Flash QA (Questions and Answers)

What does "WARNING: Enhanced stroke is not supported in this player" mean?

2006-07-09T14:49:00.000-05:00

Q. I'm making a movie in Flash 8 using imported drawings from Illustrator.
When I go to make a .swf in Flash I get the message:
"WARNING: ...... Enhanced stroke is not supported in this player"
What does "enhanced stroke" mean?

A. Why did it happen?
If you save work in Adobe Illustrator.... for use in flash... Try to do a expand or expand appearance. (like flattening in Photoshop.Expanding in Illustrator allows you to make the drawing simpler and easier for non-illustrator programs to read file accurately.

Another trick may be to save the file as a Flash file from inside the export menu in Illustrator... In another solution , when you don’t want the Illustrator file to be made of Flash shapes.... Save file as a JPEG or Import to Photoshop, then save file as photoshop PSD file. Import the photoshop file into Illustrator.

Rules:

Illustrator shapes and Flash Drawn Shapes are the smallest in size, until they get very complex.
If you want a picture of art in flash it is best to make a perfectly sized uncompressed bitmap, which is a Photoshop file or jpg- best quality. Then set compression in flashes Library for each image individually.
Bring Illustrator shapes in when you want to use them for making buttons, backgrounds, interface or as art.
Remember you can scale and animate changes with Illustrator and flash shapes with no loss of quality, very fast with little memory used.
Bitmaps can be moved, scaled down (up a little) and faded and color tinted but not changed in Flash.

Check out the blog for more details on compression in another posting on this BLOG.

Q. What dioes "WARNING: This movie uses features that are not supported in the Flash 6", mean?

2006-07-09T14:35:00.000-05:00

Q. When I make a movie in Flash 8 I get the message: "WARNING: This movie uses features that are not supported in the Flash 6 player. "
I have flash player 8 installed. Why is Flash 8 automatically writing
.swfs in Player 6? How do I change the settings?

A. Did you ever export movie as QuickTime?
If you did you had to go to set to flash 6...
To fix....

File-Export-as Movie
In side the dialog box.. reset the
Flash version number from 6 back to 7... if that don’t work go to 8.
I always use the lowest number I can get away with. (no lower then 6)

How is computer memory measured?

2006-06-19T13:43:00.000-05:00

Question:
How is computer memory measured?

Answer:

Speed is measured in 1,000 bytes (called a k for kilobyte)
A byte is the smallest representation of an alpha-numeric character… (i.e. a Letters, Numbers and special characters)
A byte is made up of 8 binary (on/off) switches.
Computers use electronically controlled switches, called transistors, to store and calculate data.
Data is information represented by alphanumeric sequences. (Example “2+2=4” or “Kaitlin” )

What are the speeds of the different internet connections?

2006-06-19T13:39:00.000-05:00

Question:

What are the speeds of the different internet connections?

Answer:

Old School Dial-up modems (2k – 5k per second) Advertised speed = 56K modem
like the ones built into most laptops
maximum download speed of 4k per second
DSL Modems (25k – 600k per second) Advertised speed = 1 to 6 megabit.
Most are owned by local telephone company (Telco) and can be purchased from 3rd parties who lease bandwidth from Telco.
Limitations: Distance from your house to CO (central office,) affects the speed and availability. The type of wire running in neighborhood and to your house also effect speed. Older copper wire often provides the best quality connection for DSL.
DSL is a direct connection from CO to your modem. Other users do not affect performance.
Offer multiple speeds
Light : Maximum download speed of ¼ megabit
Fast : Maximum download speed of 6 Megabit
Cable Modems (100k – 600k per second) Advertised speed = 1 to 6 megabit.
Local Cable Company can offer a variety of services. Older cable systems may max out speed at 2 megabits while newer systems can go up to 5 - 8 megabit speeds. Older cable systems where set up like an ether network, where as more users use system over all performance is reduced. Newer broadband cable systems do not have this problem.
Light : Maximum download speed of 1 megabit
Fast : Maximum download speed of 6 Megabit
Cellular networks. (10k – 150k per second) Advertised speed = 150K
Each carrier has its own unique flavor of high speed connection.
Some cellular internet connections are limited to the phone getting on the internet
Some cellular internet connections will allow a connected computer (laptop or desktop) to access the internet acting as your modem.
Some cellular internet connections work using a PC card that goes inside of a laptop computer (or desktop with special adapter) to access the internet and acting as your modem.
Some new models of laptop come with a high speed cellular modem with antennae built in. Sony Lenovo(IBM) and HP all offer access most places, but not all, of their networks. Faster speed connection may be limited to larger metropolitan areas. Areas in and around big cities.

What Limits Download and Upload Speed of a web site?

2006-06-19T13:35:00.000-05:00

Question:
What Limits Download and Upload Speed of a web site?
I am uploading the file to my web site. You can download it from there.
If you do (currently FTP Pro is telling me that the upload will take 45 minutes) could you tell me why is the file so big?

Answer:
Many Factors limit speed.
First thing to limit your speed is

The speed of your internet connection from your internet provider. (Dialup, DSL or Cable modems.) Local wire and network conditions also affect speed.
Internet provider may have modem set at the wrong speed.
Cables in neighborhood may have trees hitting cables, water shorting out cable connectors or damaged cables causing intermittent loss of connection or reduced connection speed.
Modem or your in house cables may be bad.
Use of Wireless networks cause massive reduction is speed the farther away from the antenna you move until you have not speed at all.
Power Outages, Hurricanes, Thunderstorms Earthquakes, Tornadoes can your ability to connect.
The speed of the server and connection from internet provider to the internet. (Evenings after work may slow down connections, which may speed up after midnight. Or internet may be completely “not available” when these servers are down for maintenance or power failure.
The speed of the server and bandwidth of the web site you are viewing. (many websites are severed from one shared computer)

Upload speeds are often a fraction of the download speed of a connection.
DSL and Cable modems upload at max of about 25k / sec,
while download speeds can go to 500k (with a 5 megabit connection)

What is Best Size for a Website?

2006-06-05T19:48:00.000-05:00

Question: What is Best Size for a Website?

Answer:
You need to look at the most popular monitor resolution if you want to make sure that all of the flash stage is visible.

Most common resolution is
1024 x 768 for Desktop monitors
and 1200x 800 for Laptops.

You must allow for the Internet Browsers’ menus, address bar, navigation bar and status bar, then there is the drag bar and the scroll bar.
In addition I like to leave room for Macintosh use of the Dock (medium sized) and Windows use of the Start Menu at bottom of screens.

Final Size of Flash Document:
Suggest a minimum of a 800x600 for a large file view, much more will get cut off on some screens. If you are OK with a Larger flash File then can be seen at one time, then the Internet Browser will, in most cases, provide you with scroll bars to access larger area.

Remember, Flash documents can be a smaller frame in a larger HTML page, Flash does not have to take over the entire screen.

Mix multiple SWF files together in one HTML file.

What are some reasons why my Flash file is too big?

2006-06-05T19:25:00.000-05:00

Question: What are some reasons why my Flash file is too big?

Answer:
Deal with the file size problems in this order.
Size Problem 1:
The library can become full with items that you are not even using.
To deleted unused items,
Go to library, click on the menu or right mouse click and choose select unused items.
Then hit the delete button.
Choose File-Save and Compact – This makes sure to eliminate what you are not using.
Make movie again and compare sizes.

Size Problem 2:
Another major cause for big files is Bitmap images that are too big in resolution and then brought in and scaled down in Flash.

Size Problem 3:
You should set the compression either in Photoshop with a save for web, which is good to make JPEGs that are compressed to JPEG 55 or
Save files either as best quality or as PSDs and then set lower compression for images in Flash. (To set compression: Double Click on the Bitmap File Name in the Library this will open the settings window. Turn off the “Use Document Default”.Set the compression from 1 to 100.

Solution: If after compressing images as JPEGs or in Flash, the files are still big, try replacing image with fewer colors (black and white photos or line art) with GIFs in the Save for Web menu in Photoshop. While saving lower the number of colors 256- down to 16 if it does not destroy the look of your art. Reduce them to the minimum colors necessary. Quality will not look to good, unless you use it on only some images. Avoid images of people and smooth gradients (sky and skin). Try it on low color line art (logos) or gray scale images.

Can I import an Bitmap file with Transparency into Flash?

2006-06-05T18:38:00.000-05:00

Question: Can I import an Bitmap file with Transparency into Flash?

Answer: Yes

Photoshop file format with a layer with transparency on it.

Import from Photoshop as a PSD.

Viola. Transparency is retained.

Note: You must set compression manually or your project will get huge, quick.

Set the compression setting: Double Click on the Bitmap File Name in the Library to open the settings window.
Turn off the “Use Document Default”.
Set the compression from 1 to 100.

Note: Around 60 and up compresses and looks great and 75 and up looks almost perfect. I rarely go below 60, except on small thumbnails. Then I go to 15 or so.

This image is captured from Flash Player.
After making a movie of a file saved earth file,
saved as a .psd file from photoshop,
with no background. 1 layer no background.

In Flash the Bitmap was placed over a rectangle with a gradient.
You are seeing the result from the Flash SWF playing.

How do I export it to play on say quick time or iMovie so How do I export it to play on say quick time or iMovie so

2006-06-05T16:41:00.000-05:00

Question: How do I export it to play on say quick time or iMovie so
people without flash can view it?

Answer:
Start by Planning How to set up your project for Going to Video
Start by making the Document 720 x 480 resolution (miniDV resolution)
Set the Frames per second to 30 (video is actually 29.97 fps)

You will need to set the File-Publish Settings
Open the Flash Tab - Set the version to "Flash Format 5"

Use the File - Export Movie menu Inside the save dialog box change the file format from SWF to .... QuickTime.

The exported file will be large, but can be imported into a variety of movie editors.
Including a cool video editor online.
http://www.jumpcut.com (I cant figure out how to get video out, but others can see it and remix it)

Video edit programs will work much better if you immediately export the video as a "compressed DV QuickTime" file. this is still QuickTime file, but the compression is that of video tape. Programs work faster with compressed video because file is much smaller, but may look almost identical as original uncompressed video.

How Do I control the Compression of imported Bitmap image files?

2006-06-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

Question: How Do I control the Compression of imported Bitmap image files?

Answer:

Double click on the name of the file in the Library. The Bitmap Properties window allows you to: Allow Smoothing: Ads Blur, Can be used to soften images that have too much compression or look to noisy in flash. Good also when you scale images.

Compression: Lossless Compression (Makes files much larger) to keep maximum quality.

Photo (JPEG) to make smaller.

Turn off checkbox for “use document default quality” to allow you to control the compression setting of Jpg file from 1 to 100.

Click TEST button to see, as text, compressed file size.

Update Button replaces current image with the source Bitmap file to show any changes.
Import Button replaces Bitmap with another file.
Flash will import JPG, GIF, PNG, AI, and PSD(Photoshop) with Transparency!

I want to keep that image visible until the viewer chooses another button

2006-06-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

Question: I am placing art in the Over state of a button. This works. My artwork appears when I hover over their buttons, but I want to keep that image visible until the viewer chooses another button. How do I do that?

Answer: You need to create an invisible extension to the button that does not block other buttons. Go into the button. Add a new layer. Move new layer down to bottom of stack. Draw a large rectangle or even a group of same colored rectangles (forming irregular shape).Click on this new shape and in the color palette set the slider for Alpha to 0%. Note: The Selected Object will stay a solid color and will only turn transparent when it is no longer selected. It will act as an invisible button extender. Make this shape the size of button area as well as art work, but not over other bottoms or plain area. I would draw the additional area in flash then delete away the areas over the other buttons. This can be easy when buttons are touching each other and with simple shapes. This gets more complicated when buttons are separated by a gap or have unusual shapes.

How Do you Move Flash To Video?

2006-05-24T12:12:00.000-05:00

Flash is everywhere. Not only is Flash used for online and offline movies, websites, games, and applications but it's also used for DVDs and broadcast television.

How Do you Move Flash To Video?

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/flash_to_video.html

FLASH LINKS: Artists

2006-05-24T11:05:00.000-05:00

http://www.mocaloca.com

http://moock.org

http://moock.org/webdesign

http://www.joshuadavis.com

http://www.hillmancurtis.com/index.shtml

http://www.2advanced.com

http://www.jibjab.com/

Tutorial Links on Making Preloaders

2006-05-24T11:04:00.000-05:00

http://www.webthang.co.uk/tuts/tuts_fmx/gfmx1/gfmx1_1.asp

http://www.developingwebs.net/flash/percentpreloader.php

FLASH LINKS: Online Tutorials

2006-05-24T11:02:00.000-05:00

Online Tutorials

http://www.flashkit.com/tutorials/index.php

http://www.actionscript.org/forums/index.php3

http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=169694

http://www.developingwebs.net/flash/setcolor.php

http://www.communitymx.com/type.cfm?typeid=2

http://www.katsueydesignworks.com/flash.htm

http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/12344.html?ArtToday=1-2

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/flash-101-1-hammer-chisel

http://www.echoecho.com/school.htm

http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/Flash/1

Planning a Dynamic Site with Macromedia Studio
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=102277&rl=1

http://pixelgroovy.com/shakeit.php?category=1

Send Me Your Best Pics

FLASH LINKS: Help and Sample Resources

2006-05-24T10:59:00.000-05:00

Links to Help and Sample Resources

http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/design/

http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/mx/flash

http://www.actionscript-toolbox.com/samplemx_bounceCollide.php

http://www.flashkit.com/index.shtml

http://flashfilmmaker.com/index.php?index

http://www.flashloaded.com/?id2=ovt

http://www.digitalthread.com

http://www.flashcomponents.net

http://www.webthang.co.uk

http://www.19.5degs.com/element/55.php
Toon Titan is film quality ink and paint in Flash .

http://www.morsebest.com/technicalMarketingPortfolio_web1.aspx

http://www.webwasp.co.uk/webdesign/index.php

Does every single piece of animation need to be animated individually?

2006-05-24T10:23:00.000-05:00

I want to create an animation like this one: http://www.arthurdepins.com/petites_animsflash/NetClubAnim-s.swf

Question: Does every single piece in this animation need to be animated
individually?

Answer: Yes. But not every at every frame. Some motion can require keyframes every 30 frames or as often as every 3 to 10 frames. Lip Sync may be done every frame to get it smooth.

Question: If so, do they each have their own separate layer?

Answer: Yes. Each animated object must be on its own layer, so that each object has its own unique set of key frames.... It is the Key frames that have the tweens.

Question: Wouldn't lots of layers make the file huge?

Answer: No. Most objects drawn in flash or imported from illustrator (simpler shapes not massively complex shapes) will make for a small file.

Question: What Makes a Flash File Big?

Answer: Importing big JPGs, Music Video and Complex Illustrator files.

Great Links For Flash Character Animation Tutorials

2006-05-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

Click on the links or copy and paste into browser if links down work.

Adobe web site for Flash Developers
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/animate_character.html

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/design_character_print.html

Check out Hula Girl
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/adv_char_anima.html

I can Get my Flash File to download, but flash wont open?

2006-05-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Question:
hey nat,

I can Get my Flash File to download, but flash wont open it, is that because i dont have
flash8?

Answer:
Unlikely That you need to Upgrade your Flash Player to Version 8 for most basic and many advanced features. Flash 8 has some new video and interactive tools.
Most of flash is fully compatible.

So what then
Problem is most often that you may have inserted and then uploaded the wrong file.
FLA is the local only master file. The SWF is inserted into a HTML file in Dreamweaver or other. Remember the files have different color icons Red vs Blue.

Check: Which did you insert onto the web page?
Which did you upload.
SWF? That is the file you want to upload.

Remeber:
When you command-return to preview, you are making the final SWF file right next to the orginal FLA. Preview makes the file you need.
You must addthis SWF file to HTML web page.. Using Dreamweaver or similar....
Insert - media - flash.
Upload both the HTML file and the SWF to the web site.
Then open HTML to see the SWF play.. No download thing.
SWF will play on the web page.

Windows XP blinks a yellow text bar at top of web page to make you have to choose to view the flash file. Should play staight with Max OS.

Double Check:
Did you upload both the flash file and the html page.
It must be uploaded seperately.
Test...
Choose to Refresh on the Browser

HOW TO USE TEXT AS A BUTTON

2006-05-24T09:39:00.000-05:00

Question:
When I select a text object and make it into a button, I can only click on it when my mouse is over the text. I have problem that if i am off even only a little, the botton wont work.
Only the text it self is a clickable button.

Answer:
To fix, you need to add an invisible object behind the text using the color-alpha = 0%.
Open up the button, so you can see the frame names up, down,over...
Add a new layer, name background and move it below the existing layer.
Draw a rectangle around text( no stroke)
Open the color palette
With this new shape selected, set the alpha to 0%...
(This is NOT the Alpha in the properties window, but is found in upper right corner)

It will be visible when selected and invisible when not selected. If it does not disapear when you click off, then reselect and set color another color then alpha to 0%
THIS CREATES A TEXT BUTTON WITH A TRANSPARENT BACKGROUND
end>>

Welcome to FlashQA

2006-05-24T09:35:00.000-05:00

This blog is here to help you get questions answered in the use of Adobe (Macromedia) Flash.

Start with
http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/mx/flash