Bitmaps good to use in Flash??????

[natedeia]

I have been noticing my Flash pages have been kinda large, can converting images from Fireworks to Bitmaps be better on size. What do you think? I think when i copy them from Fireworks 4 they are actually png files, but bitmaps seem to be smaller.

 

[Thoe99]

I have a art portfolio site that I've been working and tweaking for quite a while, and what I've noticed is that when you use Photoshop, goto File -> Save for Web, and change the settings to JPEG Medium, it'll cut the file size down tremendously, while still keeping the quality high. The quality should be at 30%, which seems low, but i bet you won't find much difference from the original picture. It seems to do me well, and it cut my flash file from 3.5MB to 1.3MB. If you want to check it out, its:

http://www.rsad.edu/~hnguyen

(even 1.3MB is still a while to load for 56k, I need to find new ways to preload it, and if you know how, please tell me)

 

[natedeia]

I would ask that question about preloading in the forum. Thanks for the advise, i should use my Photo Shop 6 more often, but the thing is when i use Fireworks and edit a jpg or gif and if i were to scale it in file size at 30% it sure would look crappy. but your site ( your are looks cool)is real good as far as visual quality is concerned. I will try that route, anyone else with a WORD let me know please.

 

[davdesign]

hi all

Nat: RE:Fireworks4. If you open the 'Optimize' Window and select the '2-up' tab on your image, you can tweak away at the quality until you get a file size/quality which suits your needs. Remember, if you 'Save' it you'll get a PNG, but if you 'Export' you'll get a JPG.

dave davdesign@pinkzeppelin.com

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[blended]

I use jpegs in

http://www.digitaldecay.org,

and with flash you can externalize everything to avoid long load times (that's for you, nat. I'm still waiting for your's to load up). You build your flash site as more of a template and have the template preload and make everything load into the template and then let the user decide which content they want to see instead of making them wait for stuff to load up when all they might want to do is email you or something, or go see a specific picture.

good luck!

Blended

 

[natedeia]

i have used the optimize window in Fireworks and it works well but i have noticed that often when converting an image to bitmap, it seems to look better and smaller. Is this really true, or am i tripping?
Still, would using bitmaps be a prob for anyone out there when using in Flash. I know i made one site that someone with a MAC could not see my bitmaps, but it has been a couple years since that and have not used them since, untill now....

 

[Thoe99]

Hey Blended, how exactly do you externalize your pictures? I have an art gallery site in flash too, but have everything internalized, which takes so long to download.

http://www.rsad.edu/~hnguyen

 

[blended]

Thoe,

You build a template to load into flash. It done by using the load movie into target thing. Then, when you use tons of photos you just the appropriate button to load the external file into the level or mc or whatever. You make a separate preloader for the external stuff, and then when your happy with the way it looks, works, etc you make a whole bunch of them and then have the individual button call them. Bear in mind that even though this works very well for low bandwidth it's a little bit of a chore to update because you have to mess with the main template to change the original button. However, I've figured a way around that, too, but it inolves using Illustrator 9, and is not as "flash like" as the old school way of doing things. Mess around with loading external flash movies into a main movie, and you'll get it in no time. Don't forget to use a preloader!

Blended

 

[Thoe99]

So what you're saying is that you make a movie for each picture that you show? That would be painful because I have over 45 pictures in my portfolio. How exactly do you target a movie clip that's externalized? The load movie command has inputs for URL, Location, and Variables, so what could I use a relative path for the URL? What level would I use if I have my buttons in a movie symbol and need to target the picture in the main timeline of another file?

 

[natedeia]

While you answer that, are BMP's ok to use, or will i have problems using them in the long run? ie: other browsers, computers, mac's......

 

[blended]

As far as I know, bmps don't even load into browsers. You've got to convert them to jpegs or gifs. Jpegs look better I think. Also, Flash converts to jpeg before publishing, so I guess it doesn't even matter. Yes, you use a url to target the .swf which you want to load into a target or level. Movie symbols are referred to as targets in action scripting, and levels are like in photoshop. The main movie would be 0, and you can build from there. I suggest using mcs though, because it's easier to start and finish with in case you need to move anything around. It might be difficult at this point for you to change everything to external files, but it's very easy after you establish your template, and then you just keep "saving as" "newfile.swf" in the appropriate directory, and there you go. Also, it will be easier in the long run for when you want to change/add images, and your viewers will appreciate your kindness in terms of download time.

Blended

 

[davdesign]

I reckon F6 is gonna include a batch processor for the separation of JPEG into SWF's issue.

dave@pinkzeppelin.com

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^​

 

[natedeia]

Thanks blended

 

[blended]

Dave,

I sure hope so.

Blended