How do I cut down the file size of flash export? 19 second animation is turning out to be a huge export in flash. Any suggestions?
Dale
Cut down the size of flash export?
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synthsin75
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The little red dot on the layer in the layers window indicates that it is optimized for smallest swf export. I don't remember them all, but the user manual includes flash export tips.
http://www.lostmarble.com/moho/manual/flashtips.html
http://www.lostmarble.com/moho/manual/flashtips.html
Try and create as much of your scene as you can in Flash and keep the basic character anmation for AS.
Cheeers
D.K
Cheeers
D.K
http://www.creativetvandmedia.com
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I've already experimented whith this for a project. My tips so far:
- The little red dot. Try to avoid that it vanishes. If it's still there, that layer will be recognised as symbol in Flash.
If you follow this rule strictly, you'll end with cutout animation. "Forbidden" movements are:
- point animation
- bone stretching
- perspective layer manipulation.
I haven't tested for colour manipulations or layer ordering.
- Frame rate: choose the smallest possible framerate, like 12 fps or 15 fps.
- Import all stuff in one go. If you import the same character, but some other portion of the tmeline, again into the same Flash file, it will duplicate every symbol - it doesn't notice that it's the same character, or checks wether it has already imported those symbols.
- Cleaning up in Flash: you will need to erase a lot of keyframes. Flash imports every frame as single keyframe, even when there's nothing moving at all. So in a first step you get rid of all those identical keyframes ("Clear Keyframe"). Next you look for unnecessary inbetweens and erase those as well.
- Breaking up levels: Everything inside the same bone layer will end on the same level in Flash. So if you have non-moving parts in there, they'll share the same keyframe with the moving parts. You can duplicate the layer in Flash, lock on of them, and go into the other to erase the fixed symbols. The you lock this layer, unlock the other, and erase all moving symbols. Clean the "fixed" layer as before.
- Good planning: re-use of stuff should be done with movieclips in Flash. Lip sync with switch layers is OK, but everything done with actions in AS needs to be converted to a movieclip in Flash, the re-inserted at the proper moment.
- Exporting in pieces: switching layer visibility off in AS lets you export visible parts only, thus you can have stuff already sorted to different layers in Flash.
- The little red dot. Try to avoid that it vanishes. If it's still there, that layer will be recognised as symbol in Flash.
If you follow this rule strictly, you'll end with cutout animation. "Forbidden" movements are:
- point animation
- bone stretching
- perspective layer manipulation.
I haven't tested for colour manipulations or layer ordering.
- Frame rate: choose the smallest possible framerate, like 12 fps or 15 fps.
- Import all stuff in one go. If you import the same character, but some other portion of the tmeline, again into the same Flash file, it will duplicate every symbol - it doesn't notice that it's the same character, or checks wether it has already imported those symbols.
- Cleaning up in Flash: you will need to erase a lot of keyframes. Flash imports every frame as single keyframe, even when there's nothing moving at all. So in a first step you get rid of all those identical keyframes ("Clear Keyframe"). Next you look for unnecessary inbetweens and erase those as well.
- Breaking up levels: Everything inside the same bone layer will end on the same level in Flash. So if you have non-moving parts in there, they'll share the same keyframe with the moving parts. You can duplicate the layer in Flash, lock on of them, and go into the other to erase the fixed symbols. The you lock this layer, unlock the other, and erase all moving symbols. Clean the "fixed" layer as before.
- Good planning: re-use of stuff should be done with movieclips in Flash. Lip sync with switch layers is OK, but everything done with actions in AS needs to be converted to a movieclip in Flash, the re-inserted at the proper moment.
- Exporting in pieces: switching layer visibility off in AS lets you export visible parts only, thus you can have stuff already sorted to different layers in Flash.
Thank for the help.
Lessons learn.
Use AS for only the animation that would take forever in flash. Anything that is static should be grouped or sent in as a separate layer. Backgrounds sent as one frame then extended into flash.
Next, simple movement. A plane going across the sky. Or in my case small body movements. All to be done in flash.
Normal I animate at 24 fps. 12 makes me think in one half. What I would do in 24 now is 12 or 8 is now 4. keeps the math easy. So I give up the higher frame rate. It's the web, people are used to the low frame rate.
Lose the variable line widths. Re do in flash if necessary.
by the way I don't have "Flash" but two other programs that take the swf as an import. Toomboom and Express Animator.
Express Animator is an OK replacement for Adobe's Flash. It uses a spline manipulation for points in stead of AS. but it has its own bones system that has a bvh import? Worth a look for 40 bucks. I don't do that much Flash to go out and buy Adobe flash.
My project was crushing the computer, it's not good when windows tells you that you don't have enough virtual memory. The dead line is April 24. I should have this done in a few more days.
Again thanks for all the input.
Dale
Lessons learn.
Use AS for only the animation that would take forever in flash. Anything that is static should be grouped or sent in as a separate layer. Backgrounds sent as one frame then extended into flash.
Next, simple movement. A plane going across the sky. Or in my case small body movements. All to be done in flash.
Normal I animate at 24 fps. 12 makes me think in one half. What I would do in 24 now is 12 or 8 is now 4. keeps the math easy. So I give up the higher frame rate. It's the web, people are used to the low frame rate.
Lose the variable line widths. Re do in flash if necessary.
by the way I don't have "Flash" but two other programs that take the swf as an import. Toomboom and Express Animator.
Express Animator is an OK replacement for Adobe's Flash. It uses a spline manipulation for points in stead of AS. but it has its own bones system that has a bvh import? Worth a look for 40 bucks. I don't do that much Flash to go out and buy Adobe flash.
My project was crushing the computer, it's not good when windows tells you that you don't have enough virtual memory. The dead line is April 24. I should have this done in a few more days.
Again thanks for all the input.
Dale
Last edited by dueyftw on Sun Apr 05, 2009 3:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.