The need for Flash to HTML5 conversion services has become increasingly critical as we move through 2024. With Adobe Flash officially discontinued at the end of 2020, any Flash-based content, including eLearning courses, games, and animations, has become largely inaccessible to users, as most browsers have removed support for the Flash Player. This transition to HTML5 is not just about compliance; it also addresses the growing demand for mobile-friendly, cross-platform content that can be accessed on a variety of devices without the need for plugins.
HTML5 has emerged as the standard for web development, offering enhanced compatibility with modern browsers and operating systems. It supports rich multimedia content and provides a better user experience, making it an ideal replacement for Flash. Organizations that have yet to convert their Flash content face significant risks, including security vulnerabilities and loss of user engagement.
In 2024, the emphasis on digital transformation continues to grow, making it essential for businesses and educational institutions to modernize their content. By converting Flash to HTML5, organizations can ensure their materials remain relevant, accessible, and engaging for users, thus enhancing overall learning and interaction experiences. Here are 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 enhance interactivities compared to Flash, offering more dynamic and interactive eLearning courses through modern web standards. This can boost the engagement of learners and provide an enhanced eLearning experience.
- 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.
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.
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 Flash Player plugin will no longer be supported after December 2020.
How to handle high-volume Flash to HTML5 conversion?
Many legacy courses may still contain Flash elements, which need to be identified and converted to ensure accessibility. 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.
- Prioritize the courses to be converted: gather legacy courses, audit courses for relevance, and draw up the priority list of courses to be converted from Flash to HTML5.
- Choose the right conversion strategy
- Choose the right authoring tool
What are the Top Tools for Flash to HTML5 conversion?
There are two ways to approach Flash to HTML5 conversion depending on what forms of files you have at your disposal. For instance, when the source files are .fla and .as3, the conversion process is easier with Google’s Web Designer (although not primarily used for conversion) and Adobe’s Animate CC. If you don’t have the source files but have the SWF file, automated tools such as those offered by Haxe and CreateJS can assist in converting SWF to HTML5, though the results may vary based on the complexity of the original content.
Let us explore a list of available tools and some useful information about them.
- Adobe Animate CC is an avatar of the Flash Professional editor. It is an animation tool without any Flash dependence. Adobe Animate CC can import .fla files created with Flash Professional, allowing for some level of migration, but it may not fully support all features of the original Flash content.
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 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 tends 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. 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.
Do you have more questions on repurposing some of your older eLearning curriculum?
We are happy to help. Our comprehensive team of instructional designers, learning strategists, and custom development team can help you better learning experiences for your learners.
