Unable to Export to Flash/SWF Anymore

[protobot]

I've always been able to export files to SWF format when using Illustrator. But I just downloaded Illustrator onto a new laptop and when I do the typical File>Export>Export As..., Flash/SWF is the only file-type that is no longer listed (see attached). Is there some way to "enable" the SWF format on the computer?

[CarlosCanto]

Flash officially dies at the end of the year, perhaps that's the reason it's no longer an option.

It should be on purpose though, exporting to Flash was removed from Scripting API as well.

[Conrad C]

It looks like Adobe stopped Flash support after December 31, 2020. Since then Flash support has been removed from across the Adobe product line including Illustrator, Acrobat, InDesign, and the video apps. Largely for security reasons. So the ship sailed 11 months ago.

To help secure your system, Adobe blocked Flash content from running in Flash Player beginning January 12, 2021. Major browser vendors have disabled and will continue to disable Flash Player from running.

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It’s unlikely that there is a way to enable Flash in a current version of Illustrator. It may no longer be in the code. Maybe the last time you saw it on the old computer, it was in an old version of Illustrator.

[protobot · Accepted solution]

Ah, I wasn't aware that Adobe was abandoning Flash 😕 In case anyone stumbles upon this thread and needs SWF format like me (the program I am using only supports vector images in SWF), you only have to download legacy version 25.4.1 to get SWF format back. It wasn't removed from Illustrator until the current version released just a few days ago.

[Monika Gause]

Just curious: which application is that?

[CarlosCanto]

It's Illustrator Monika.

[edit]

....oh you meant the receiving application, duh!!

[macamator]

Its frustrating that the correct answer to this is that Adobe removed a fully functioning aspect of Illustrator that is useful to animators. I understand that Flash is dead for the web, but as a formet for vector animation SWF is really helpful and useful. I would like them to return this feature especially since the version that last allowed SWF eport apparently cannot be installed on an M1 Mac based off what CC is telling me. I don't see any good reason why this setting should be removed.

[Monika Gause]

Creating the animation in Animate is not an option for you?

I've created several SWF animations in Illustrator and I always found it quite limiting. Also the animation files were inefficient.

[Creamer Training]

This is a very old thread. 

Flash is gone--not just for the web but everywhere. If Adobe continued support for it, they would need to continue support for the player. With the security holes, that would be a mess. 

There are other programs out there that specialize in animation but many export to HTML5 format, like Adobe Animate does. 

[Monika Gause]

You can still import it in After Effects. That's how I used it.

[JoãoCésar]

Hi.

Flash is a broad term and therefore some clarifications are necessary.

The IDE that used to be called Adobe Flash now is called Adobe Animate.

The Flash Player is a runtime that is indeed not available as a plugin for mainstream browsers anymore, but it is still available for desktop applications.

The Flash Player is still largely used by animators because this is the program that executes the SWF files created in Adobe Animate when the Test command (Ctrl/Cmd + Enter/Return) or the Publish (⌥/Shift + F12) command are used.

The SWF file format is still largely used by many AS3 technologies, like Adobe/Harman AIR, Adobe/Harman Flex, Apache Royale, and even by Haxe technologies, like OpenFL and HaxeFlixel.

Through Harman/Adobe AIR, that creates SWF based native applications for desktop, android, and iOS, many apps and games are still being developed for the App Store, Google Play, Microsoft Store, Steam, itch.io, among others.

Also, the SWF format and the ActionScript 2 and 3 languages are coming back to the web through the Flash Player emulator written in Rust called Ruffle (https://ruffle.rs/).

So saying that "Flash is dead" can be very misleading.

Regards,

JC