Do they really have to kill TBS?
Wasn’t this software always meant for hobbyist and not the hard core professionals? I can see them getting rid of the lower level spin-offs they had over the last few years (Flipboom etc.) but wasn’t TBS the anchor that got this company noticed by many?
I had TBS 7, and just reviewed Harmony essentials trial version for a few days. The drawing interface looks inviting but I’m struggling learning some of the very basic stuff. Adding a simple drop shadow for example was a nightmare in Harmony compare to the ease in TBS. I still have a few days left with the trial version, but today I just decided to get the last TBS upgrade anyway. I doubt I’ll get Harmony essentials because it’s just too gutted compared to it’s more advance siblings.
But despite this …TBS in my view has it’s place, it was never meant to be watered down as some of the previous derivations were and at the time I felt the company was making a mistake with all the spin-offs it offered. Why cancel TBS? I really think what they should do is keep TBS, and perhaps drop Essentials!
TBS was never meant to compete with the high end derivations, nor was it meant for children either!
It was well positioned in my view and had its place …why cancel it?
You have made some very good points.
Maybe after some time Toon Boom will see enough evidence to justify a revived Studio and drop Essentials as you suggested.
Essentials’s birth was less than ideal. It wasn’t made to be an intro to Harmony. They took Premium and blocked features leaving a limited piece of software that may not make sense in the context of basics and beginnings. Looking at Premium backwards towards Essentials you can see why things are done certain ways. It would be beneficial for Essentials users to read Premium’s User Guide to gain some understanding of the logic and structure of where the limitations lead when fully accessible. But this is extra work for all of the people only wishing to stick with simple basic projects. It is extra work that only provides understanding of their limited tools. They should not have to do extra work. You have to decide whether it is worth the effort just to use the lowest level of software. This manner of structuring a product line is discouraging to the people that would have been content with Studio rather than baiting people to set their eyes on the more advanced products. There is the significant financial leap involved as well.
This plan does free up resources that would be needed to develop Studio’s independent evolution.