What design software?
 

What are designers using nowadays for banner creation?
Apart from Photoshop, what software is the best for animating banners at optimal compression?

these days it seems everyone uses flash

Flash seems to be the standard. :)

I don't mean flash. I mean standard animated gif banners.

can still use Flash MX, you can create the nice bits in there, then when you export it, just export it as a GIF file. ;)

Macromedia Fireworks:thumbsup

Gif Animator / Fireworks

yes im gonna be workign on doing this for some 3d stuff i'd liek in banners

it's a long process but i figure if I can get the compression rates down and still keep it looking tight - I can be first person in my college class to get an 'A' this semester :Graucho

ImageReady :thumbsup

anything else would be uncivilized :glugglug

I love your new sig. :thumbsup

Here, Here! :thumbsup

photoshop and fireworks are the best for gif banner creation
there are a lot of shitty programms
with shitty to use one time effects like ulead gif animator and so on
but the real profesionals
create their own effects in photoshop :thumbsup

Ive switched from Microsoft Gif Animator to ImageReady... it's much faster but MGA was great back in the day.

Are you serious?

I hate flash animations, they dont work for people who surf with active-x turned off.