BannerSnack, like its sister sites, PodSnack and PhotoSnack, is an easy, code-free, programming-free flash banner maker that is multifunctional and can be used to design eye catching advertisements and website intros for using the internet to market, promote and build your business portfolio.
For people who are unfamiliar with designing flash intros and banners, BannerSnack provides a free downloadable e-book that can be used as a tutorial that provides a list of over twenty five "secrets", or tips, for making professional looking banners.
On the front of the site there are several examples of banners and advertisements that have been designed in
BannerSnack to give the user a reference of what is possible as well as what is popular.To create a banner or ad, a user must register to become a member. The registration process is rather quick, and gives the user instant access to the building templates. Once registered, it only requires an email address and password to access your users account. But BannerSnack also provides several other ways to log in using Social Networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
When a user access his or her account, they will be directed to their dashboard where they can view templates they have already created that have been saved in the database, or they can click a window to create a new banner. When a user creates a new banner, a window will appear that will give an option of choosing one of seventeen premade templates of specific sizes that are most used online. For example, there are three sizes for an Extended Network banner. As well, there are options for large and extra large leader boards, average sized rectangular banners, vertical banners that could be embedded along the side margins of a website, and even small square sized banners that can implemented either in the side margins or in ad spaces throughout a website or email newsletter. However, the user also has an option to forego the preset templates and create a banner that is custom size.
Once a template is chosen, the user is redirected to an edit screen where they have access to a user friendly design menu. At the top of the screen is displayed the edit tools that give the options for adding text, images, buttons and clip art, and gives options for zoom. Even if the user is in mid-creation, they can save what work they have done and preview what the ad will look like so during editing, users can view what their template will look like when it is finished. This saves time and effort when it comes
to applying effects and gives users the option to change or modify all of their content as they go.After an image or text is imported and cut to fit the screen size, they will have access to another editing panel to the right that gives the user many interface design options to add many varieties of effects such as fade-in, fade-out, resolution and multitudes of filters that can added to specific portions of the banner. For example, if a user wants to add a filter to just the text to make it swish, jump or pulse with colors or lighting, they can highlight just the text, access the filter menu and choose which filter to apply. The same option is available for the background image and anything else that is added to the "window" of the template.
Each template can be designed with multiple window slides, or "frames" that cycle such as in a film. So the user is actually creating a frame by frame short film. Each transition from frame to frame can be programmed with specific fade-in and out time ratio's. So, if the user wants the viewer to see a particular frame longer than the one that follows it, he or she can modify the time settings accordingly.
Multiple effects can be added to each slide, as well as multiple time settings depending on how many layered graphics such as text and images are in each window.
After effects settings are chosen, the menu allows the user to preview the application before they apply it and move on to the next feature. So it makes creation a simple "drag and drop" style editing process that can be tested each step of the way.
Once a full banner is created, the user can save his or her creation and choose between several publication options.
For those who are just wanting to publish a banner or ad for free, there are two ways to access an embed code; through a direct email link or a traditional embed code that can imported into websites, social networks, blogs and more. Both of these codes included a BannerSnack watermark that features a link to the BannerSnack website. To remove the watermark and BannerSnack link, users can purchase "points" that will give them access to an embed code, GIF or SWF file for download.