Can You Extract A Video File From A Flash Site?

If you can extract me a video file from a site made of flash, please PM me. I need to do it urgently! I am ready to pay via PayPal...

Thanks...

[Stephen Clark]

I found this...

Free FLV Downloader - How to Download FLV Using Orbit Downloader

Not sure its exactly what you're looking for. Let me know.

[Andrew E.]

PM Sent. I might be able to help.

[artsub]

Has anyone tried that resource Stephen suggested?

[Andrew E.]

I've used Orbit to download flv videos from news sites - it's Firefox plug in works great for finicky videos.

Grabbing a video from a flash site might be different. Someone may need to use an swf decompiler and dig though some actionscript to find an XML file or literal media location and pull the video from there.

I like Sothink's SWF Decompiler
SWF Decompiler, Flash Decompiler, SWF to Flex, SWF To FLA Converter, Recover FLA

[Lawrh]

One method which works with some finicky videos, like Camtasia vids, is to right click the page and select page info. Click the media icon and look down the list for the file, it is usually type-embed. Click the save as button. If it doesn't save wait until the whole vid finishes as the save is from cache.

You can play the vids in your browser or you can download the Swiff player, it's free.

[Jason Johns]

Hi there,

Easy way ... open the page in Internet Explorer, let it load up completely.

Then go look in your temporary internet files and it will be there. Copy it from there to somewhere else.

Cheers

Jason

[mikeyman120]

Originally Posted by Jason Johns

Hi there,

Easy way ... open the page in Internet Explorer, let it load up completely.

Then go look in your temporary internet files and it will be there. Copy it from there to somewhere else.

Cheers

Jason

I was going to say if it is a youtube video just get You Tube Downloader. But I can say for sure that Jasons way will also work. I've done it.

Mike

[Andrew E.]

For those of you following this thread...

I decompiled a few swf files - and dug through the action script. I found the reference to the video file after going though three referenced files.

Here is the address to the video that Creative Thinker was looking for:
http://www.yamaha-motor-india.com/fazer/yfz.flv

SWF Decompilers are great!

[indemand]

I've had great success with the latest Real Player. I've able to download a multitude of clips from many different sites with a variety of different video formats.

[shermancox]

I simply look at the video on my linux ubuntu box. I then go into the /tmp/ directory of the box and there is the flv file....

[Glenn72]

Easiest solution. Use either Firefox or Flock and install the Download Helper extension. It will let you download almost any streaming content and displays a little red, blue and yellow rotating icon when there's media on a page that can be downloaded.

[Lawrh]

Glenn72's solution works great, but to get all flash vids you need to add the swf extension under preferences. It will then download and auto convert to flv.

[Dr Dan]

I just found out how to do this and love it! I know you can do it with firefox but I have been using Safari on both my mac and windows pc.

All you do is this:

1. click "window" on top of browser.
2. Then select "activity".
3. and then a box will open up with all the flash vids ect. Just look for the biggest file and ending with swf or fllv.
4. If it is a flv file then just double click it to download it! If it is a swf file then hold down the "option" key on mac or "alt" key on windows pc, and then double click the file while holding that key down to download it.

Thats it and its free! I have done this with youtube vids, and both swf and flv files all over the web with ease.

[Lloyd Buchinski]

First thanks to everyone chipping in info on this thread, it's something I've been working on for awhile without a lot of luck.

Originally Posted by Glenn72

Easiest solution. Use either Firefox or Flock and install the Download Helper extension. It will let you download almost any streaming content and displays a little red, blue and yellow rotating icon when there's media on a page that can be downloaded.

I've used this extension but it doesn't do much for me because almost every video I am interested in downloading is not from the sites DH will work with, not from the mainstream popular sharing sites. It won't download something from a site not on its list, and I seem to have pretty individual taste.

Originally Posted by Jason Johns

Then go look in your temporary internet files and it will be there. Copy it from there to somewhere else.

That did sound great but what browser and os are you using? At least in Vista and ie8 there don't seem to be temporary internet files. They might just be called something different, but I would be really interested if this can work on Vista.

Originally Posted by rockstarinlife

1. click "window" on top of browser.
2. Then select "activity".
3. and then a box will open up with all the flash vids ect. Just look for the biggest file and ending with swf or fllv.
4. If it is a flv file then just double click it to download it! If it is a swf file then hold down the "option" key on mac or "alt" key on windows pc, and then double click the file while holding that key down to download it.

That finally did it. Got a file from a little no name site. Good man.

But I am also still interested in the second quote if anyone can get it to work on vista.

EDIT: Could not get the flv file to play. Checked Adobe flash player for updates but still get a "file is damaged or not supported" on 2 different attempts now. (sigh)

double edit: OK, now I downloaded Real Player mentioned by someone else and that played the files, so that is certainly some progress.

[webmaestro]

Hi all,

I've resorted (for a LONG time) to trawling through the HTML, finding the <object> tag stuff, locating the XML config file, reading that file, finding the ACTUAL name of the video concerned (*.swf or *.flv) then manually creating the http: link to get the video using Firefox's GetFile add-on - time consuming & painful - but it works 100%.

I've too have for years "recovered" the files from the temporary Internet files area in Win2k & XP (I don't & won't EVER use Vista so can't help you there sorry). I had also found some success with an AVS add-on for downloading videos but not 100%.

ALL the above stopped however once I'd found the Download Helper add-on for Firefox. It's not failed me yet. Once Download Helper HAS the filename you can delete the page/tab from which it was obtained with impunity. I have noticed however that sometimes I have had to actually start the .flv or .swf file running before Download Helper is able to capture the relevant file. That MAY be the issue that's affected a few others on the thread - I can't say.

This effect of having to start the video running first may be because I also use the Firefox FlashBlock add-on - worth its weight in gold for massively reducing system resource hogging by Flash (adverts especially). Also 100% prevents the embarrassment of a video autostarting at full volume in an office environment (for anyone interested in a solution for that).

Lloyd & Creative Thinker - you want to throw up a couple of links to the sites you are having problems with to see if anyone else can get the videos easily or not?

Finally a plea: ALL marketers - please note, but especially those who think that obfuscating the links to your videos to force people to view them ONLY when connected on-line is just plain DUMB. Once it's at the client's PC it can be recovered one way or another - even fully streamed stuff - so why not make your videos more easily downloadable and put copyright watermarks on them all for protection instead?

It will also mean that rather than the possibility (likelihood?) of multiple consumption of download bandwidth by revisits or rewinding only ONE download bandwidth chunk per video per client is then used - a win-win - better user experience, lower cost to marketer!

Best regards.