How to Make Flash Movies Smaller

Flash movies come in the .swf format and are exported from .fla files made in Flash. These .swf files can hold animations, audio or video, and allow you to expand your creativity on the Web. The .swf files are generally much smaller than their .fla counterparts but can often still be bulky or too large to fulfill some file-size requirements. To decrease the size of your .swf file, you have a few options.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Choose wisely when creating your Flash file. The more files, fonts and frames you use, the larger your file will be.

2. Clear out any unnecessary files from your Flash file's library.

3. Navigate to "File," then select "Save and Compact."

4. Navigate to "File" then "Publish Settings."

5. Select the "Flash" tab and make sure the "Compress movie" box is checked.

6. Choose the "HTML" tab and choose "Best" or "Auto High" from the quality options.

7. Select "Publish."

Tips & Warnings

• Add a preloader to your main file. See Resources for tutorials on adding preloaders. If dealing with video files, link the .flv file in the ActionScript rather than embed the movie in your Flash file. Check Resources for information on linking .flv files in ActionScript 2.0.

References

• Compressing Flash Movies and Flash Banners
• Optimizing File Size --- Making Your Files Smaller at Flash Magazine

Resources

• Percentage Preloader with Load Bar at Kirupa.com
• Creating a Preloader in ActionScript 3.0 at Adobe.com
• Controlling FLV file without a component
• Embedding and Controlling Flash Video with Actionscript