Any flash designers out there?

DavidO · 07-13-2009, 08:35 AM

I'm learning flash animation because I think it offers some great ways to present my products.

But I'm alarmed about file size. I know this is a big issue in flash but mine seems ridiculous. My intro is a simple sequence of 4 frames with a master frame and it's already 1.42 MB. I haven't even added the audio yet!

I'm not using any fancy effects but I do have an animated GIF background. But it's only 2.5 seconds long and nowhere near as fancy as others I've seen on relatively fast-loading sites.

Is this file size normal? Is there any "normal" size per frame or second of animation?

My entire presentation will be two minutes long and at this rate it will be massive. However, it will be made up of numerous small sequences that are interactive.

I've seen programs that claim 50 to 70% reduction without loss of quality. Are these for real?

Finally, assuming my final project will be pretty big no matter what I do, do you recommend hosting the swf files on an external site?

Thanks for any advice

I'm still pretty new to this.

Kezz · 07-14-2009, 01:57 AM

Just checking, did you use an image editing program to set the GIF's to the right size before importing them into Flash?

It's kind of tricky to know exactly what might be causing your file size blowout without seeing what you're doing, but large GIF image filesize inclusion could be something to do with it.

Apart from that, tweens can be expensive in flash, but not usually 1.42MB. Could you perhaps put your .swf online somewhere so we could take a look at what you're doing?

DavidO · 07-14-2009, 02:33 AM

Thanks for offering to help, Kezz. I'm pretty sure the problem is the GIF background. I used screen capture to record a video sequence off the web. I received permission to use it but I think I'll ask for the source file. Just two seconds of screen capture is massive and converts to GIF at over 1 MB.

I'll do the same animation sequence without the background and see what it comes out at.

Kezz · 07-14-2009, 03:48 AM

If you're going to include video in a flash file, the best bet is to have it converted to FLV, which is the native Flash video format. You still may get a chunky file, but you should be able to get more out of the filesize you end up with.

Lloyd Buchinski · 07-14-2009, 06:28 PM

Just ran into a free give away of the day at a thread in the main forum and remembered this one. It's at: Giveaway of the Day - free licensed software daily. Sothink SWF Quicker - SWF Quicker is the leading Flash SWF Editor.

It got rave reviews at this thread:Fabulous Freebie-TODAY ONLY!

Just a few hours left, hope you see it in time.

best wishes,
lloys

Richard Whyte · 07-15-2009, 12:09 AM

DavidO

For sure this is what is causing the BLOAT. Kezz is right, you need to convert the captured video to FLA first if you want to stick it into your SWF. Flash files can be big and really you are much better off using vector graphics with it than importing jpg or gif (or anything else ofor that matter).

If you want to use video, I often get my clients setup with video that is then placed on YouTube. They have huge bandwidth available and most of the time the file plays very well. Size is less of an issue then. You might want to convert the file you want into video and then follow that route instead.

Have a Great Day!

07-13-2009, 08:35 AM	#1
DavidO Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: United Kingdom, Spain Posts: 2,031 Thanks: 10 Thanked 101 Times in 58 Posts	Any flash designers out there? I'm learning flash animation because I think it offers some great ways to present my products. But I'm alarmed about file size. I know this is a big issue in flash but mine seems ridiculous. My intro is a simple sequence of 4 frames with a master frame and it's already 1.42 MB. I haven't even added the audio yet! I'm not using any fancy effects but I do have an animated GIF background. But it's only 2.5 seconds long and nowhere near as fancy as others I've seen on relatively fast-loading sites. Is this file size normal? Is there any "normal" size per frame or second of animation? My entire presentation will be two minutes long and at this rate it will be massive. However, it will be made up of numerous small sequences that are interactive. I've seen programs that claim 50 to 70% reduction without loss of quality. Are these for real? Finally, assuming my final project will be pretty big no matter what I do, do you recommend hosting the swf files on an external site? Thanks for any advice I'm still pretty new to this.

07-14-2009, 01:57 AM	#2
Kezz Kezz Bracey War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 1,291 Blog Entries: 5 Thanks: 323 Thanked 599 Times in 291 Posts	Re: Any flash designers out there? Just checking, did you use an image editing program to set the GIF's to the right size before importing them into Flash? It's kind of tricky to know exactly what might be causing your file size blowout without seeing what you're doing, but large GIF image filesize inclusion could be something to do with it. Apart from that, tweens can be expensive in flash, but not usually 1.42MB. Could you perhaps put your .swf online somewhere so we could take a look at what you're doing?
	Get your AAA Starter LOCAL theme FREE with the Website Weaver. Point & Click WordPress Theme Creation - Beginner Friendly, Expert Ready, WYSIWYG Theme Editor. Quickly & Easily Create Any Type Of WordPress Theme. No Experience Required.

07-14-2009, 02:33 AM	#3
DavidO Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: United Kingdom, Spain Posts: 2,031 Thanks: 10 Thanked 101 Times in 58 Posts	Re: Any flash designers out there? Thanks for offering to help, Kezz. I'm pretty sure the problem is the GIF background. I used screen capture to record a video sequence off the web. I received permission to use it but I think I'll ask for the source file. Just two seconds of screen capture is massive and converts to GIF at over 1 MB. I'll do the same animation sequence without the background and see what it comes out at.

07-14-2009, 03:48 AM	#4
Kezz Kezz Bracey War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 1,291 Blog Entries: 5 Thanks: 323 Thanked 599 Times in 291 Posts	Re: Any flash designers out there? If you're going to include video in a flash file, the best bet is to have it converted to FLV, which is the native Flash video format. You still may get a chunky file, but you should be able to get more out of the filesize you end up with.
	Get your AAA Starter LOCAL theme FREE with the Website Weaver. Point & Click WordPress Theme Creation - Beginner Friendly, Expert Ready, WYSIWYG Theme Editor. Quickly & Easily Create Any Type Of WordPress Theme. No Experience Required.

07-14-2009, 06:28 PM	#5
Lloyd Buchinski copy and paste geek War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Calgary Posts: 1,390 Thanks: 68 Thanked 168 Times in 140 Posts	Re: Any flash designers out there? Just ran into a free give away of the day at a thread in the main forum and remembered this one. It's at: Giveaway of the Day - free licensed software daily. Sothink SWF Quicker - SWF Quicker is the leading Flash SWF Editor. It got rave reviews at this thread:Fabulous Freebie-TODAY ONLY! Just a few hours left, hope you see it in time. best wishes, lloys
	There are 10 types of people, those that understand binary and those that don't. The KimW WSO

07-15-2009, 12:09 AM	#6
Richard Whyte HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 319 Thanks: 12 Thanked 51 Times in 44 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Any flash designers out there? DavidO For sure this is what is causing the BLOAT. Kezz is right, you need to convert the captured video to FLA first if you want to stick it into your SWF. Flash files can be big and really you are much better off using vector graphics with it than importing jpg or gif (or anything else ofor that matter). If you want to use video, I often get my clients setup with video that is then placed on YouTube. They have huge bandwidth available and most of the time the file plays very well. Size is less of an issue then. You might want to convert the file you want into video and then follow that route instead. Have a Great Day!
	Richard Whyte - Website Design, Search Engine Optimization and Online Marketing - WebYabber.com, Read my Blog - richard-whyte.com, Easy Sales Page Creator - Power Sales Page Creator