A Flash animation is a compiled or published file created using Macromedia Flash software. The compiled file is a .swf file format that can be played by flash player or embedded in an HTML file. Flash can generate other formats including gif animations. Basically 2 dimensional graphics can be animated very well in Flash animation software. The software is able to perform some kind of movement and visual style such as Motion twin, time line effect, morphing, masking, blurring, expanding, transitions, transform and explode are such activities used for object motion. Frame by frame motion can be done in Flash software for character motions. Action buttons, movie clips for an interactive animation can be designed in Flash for interaction purposes.

Flash a Popular Software Tool
The animation products from Flash are popular in web media, television and movie industries. Web banners and web advertisements are designed using Flash. The .swf and .gif files are the animation files can be used in websites. For interaction purpose .swf files can be assigned mouse over, click action, where .gif files can not be used for interaction purpose. The swf file can be incorporated with sound files, voice over and back ground music. The animation can be integrated with voice and sounds. Flash animation files consume more memory space and take bit time for loading into memory of computer. Flash is able to integrate bitmaps or raster images, video, and vector-based drawings as well. The vector graphics gave more clarity that raster images.

Macromedia Flash is very popular software for Internet based cartoons, online cartoons, web toons, online music players, and interactive software interfaces. Flash animations are used in mobile mms, feature functions, buttons also. Flash is the best software for making animated games, form video games, computer and mobiles devices.

Macromedia Flash 4/MX, Basic 8 and Flash Professional 8 are the professional standard versions. The software with ActionScript language is able to produce high-impact interactive web experiences. Using ActionScript you can provide basic or complex user interactivity with objects other than those built into Flash such as buttons and movie clips, or otherwise turn a SWF file into a more robust user experience.

Learning Flash
You need to know the entire menus, tools, functions, panes, tabs, and all features used for making animations. If you have knowledge in a scripting language before, ActionScript will seem familiar. ActionScript is used for writing code for an action to be performed by a button or object. By this you can add a lot of interactivity to your animation files.

System requirements
The following system specifications are required for Flash software and player.
Min Operating system Apple MacOS X 10.3, Apple MacOS X 10.4, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000
Min processor type 800 MHz, 600 MHz, 600 MHz
Peripheral / Interface devices CD-ROM, VGA monitor
System requirements details Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP 256 MB 710 MB, 256 MB 360

The best tutorial is Help panel (Help > Flash Help) or (F1) for reading all Flash topics, such as components and Macromedia Flash Lite etc.