Sothink SWF Decompiler for Mac Review 2023 | Download Software, Key
What the Tool Does
Sothink SWF Decompiler for Mac is a powerful utility that enables Flash developers and designers to decompile SWF files published from Adobe Flash/Animate back into FLA source files and other formats for editing, modification and reuse.
Essentially, it reverses the SWF compile process so that you can regain access to all the original assets and code that make up a Flash SWF movie.
This includes bitmaps, shapes, sprites, texts, fonts, frames, morphs, buttons, sounds, videos, ActionScript code and more.
With Sothink SWF Decompiler, Mac users can:
- Convert SWF files back to editable FLA source files
- Export SWF assets like images, audio, videos, fonts etc.
- Extract ActionScript code from SWFs as AS files
- Convert SWF animations and interactive content to HTML5 + JS
- Edit SWF files by replacing texts, images, sounds etc.
- Batch decompile multiple SWF files at once
The tool aims to provide the most convenient solution for recovering, repurposing and migrating Flash SWF content on macOS platforms.
Features and Functionalities
FLA and XFL Export: Sothink can convert SWF files back to FLA or XFL formats while retaining all elements like graphics, animations, interactivity, timelines, scenes and code.
This allows editing the SWF in Flash Professional.
Asset Extraction: Extract all bitmap images, shape morphs, sprite animations, buttons, sound files, videos, texts, fonts and other assets from SWF movies into various file formats.
ActionScript Decoding: Decompile ActionScript 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 code from SWFs into AS files.
The decompiled code is human-readable for review and editing.
HTML5 and JavaScript Export: Convert SWF animations, graphics, buttons and interactive elements into HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript code for web usage.
Batch Processing: Batch decompile multiple SWF files in one go through the batch processing module, regardless of where the SWFs are located.
Shape Editing: Directly edit shapes, morphs and motion paths in the built-in vector graphics editor without needing Flash. Replace images or text dynamically.
Code Search: Search for specific ActionScript functions or classes used inside the SWF through the global code search capability.
Zoom Explorer: Smoothly zoom and explore SWF movies in the internal player and inspector to view assets and animations in detail before decompiling.
Multilingual Support: Sothink is available in English, French, German, Russian, Chinese and Japanese languages for global users.
How to Use the Tool
Using Sothink SWF Decompiler for Mac is straightforward:
- Install Sothink SWF Decompiler on Mac (requires OS X 10.10 or later)
- Launch the application and open an SWF file
- Check the contents using the integrated SWF explorer and player
- Select an export format – FLA/XFL, Images, Sounds, HTML5 etc.
- Choose export options and customizations for optimization
- Click on “Decompile” to start the export process
- The output files are generated in the designated folder
- For batch processing, add multiple SWF files and select export format
- Use the shape editor to modify vectors, morphs, text etc.
- Search for ActionScript symbols across SWF library timelines
- Export reports provide details of assets extracted from SWFs
The procedure makes it easy to decompile SWF files into editable formats or extract specific assets on Mac, without needing Adobe Flash or Animate.
Pricing
Sothink SWF Decompiler for Mac is priced at $129.95 per license.
However, promotional offers can bring the price down significantly.
The pricing options are:
- Personal License: $129.95 per PC – for personal, non-commercial use
- Business License: $299.95 for companies, commercial use
- Volume Discounts: Available for multiple licenses
The license is perpetual and includes 1 year of free upgrades to new versions.
Additional years of maintenance and support are priced at $39.95 per year.
Overall, Sothink SWF Decompiler provides excellent value considering the utility it provides for Flash developers.
There are no subscription fees either.
Comparison with Similar Tools
Adobe Animate CC
Adobe Animate CC is the official tool from Adobe that can compile and decompile SWF files.
But it is subscription-based at $239.88 per year and dependent on Adobe Creative Cloud.
Swivel
Swivel is a Flash decompiler for Windows but lacks a native macOS version.
It cannot decompile the latest SWF formats beyond CS6. Pricing starts at $99 per license.
JPEXS Free Flash Decompiler
JPEXS is an open source Flash decompiler for Windows and Mac.
It can extract assets but cannot convert SWF to FLA. The interface is dated and lacks batch processing capability.
Sothink SWF Decompiler beats the competition in terms of price, compatibility, ease of use and features like batch processing, HTML5 export and shape editor integration.
Pros
- Fully decompile the latest SWF formats from Flash/Animate CC
- Recover FLA source files from SWF retaining vectors, assets and code
- Extract all SWF resources – images, audio, video, fonts, texts, animations
- Human-readable ActionScript 2.0 and 3.0 code export
- Batch process multiple SWF files for efficient bulk decompilation
- Built-in vector editor to modify shape morphs, text content etc.
- Smoothly playable internal SWF inspector to check assets
- HTML5 conversion capability yields web ready code
- Lifetime license with 1 year free upgrades
- Multi-language support for global users
Cons
- Limited documentation and learning resources
- Crashes may happen when decompiling very complex SWFs
- AS code may require minor debugging due to loss of formatting
- Certain legacy SWF features may get discarded
- Laggy performance when processing large SWFs
User Reviews
Sothink SWF Decompiler for Mac has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 based on 68 user reviews on Capterra.
On G2Crowd, it has a 100% user satisfaction score from 7 authenticated users.
Praise is directed at its batch processing capability, clean interface and exactly matching Flash output.
Common positive feedback includes:
- “Saved me hours of work recreating lost FLA files”
- “Extracted all assets from old SWFs in a few clicks”
- “A must-have tool for recovering Flash projects”
- “Clean and intuitive interface makes it easy to use”
- “FLA export matched the original file perfectly”
- “Easy to learn and use even for new users”
Negative feedback is mostly around stability issues, occasional crashes with complex files and lack of documentation.
HTML5 Export Capabilities
One of the most useful features of Sothink SWF Decompiler is the ability to convert Flash SWF animations and interactive content into HTML5, JavaScript and CSS code.
This allows migrating SWF elements to HTML for web usage.
During HTML5 export, the tool parses the SWF movie clip by clip, converting each frame, graphic, shape, text, button, animation and sound into equivalent HTML, CSS and JavaScript code.
The output code replicates the SWF animation or UI in an HTML page that can run natively across modern browsers on desktop and mobile without plugins.
Here are some key aspects about SWF to HTML5 conversion in Sothink:
- Retains Vector Graphics: SWF vector shapes, illustrations and morphs are converted to SVG or Canvas shapes in HTML.
- Preserves Bitmaps: Bitmap images in SWF retain transparency and are exported as PNG files.
- Animations to CSS3: Motion tweens and frame animations are replicated with CSS3 keyframe animations.
- Buttons to JavaScript: Interactive buttons with click events become HTML buttons wired to JavaScript code.
- Sounds to HTML5 Audio: Background music and sound effects get extracted as MP3 and get implemented in
- Text Contents: Static, dynamic and input text fields turn into HTML text elements. Text formatting is replicated with CSS.
- Code Optimization: The generated JS/CSS code is optimized through minification and cleanup to reduce file size.
- Standards Compliant: The output code validates to web standards for maximum cross-browser compatibility.
For best results, simpler SWF banners or presentations with vector graphics, text and animations work better for HTML5 export.
Very complex SWF movies with many interactive objects, nested timelines and scripts may lose some fidelity.
Overall, Sothink provides a quick and automated way to convert SWF files into HTML5 content that can seamlessly run in websites and mobile apps.
Resources and Documentation
While Sothink SWF Decompiler for Mac provides a very intuitive and easy to use interface, new users may benefit from referring to available learning resources and documentation to maximize productivity.
Uses in Flash Modification
Beyond converting SWF files into FLA or HTML5, Sothink SWF Decompiler also enables direct modification of SWF movie contents without having to use Adobe Animate CC.
The integrated Shape Editor and Timeline Explorer allow editing vectors, text, images, animations and interactive elements within the decompiled SWF movie.
Here are some examples of modifying SWF files using the built-in editors:
Shape and Vector Editing
- Resize, move or rotate shapes and morphs
- Change color fills, gradients and strokes
- Rearrange or duplicate vector objects
- Add new shapes like rectangles, circles etc.
Image Replacement
- Substitute bitmap images with new PNG/JPG files
- Update image colors and apply filters
Text Editing
- Change static, dynamic and input text contents
- Modify formatting like fonts, colors, styles etc.
Timeline Modification
- Rearrange frame sequences
- Copy, delete or extend frame animations
- Update position of objects across keyframes
Button Editing
- Change button symbols and label text
- Modify click events and actions
After editing, the modified SWF can be saved directly or exported to FLA or HTML5 formats.
This enables graphic customization and rapid prototyping without relying on Animate CC for basic SWF changes.
ActionScript Extraction and Debugging
ActionScript forms the core programming language behind interactive Flash SWF movies and applications.
Sothink SWF Decompiler provides effective tools to extract, decompile, debug and modify ActionScript code embedded inside SWFs.
Key Features:
- Supports ActionScript 1, 2 and 3
- Decompiles code into human-readable AS files
- Retains classes, functions, variables, objects and APIs
- Displays code with syntax highlighting for readability
- Global search to find usage of specific AS functions and symbols
- Set breakpoints and step through code execution
- Inject new ActionScript code into SWF movies
- References to support code refactoring and debugging
During FLA export, the extracted ActionScript is inserted into the matching timeline frames and code clips.
For HTML5 export, the AS code gets converted into equivalent JavaScript.
This provides a quick way to retrieve and study ActionScript logic from SWFs without having the FLA source files.
Developers can leverage the decompiled code snippets in their projects.
They can also analyze and fix bugs in AS code exported from SWFs using traditional debugging methods.
SWF Decompilation Workflows
Here are some common use cases and workflows where Sothink SWF Decompiler proves beneficial for handling Flash SWF files on Mac:
Recover Lost FLA Files
Many legacy Flash projects only have the published SWF files available, with original FLAs lost.
Sothink can reliably decompile SWF back into FLA with assets, timelines and code intact for resurrecting old Flash content.
Edit and Update Old SWF Content
Decompiling old SWF movies into FLA allows updating graphics, text, images, animations, buttons, soundtracks etc. easily in Flash instead of rebuilding from scratch.
Convert SWF to HTML5
Businesses can use Sothink to batch convert their catalog of old Flash banners, presentations, widgets and games into HTML5 code to retain the functionality without Flash Player.
Extract Assets from SWF Library
Decompiling enterprise SWF libraries allows extracting bitmaps, audio files, animations, shapes, and code snippets into reusable resource sets for new projects.
Migrate Flash to Animate CC
For transitioning legacy SWF content to Animate CC, decompiling SWF to FLA provides compatibility for further editing in the modern toolset.
Revive Abandoned SWF Projects
Sothink enables developers to revive unfinished or abandoned SWF work-in-progress content by converting SWF files back into editable FLA projects.
Debug ActionScript Code
Testers and developers can use Sothink to extract AS code from SWF applications into readable AS files for analyzing functionality and identifying bugs.
Conclusion
Sothink SWF Decompiler for Mac empowers Flash developers and animators to fully utilize their existing SWF content beyond the constraints of Adobe Animate CC.
It provides a professional toolset for decoding SWF files into editable FLA projects, reusable assets, human readable code and interactive HTML5 content with minimal effort.
For businesses and developers who have years of Flash SWF assets, Sothink SWF Decompiler effectively protects their investments by making the content reusable, editable and future-ready.
Despite Adobe ceasing Flash support, this utility solution ensures you can stay productive with existing Flash animations, games, banners and applications by converting them into contemporary formats for the modern web and mobile world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does it work on Apple M1/M2 based MacBooks?
A: Yes, Sothink SWF Decompiler is fully supported on both Intel and M1/M2 based Mac hardware.
Q: What Flash Player versions are supported?
A: It can decompile SWF files published from Flash Player 6 to 32, covering Flash versions from MX to Animate CC 2022.
Q: Can I decompile SWF to FLEX?
A: Yes, SWF compiled from FLEX can be decompiled back into FLEX projects containing MXML code and assets.
Q: Does it require Adobe Flash or Animate CC?
A: No, Sothink is a standalone utility that does not need Animate CC installed for decompiling SWF files.
Q: Can SWF be decompiled into XFL?
A: SWF files published from Animate CC can be decompiled into editable XFL format for further editing.
Q: Is there a trial version available?
A: Sothink offers a free trial that allows decompiling SWF files with watermarked output.