By default, Flash creates
SWF and HTML files for your project. However, you can also choose to
save specific frames of the movie as images or to save the file as a
projector, which can play on computers that do not have Flash Player
installed.
Saving frames as images
Sometimes you might not want
to share an entire movie but want to display a particular frame.
Exporting a frame as a GIF, JPEG, or PNG image might be useful if you
need an image for a portfolio or want to provide an end image to a
viewer who doesn’t have Flash Player. You can also use individual images
to compile a storyboard of multiple scenes to share with a client
before the Flash file is interactive.
1. | Choose File > Publish Settings, and then click the Formats tab. Flash (.swf) and HTML (.html) are selected by default.
| 2. | Select GIF Image (.gif), JPEG Image (.jpg), and PNG Image (.png).
These options export the frame currently selected in the Flash document.
For additional settings for each of the image formats, click on the
tabs at the top.
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Although
the lessons in this book have been geared toward creating rich,
interactive content for the Web, you can also use Flash Professional CS5
to develop and publish content for mobile phones or mobile devices such
as the Apple iPhone, iTouch, or iPad.
Mobile devices use only a
subset of the Flash CS5 features, so rather than publishing a finished
Flash project for a mobile device, it’s essential that you begin
a Flash project with the particular mobile device in mind. When you
create a new Flash document (File > New), the New Document dialog box
allows you to choose your target device.
You can choose a Flash Lite
document, which uses a scaled-back version of the Flash Player for
mobile devices; or an iPhone document, which is specific for creating
apps on the iPhone, iTouch, or iPad; or you can launch Adobe Device
Central, a separate application that lets you browse various devices and
their requirements.
Understanding and
creating successful mobile device apps are beyond the scope of this book
and require obtaining specific developer certificates for distribution.
At the time of this writing, Apple does not allow apps that are
developed from cross-platform technologies like Flash CS5, so make sure
you understand the latest licensing agreements. To learn more about
publishing for mobile devices, refer to both Flash Help and Device
Central Help.
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| 3. | Click OK to close the Publish Settings dialog box.
| 4. | Select the last frame in the Timeline (frame 108). This is the frame that Flash will export as image files.
| 5. | Choose File > Publish. Flash publishes the files to the folder that contains the Flash document file.
| 6. | Navigate
to the Lesson10/10Start folder. In addition to the SWF and HTML files,
the folder contains GIF, PNG, and JPEG files. Open the image files to
view them.
 |
Note
Which file format you
choose depends on the type of content. If the frame contains an
illustration with flat, simple colors, GIF is a good option. If the
frame is more photographic and you don’t mind compressing image data,
JPEG or PNG may be the best choice.
Creating a projector
Most computers have the
Flash Player installed with their browsers, but you may need to
distribute your movie to someone who doesn’t have the Flash Player or
who has an older version, or you just want your movie to run without a
browser. You can save your movie as a projector, a stand-alone
application that includes all the files necessary to play the movie.
Because a projector contains all the data to play your movie, projector
files are larger than SWF files.
1. | Choose File > Publish Settings, and click the Formats tab.
| 2. | Deselect GIF, JPEG, and PNG. Select Windows Projector and Macintosh Projector.
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The
interactive banner in this lesson doesn’t contain any TLF Text.
However, if your movie includes TLF Text and you want to create a
projector, you must merge the Text Layout SWF into the projector. The
Text Layout SWF contains the necessary code that supports the new TLF
Text engine. Click the Edit button for ActionScript Settings in the
Properties inspector or the ActionScript Settings button in the Publish
Settings dialog box.
In the Advanced
ActionScript 3.0 Settings dialog box that appears, select Merged into
code for the Default linkage in the Runtime Shared Library Settings near
the bottom.
The TLF Text engine that is
listed in the display window now shows that its Link Type is to be
merged into code rather than linked to a shared external library. This
means that the code for the TLF Text engine will be included in the
single projector file.
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| 3. | | 4. | When the file has been published, click OK to close the dialog box.
| 5. | Open the Lesson10/10Start folder.
| 6. | Open
the projector file for your platform (Windows or Mac). The Windows
Projector file has an .exe extension and the Mac Projector file has an
.app extension, though your operating system may hide the extension in
the filename.
Both the Windows and the Mac projectors can be double-clicked to play
without a browser. You can share the projectors on portable media such
as a CD or DVD. You can use these publishing methods to finalize any
Flash projects you create and share them with the world.
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Next steps
Congratulations! You’ve made
it through the last lesson. By now you’ve seen how Flash Professional
CS5, in the right creative hands, has all the features to produce
media-rich, interactive projects. You’ve completed these lessons—many of
them from scratch—so you understand how the various tools, panels, and
ActionScript work together for real-world applications.
But
there’s always more to learn. Continue practicing your Flash skills by
creating your own animation or interactive Web site. Get inspired by
seeking out Flash movies on the Web. Expand your ActionScript knowledge
by exploring the Adobe Flash Help resources and other fine Adobe Classroom in a Book manuals.
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