Older versions of adobe animate

[Mr.Yello Larva]

I was wondering if there's anyway I can use an older version of adobe animate like 2021 or 2020. I'm more use to those versions honestly.

[kglad]

you can with an active subscription, but you can't currently download either.

1. you can install the latest and 1 version prior versions using the cc desktop app. you must have a subscription because previous versions are not available with trials. other versions are revealed after clicking file preferences>apps>tick show older apps (at panel bottom).

2. for versions cc 2019 and older, use prodesigntools.com*.

3. for versions newer than cc 2019 but older than one previous version, contact adobe support for links**.

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* most (but not all) adobe download links are available from prodesigntools.com. https://prodesigntools.com/adobe-direct-download-links.html

follow the directions (esp, step 1)

save the install file. it may not remain online.

thank jim @ prodesigntools.com
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** this support is currently not available. ie, there's a significant gap (between 2019 and last year) in the available previous versions.

opposition to this decision (to limit available previous versions) has been conveyed to adobe officials who are therefore aware of the problems caused by this policy. however, unless/until changes are made, nothing can be done to legally access these files.

[Shivangi_Gupta · Accepted solution]

Hi @Mr.Yello Larva,

Adobe always advises using the latest versions of the application to make sure the bug fixes and new features are implemented.

Regards,

Shivangi 

[jake44205058]

Adobe always advises using the latest version of the application, but when the latest version of the appliccation is useless because it constantly crashes (Animate v.24), people need a viable alternative to get their work done. Where are the bug fixes? I am entirely unable to use the current version because there are no problems detected when I report crashes to Adobe and clearly no patches have been created. This is a known issue with v.24. 

OP's question is whether there is a way to use (download) older versions of the software.  

[kglad]

@jake44205058 

animate v.24 has never crashed for me on win 10.  are you using a mac, and if so, does v 23 also crash?

[jake44205058]

kglad, 
Yes, I am on a Mac, the OS for which is always the latest version —as is CC—  and the computer is hooked up to a Cintiq. In the days of Flash, Cintiqs were known to cause conflicts, but updated drivers made shork work of fixing the issue.  

Please see Cierra's post from a year ago for more examples of this (non-Cintiq) issue.  https://community.adobe.com/t5/animate-discussions/adobe-animate-2024-keeps-crashing-mid-work/m-p/14... 

I am installing the last update for version 23 as I write. If it is not stable, I will update; however, if I experience no major issues, I won't repost. 

I have found no repeatable cause for crashing. It could come from a colour selection, but could just as easily happen when switching to the line tool, or clicking on any other variable (type size; line weight; tool, etc).

It is so persistent that I quit using Animate altogether a year ago, but for the job I'm doing right now, it's the most straightforward, hence installing the older version. 

[kglad]

you should repost, even and especially, if the downgrade works.

[jake44205058]

Your wish is my command: Upon installation of Animate 23.0.10, I can report that the software is about 95% more stable that V24 on my machine (4.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7; Radeon Pro 580 8 GB; 32 GB 2400 MHz DDR4; storage is 33% empty). 

In the initial five or ten minutes, I deleted a line I had selected and that crashed it. It's always little flakey things like that which are unremarkable, and as such, it can take a while to figure out what's activating the crash.

In any case, since that initial wipeout at the outset of this session with V23, Animate has continued to run smoothly (fingers crossed). In the 25+ years of using the various incarnations of this programme, I'd like to emphatically state how much I detest it. It is notoriously sensitive —on Macs, in any case— which is why animators would, for years, use legacy software with legacy OS computers because the slightest divergence (read: update) would play merry hell and Flash was rendered unusable.
 

[kglad]

thanks for that info.  and even for windows, flash cs6 was the best and most stable version of flash/animate.

in any case, it's looking like flash/animate is at the end of the road, as far as adobe is concerned.

[jake44205058]

Interesting to hear about CS6, but also not totally surprising, unfortunately. Once Adobe compelled users to adopt the subscription-based versions instead of the DVDs , everything seems to have gotten manifold worse. For anyone's edification, switching from the selection tool, I pressed N to activate the line tool. Pressing N caused the programme to crash just now. 

Again, not out of the woods by any means —it wouldn't be Flash/Animate if it didn't routinely flake out— but not as utterly useless as V24. Still, I won't shed a tear when Adobe pulls the plug on Animate, since they clearly have little interest in building a stable platform. Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere, InDesign, Acrobat…… all of those work fine; they crash once a year when overloaded with unreasonably large files that a computer's processor can't support. But Animate, it's like it has been engineered to suck. 

[jake44205058]

Mr.Yello Larva, 

When navigating the cloud for newer, but previous incarnations of the software, the process is straightforward enough. Bear in mind, though, that these versions only go back so far. https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/using/install-previous-version.html?sa_src=AVA_JC_Bot-Eng-D...  

And as kglad mentions, truly legacy versions are available on prodesigntools.com