[thelist] Flash & Gif

sfmalo sfmalo at msn.com
Thu Aug 2 18:34:16 CDT 2001


Cancilla -

Yes, I've done it for a client. Made an animated gif in Flash by making the
.fla file, testing it (which makes the .swf file), then publishing it ONLY
as a .gif (animated). You just name it, check off the "GIF" box choice (no
other check marks), and choose how many times you want it to loop, etc. etc.
It will then publish as an animated GIF, voila!

To keep file size down, a kind Flash creator advised me to:

a) avoid "blending" (that is, make your text pixels as "one-color solid" as
possible, either using the background color or the text color to fill in any
pixels that are anti-aliased). This makes them "blocky" which reduces file
size. Space between the letters compresses better if the characters are
solid (blocky). Try using a font that is not fancy, with smoother lines and
curves. You may have to edit each text character to this end ... and
b) use a background, text and object colors that contrast well with each
other.

This explanation is thanks to Mark Ottenberg on the Flash Sizzlers list. If
you would like, Cancilla, email me offlist and I can send you his email to
me explaining this in full (with examples).

I made a simple one which you can see on the splash page at
http://www.datablocks.com. I did a little blocking work on it but I need to
do much more when I have time to further reduce file size.

Hope this helps.
Sharon


----- Original Message -----
From: "Cancilla Dominick" <cancilla.d at buckconsultants.com>
To: <thelist at lists.evolt.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2001 3:33 PM
Subject: [thelist] Flash & Gif


> I haven't used Flash before on a site, but I have a client who wants to
> incorporate a small bit of it into a home page. However, the client
doesn't
> want to rely on users having Flash, and I'd rather not code the page twice
> (once for with and once for without Flash).
>
> Can someone tell me if it is possible to have a page which displays a GIF
> file if Flash is not available? Is it possible to do this without using
> JavaScript? Is there a Website I should be turning to for answers to
> questions like this?
>
> Thanks (and pardon my ignorance).
>
> --Dominick
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharon F. Malone
"web design and Internet writing services"
http://www.24caratdesign.com






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