I admit right from the start that I’m not much of a Flash person. While Flash is very nice when used in moderation, sometimes it is overdone. Google cautions against expecting great Search Engine Optimization from Flash sites. In fact, Google recommends that if you do in fact create a Flash site, create a regular HTML/XHTML site as well to maximize SEO.

Not the preferred method of designing web pages.

However, Flash does have its place. Check out SimpleViewer from Airtight Interactive. The solution is eloquent, ideal for photo galleries up to about 50 images. This would be a very nice solution for the photographer. The Flash site can easily be placed within a DIV so it appears on any style web page.

Best of all, it is free. The version featured here at the home of the Park Forest Running and Pancake Club uses the free version. A small link appears in the lower right-hand corner of the screen to give credit to Airtight Interactive. Other than that, the gallery was completely customizable. This particular gallery uses a server-side PHP process to configure the gallery and create thumbnail images. Very nice.

But the $45 price tag for SimpleViewer Pro is very affordable for any web developer. SimpleViewer Pro includes complete source code to make the end product even more distinguished. This is a solid package.

One other plus for SimpleViewer is the Airtight Forum. Many software companies have forums. But are they active? Are there any recent entries? This forum is active, and has recent entries. And the exchange appears to be civil. Good support demonstrates that this package is worth the investment.

Add a Flash photo gallery to your site. Prices as low as $50 for up to 24 images.