 conversion for each course
  1. Rebuilding the course
  2. Converting the existing content
  • Identify Opportunities to Improve the effectiveness of your courses
ALSO READ :   Best Practices When Migrating from Legacy Flash Courses to HTML5

This is an overview of what an effective conversion strategy should look like. To learn more about the steps listed above, read this blog post.

What are the Top Tools for Flash to HTML5 conversion?

The Flash to HTML5 conversion tools you wish

There are two ways to approach Flash to HTML5 conversion depending on what forms of files you have got at your disposal. For instance, when the source files are .fla and .as3, the conversion process is easier with Google’s Web designer and Adobe’s Animate CC. If you don’t have the source files but have the SWF file (SWF is an Adobe Flash file format used for multimedia, vector graphics, and ActionScript), automated tools provided as a part of the Haxe and CreateJS JavaScript libraries are your best option to convert SWF to HTML5.

Let us explore a list of available tools and some useful information about them.

  • Adobe Animate CC is the latest avatar of the Flash Professional editor. It is an animation tool without any Flash dependence. Adobe Animate CC can still load .fla files created with Flash Professional.

The most relevant addition to Adobe Animate is that it now supports HTML5 targets. This offers a migration path for legacy Flash applications and gamified content originally created in Flash Professional. Despite being useful for converting old timeline animations to HTML5, Adobe Animate lacks an automatic translation path for the older AS3 code. This means any AS3 code in older .fla projects will need to be manually ported to Javascript. It is also worth noting that using Adobe Animate to convert animations tend to be significantly larger than the original .swf files.

  • Google Web Designer is an editing tool that can aid Flash to HTML5 conversion, for free. Unlike Adobe, it does not require a subscription. However, users report that there are conversion issues with complex Flash projects.
  • OpenFL is a free and open-source software framework and platform of the Flash API written in the Haxe programming language. It can be used for the creation of multi-platform applications and gamified eLearning content. Haxe was created as an open-source model successor to ActionScript 2 and can be compiled to multiple targets such as Javascript, C++, Java, and Python. OpenGL is a cross-platform implementation of the Flash API created in 2013. In combination, Haxe and OpenFL allow the content developer to target a variety of platforms including HTML5 for the web, PC, Mac, Android, and iOS. This makes for a versatile combination.
ALSO READ :   Best Practices When Migrating from Legacy Flash Courses to HTML5

Do You Have Flash eLearning Courses to Convert?

Origin Learning is an end-to-end content development company offering custom eLearning solutions. Our staff, comprising 350+ Instructional Designers, Graphic Designers, Project Managers, and Quality Assurance Personnel, can convert flash eLearning to HTML5 easily and efficiently.

Here is a brief overview of our process:

  • Conduct an Assessment of Needs to explore your legacy assets and ascertain what needs to be ported and updated. Recommendations for the html5 authoring tools that are best suited to your organization’s objectives and the learning needs of your employees.
  • Evaluate your learning management and knowledge sharing system to ascertain what changes need to be made for the new courses to work effectively.

Our expert instructional designers and Project managers will ensure a smooth transition to offer an uninterrupted and seamless transition experience. Write to us at info@originlearning.com.


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