I want your opinion on ways to integrate PS and Illustrator into Flash...

[mlkedave]

There are several ways I have found to integrate graphics from Illustrator and PS into Flash but All of them have their set back and problems and I would like to know how you perfer...

One of the ways to integrate these programs is exporting your PS/Illustrator files as an SWF. THe problem with this is I know of know where to actually edit the exported file! I might be wrong but this feature seems almost useless.

The second way is importing your PS/Illustrator file by clicking "file" "import" in Flash. The problem with this is several of the effects like feathered edges just don't show up... I have looked for solution but to no avale...

The 3rd way is just using the "Save for Web" feature in PS/Illustrator. The problem with this is you can't have things like outer glows or drop shadows without really crummy quailty. Being that the only format you can save as with transparancy (for feathered edges or drop shadows) is a GIF format and we all know how bad the quality of GIFS can be. So what do you perfer and why. Do any of you know solution for the problems I have found? Thanks for letting me know what you think.

[Hawk]

.png for transparency.

[.soulty]

photoshop CS can export to swf through image ready, which when exported is basically a swf file which sets up each layer as a PNG (loseless 32) then you have illustrator which can export to swf. both work perfectly. I do not know why you think this feature is useless?

Both methods can handle feathered edges.. in illustrator you would have to rasterise the image for it to be possibly to export the effect since its a "adobe" illustrator Style , not something that Macromedia understands or a swf for that matter.

[mlkedave]

well the reason i think its useless is you can edit them in flash or add AS... Why would you want to do this?... You can't edit SWF in flash right?

[.soulty]

on second look... illustrator can export feathered effects to a swf. make sure you have Preserve Appearance ticked.

[.soulty]

Originally posted by mlkedave
well the reason i think its useless is you can edit them in flash or add AS... Why would you want to do this?... You can't edit SWF in flash right? what do you mean... have you tried it?

edit:: when you import the swfs into flash they are placed as keyframes, and then you can edit the objects in the keyframes. some things might be grouped but you can just break them apart and do what you want with them, obviously imported images are limited to that of vector from illustrator but it is no way useless.

[DDD]

If you use a combination of those and FW you can take advantage of round trip editting and datadriven graphics. There are ways but you just gotta be detailed oriented. As for exporting I generally use png if you want jpg quality with transparency. My experience has shown that FW has better compression and of course .png32 which is better than PS png24.

[.soulty]

i should try that 32 png , so can you really see a difference from png24 DDD?

[DDD]

yes......Better detail in certain situations.

[.soulty]

is the file size larger due to the extra colours?

[DDD]

not too much, FW png's are like 30% lower than PS png's and look better in my opinion. If you compress the same jpg to like 80% using both proggys I think you will see the diff.

[mlkedave]

Soulty, I have tried to export as an SWF but when I open it in Flash MX 2004 it just shows that I am trying to preview a movie or something... It won't even let me access the timeline or anything.... I didn't think you could edit SWF's, i thought you could only edit FLA's. When I open it, I can pretty much just preview it... Any help?

[CanadianGuy]

I don't know how to help you on your last post Milky, but in regards to PS and flash I always save my PS images as high quality JPEGS (don't use the save for web feature) and then import them into flash and use the JPEg quality setting in the Publish settings to dictate the compression.

As for PNG images, I find the file sizes to be too big. Do you guys use PNG 8 or PNG 24?

[mlkedave]

I just figuire it out... I didn't relize you had to Import SWF, I though you could just open them... The only problem with that is it doesn't distrubute the keyframes among layers... or can you change this?

It also lost a lot of the effects.

Thanks for all the help soulty.

[mlkedave]

O and Soulty, where is the Perserve appearnce tick?

[.soulty]

Billmarr :: use PNG24 (or as DDD said PNG32 in fireworks) and then let flash convert them into jpg for you, this way flash is only compressing them once, if you bring in jpgs and compress them again as jpgs the image quality will deteriorate due to double compression, also since flash is compressing the PNG files to jpgs the file size is not big at all...

Search around for this topic for more information. :)

mlkedave:: glad you got it working .. :P

Yep import the swf to working with them in flash, now with the keyframe this depends on what application you are exporting flash from.

If it is photoshop, it will export to one keyframe , and all you have to do is basically select all / right click on a element in the scene and click on distribute to layers. this will put all different elements on different layers. (if that is what you want)

Otherwise if it is a sequence of element in one timeline you would have to do that manually (like a animated door) , use specific copy and paste in place methods to do this.

Illustrator:: when you go to export options it will provide you with a save as prompt then a list of export options.

the first tab gives you some distribution options :::

: AI to SWF file ( the illustrator file as whole on one swf file.. so one keyframe)

: AI layers to SWF frames ( you can organise your layers in illustrator so in order for your layers to be exported as keyframe in flash, say you had the word Kirupa which each letter in one layer : K in layer 1 , I in layer 2, R in layer 3 ect... then use this export option, when you open it up in flash you will have K in frame 1 , I in frame 2 ect....

AI layers to SWF files: (follows the same method as above but export each layer to indivdual SWF files)

the only other things you have to worry about in this options tab is cruve quality ( determains how many point will be used to create cruves / shapes.

Then you have Preserve Appearance which allows you to keep the appearance of non vector effect, or styles (eg.. feathered) Preseave editability where possible, while i have never used this , not totally sure what this will do for u.

image options :, When importing into flash always select Lossless !!!! , no idea why you would want jpeg here anyway??

Resolution: obviously screen res is 72 so keep it at that for webdesign.

and thats it.... hope this can help


cheers :smirk:
.soulty

[mlkedave]

i know this probably sounds stupid but I can't find the perserve appearance button! Can you post a screen shot or be extremely specific where it is. Sorry i am having a rough dayl...

[.soulty]

shheesshhh... did you follow any of my directions? :h:

[mlkedave]

sorry man, i was looking for a button that actually said "Perserve Appearance"... thanks for being so patient with me...

I still cant export non-vector graphics though GOD I MUST BE ****ING RETARDED TODAY

[.soulty]

what do you mean by non vector?

[mlkedave]

This is a quote from a previous post you made:

Then you have Preserve Appearance which allows you to keep the appearance of non vector effect , or styles (eg.. feathered) Preseave editability where possible, while i have never used this , not totally sure what this will do for u.


I mean when I export all of my effects (like feathered edges) are still lost. I still dont see an actually Perserve Appearance button... I have looked everywhere. I am probably just being stupid but i still dont see it

[.soulty]

what version of illustrator are you using?

[mlkedave]

Adobe Illustrator 10

I an probably just missing something... I there a "Perserve Appearance" button, cause i didn't see it in your screen shot.

[.soulty]

it should be there.....

go to export, select swf. save the file at a location and the options should come up, the same as the screen shot i provided. from there select the options.

there is nothing more to it... :h:

edit::: i circled it in my screen shot??? what do you mean you cant see the button, its a radio button switch. what are you looking for a big press me button?... its a radio button that is a circle with a dot inside of it showing if it is selected or not.

[mlkedave]

i think i am going to go shoot myself in the face... sorry soulty but thanks for helping a retard... i feel sad lol

[mlkedave]

I'm not crazy! Look at my screenshot... I dont have the button! Do you have Illustrator 10?

By the way, theres nothing bel

[.soulty]

i had illustrator 10, and used the feature alot, ive got CS at the moment. look around for a arrow or something, maybe hidden or something, i doubt it though, should be there. some :crazy: sh*t

[mlkedave]

Well thanks for all the time... I cant find it so now i start to save up for CS :(

[.soulty]

its in illustrator 10, i was just using it a few days ago, can someone else back me up here? anyone got illustrator 10 installed?

[CanadianGuy]

Hey Soulty thanks for the tips I definitely be using pngs now.

[.soulty]

no probs billmarr. :)

[DDD]

hey .pngs were my tip.....stop stealing my glory Soulty :angry: :beam:

[.soulty]

lol... :P

DDD can you check if the Preserve Appearance is in the SWF export options for illustrator 10, i sure it is, but want to make sure.

[DDD]

there is not a preserve appearance in swf options, but you can select lossless or JPEG lossy, and control quality curve.