Flash Catcher Review

Hate It!

Submitted by cnadirect on Sat, 2008-02-16 14:50.
Author's Product Rating:
Ease of Use: 
Effectiveness: 
Help/Support: 
The lowest price: 22.45$
You can buy it at RegNow for that price.
Pros:
It does work. It doesn't cost that much. It is easy to figure out, even without a load of documentation.
Cons:
Could be 'prettier'
I don't like the idea that you can 'steal' others flash files for use on your own websites.
Review:

I had never heard of Flash Catcher before. However, there have been times when I would have liked to have a way to capture an image that is in a 'flash' program that would be useful for print.

(For instance my son is obsessed with drumming, and especially drum corps, and it is hard to find decent photos for him to display on his wall.)

The interface is ugly to start with and they could easily create a small icon that would interface with the browser rather than that huge button. The toolbar incidentaly wipes out all the other links you may have, unless you uncheck the "flash catcher" toolbar.

I tried it out on a couple of my client's websites, and found it was easy to use. I was able to save the flash files, and while I was unable to change the scripting on flash applications, by opening the saved file in Flash Professional, I was actually able to edit the file, and change the content. (Not sure I like this. Copyright infringement will be abundant.)

Even without documentation, it took me about 5 seconds to figure out. I wouldn't recommend this software, because ethically I am not comfortable with it.

Conclusion:

Flash Catcher works. It isn't expensive.
It does allow you to save the files, for viewing or editing if you have the experience. It could have a nicer interface, and I guess it has uses.
I may use the trial version to get some photos for my son, but I don't think I will keep it.