Show HN: I made a free animator. Think Adobe Illustrator but for animation

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reception

  • Many commenters are very enthusiastic. They praise the simplicity, low learning curve, and “it just works” feel, especially compared to heavier pro tools.
  • Several say they made a simple animation in seconds, even on mobile or with no prior animation experience.
  • A recurring theme is its potential as an educational tool and a modern “toy” for kids and beginners.

Comparisons to Flash and other tools

  • Strong nostalgia: many say it feels like Macromedia Flash/Director, or “Flash is back.”
  • Some note Adobe Animate (ex-Flash) now behaves like “Illustrator for animation,” mostly for video or limited HTML5 export.
  • Other tools mentioned as references/alternatives: Rive, Lottie-based tools, Wick Editor, SVGator, Boxy SVG, Synfig, Tumult Hype, etc.
  • Several stress that Flash’s killer feature was its authoring environment, library/components, and scripting (Lingo/ActionScript). Trangram is seen as visual-only, not a full Flash replacement.

Current features highlighted

  • Basic transforms: position, scale, rotation, color, keyframes.
  • Shape morphing, motion paths, and parent-child linking are presented as major features.
  • SVG is the internal model; basic SVG import works, and shapes’ path data can be edited.
  • Keyboard shortcuts exist for common operations (copy/paste, select all, zoom).

Missing features & user requests

  • Major asks: SVG and Lottie export, vector/animated standard formats, reusable libraries/components, scripting, freehand drawing, grid/snap, lock objects, clearer keyframe insertion, library of examples that open directly in the editor, tutorials, and improved keyboard shortcut coverage.
  • Some want pan/zoom with middle mouse, unit settings, higher frame rates, and audio support (which is currently not on the roadmap).
  • Multiple requests for export to formats like GIF (exists), SVG (planned, not yet), Lottie, JPEG-XL, etc.

UX, performance, and technical notes

  • UI is widely described as intuitive and uncluttered; minor bugs and typos are reported.
  • Some browser issues: high CPU for certain animations, incompatibility with older Firefox/Angular devtools, need for modern APIs (Streams, Crypto).
  • Not open source; ToS allows future changes. Several commenters worry about lock-in, lack of standard exports, and the ephemerality of web apps vs. installable software.

Broader reflections

  • Significant side discussion on why Flash died (Apple’s iOS stance, security, web standards, business decisions) and how its loss reduced casual creative experimentation on the web.
  • Commenters see Trangram as helping to fill that creative gap, especially for newcomers and educators.