Prepping Photoshop Files for Flash CS3

Series Summary

At a time when it seems like just about everyone has their own website, the on-line challenge has moved beyond basic website construction and become how to set your site apart. How can you grab the attention of someone who happens upon your site and get them to stay awhile? The solution is video, not simply home movie clips a la youtube, but customized movies with animation-style special effects. A few years ago, animation programs such as Flash seemed virtually unapproachable for the non-professional. But with the latest CS3 version Flash, even the casual user can create amazing animations and custom interfaces for your own website. Borrowing sophisticated techniques from major studios such as using shared backgrounds and individual frames, this program will give you insight into how your favorite cartoons were created.

In this series of easy-to-follow diy videos, our Flash expert explains the intricacies of importing Photoshop layers of text and graphics, as well as import entire files into the Flash program. Once imported, these files can be turned into buttons for your interface, images and movies for your website or simply moving pictures to show your friends and family. Our expert also show you how to retain the links of the files you are importing and how to use the Flash video encoder. He also demonstrates how to test the finished product on your computer as well as on a browser.

Video Transcript

"Hi this is Bill MacPherson for Expert Village. Okay in these series of clips we are going to be showing the new features in adobe flash cs3. It use to be owned by MicroMedia and but they were bought out by adobe and they added to their cs sweet of programs. One of the great things about that is now you can import photoshop directly into flash. So that is what I'm going to be showing you today some of those features and a few other new features inside flash itself. Now what I have right here is a project that I'm working on it is a complete flash website done with photoshop and flash. Now this is the home page that we are looking at right here and what I like to first discuss is the importance of keeping everything organized. Now inside photoshop we have tons of layers that I have created for this document. Each for its own link page. I like to start off with the background first we would turn off these layers. Now the background is only two layers and this black back that I have is the only layer that I won't import into flash. We just set the background to back inside flash and then we have this purple outwork that I created on top so that is the only one that I would bring it and of course I named it background art. And it is inside a folder. In the next clip we would talk about creating a header to import into flash. This is Bill MacPherson for Expert Village. "