Microsoft Liquid Motion Tough to Recommend? Forrest Stroud
If it weren't for the auto-animation features, Liquid Motion would be tough to recommend, especially considering its $150 price tag. A high-quality animated GIF tool like the inexpensive GIF Animator from Ulead will allow you to create animated GIFs that in general download much faster on the 'net than comparable Liquid Motion animations. This is due to a number of factors, including Liquid Motion's reliance on Java for its animations (animated GIFs do not need Java classes to be pre-loaded in order to play on a Web site), better optimization capabilities in high-end animated GIF tools like GIF Animator, and the need for only a single image to be downloaded as opposed to a group of images and the animation settings for those images.
Another drawback to Liquid Motion is that when importing a standard graphic, the client only allows GIF and JPEG images to be imported. While this leaves out file formats like PNG (Portable Network Graphic), PSD (Photoshop), and TIFF, you can get around this limitation by dragging and dropping any type of image into Liquid Motion from another graphics app. Still, it's surprising to find these features lacking in a high-end design tool like Liquid Motion.
Despite the numerous advantages of animated GIF tools, if you have a highly complex animation or want to add sound or interactivity options to an existing animation, Liquid Motion is the best way to go. While VRML animations offer a number of similar features, users must first download a VRML plug-in in order to view them, and, like those of Liquid Motion, VRML animations tend to be quite large in terms of file size. While a perfect compromise between animated GIFs and VRML animations may not be available for quite some time, Microsoft Liquid Motion has taken the all-important initial step towards that elusive goal.
Pros: Feature-rich, trio of automatic animation tools, add sound & interaction to animations
Cons: Relatively expensive, requires Java-enabled browser, creates large animations
