Imported Image File types

[atomicbird]

Hi -
What image file types are desirable to import to Flash in what situations? For example, I am designing a piece on the Mac that will be put into a Director movie primarily used on Windows. Working on both platforms, I have noticed that imported images sometimes appear fine in the authoring environment, but then look severely degraded in quality in the swf file in Flash player or director. Any ideas as to why this is? I'd like to be able to have fully animatable images that are high quality. Thanks,
a

[midimatt]

In "Export Settings" in the "Flash" section, there's a "Jpeg Quality" slider. Perhaps it isn't set at a desireable level for you.

[atomicbird]

so, should i be going with jpegs then?

[midimatt]

Well, I have a book here that says it is best to import as bitmaps. I also heard someone in this forum say it is best to import as jpegs. Either way, on export to swf, they are jpeg compressed. That is what the "Jpeg Quality" will effect. Basically all raster (non vector) graphics.

You may want to experiment importing different image types.

Matthew

[rich]

I always import images as Jpeg (or Gif etc) not as an uncompressed bitmap, then making sure Flash uses the images compression settings not its own.

The basic reasons for this are:
You get better optimisation control and previewing of compression settings in something like ImageReady or Fireworks than in Flash.
It keeps the size of the Fla files down.
Flash doesn't have to compress the image each time a movie is published.

Rich.

[midimatt]

According to my book here "Graphics, Animation, and Interactivity with Flash 4.0" by James L. Mohler, you're wrong...

It says,

"When importing graphics in Flash, use Windows BMP files on the PC and PICT files on the MAC. Do so using formats that are not lossy compressed."


Jpegs are lossy compressed. It goes on to say,

"Flash's compression will be most effective (both as it relates to size and visual quality) if you import uncompressed or lossless compressed images as opposed to images already compressed with lossy compression (JPG).

Matthew J. Drollinger

[rich]

When you export a movie in Flash it will change BMP files into jpegs (or a gif etc). So you will still use the lossy format (unless it's a gif and even then conversion to a gif may discard information depending on the image).

After you import a jpeg into Flash you can tell it to use "document default quality" - the default (double click image in the library to access settings.). This prevents Flash uncompressing the image and recompressing it which would lead to decreased quality (as James L Mohler correctly points out). ie Flash will NOT change the quality of your imported jpeg so it will look the same in Flash as it did in your compression program.

I still maintain that using external compression programs and forcing Flash to use this setting is the easiest way to get good quality images. Consider this - how easy in Flash is it to judge the quality of a jpeg compression setting compered to a decent optimising program?

Of course, everybody has their own opinion and ways to do things and I haven't read the book but from your quotes and for the reasons in this post and previous I feel Mr Mohler is wrong. Although he is correct in saying that if you are going to use Flash's compression then the images should be uncompressed bitmaps.

And if you hadn't noticed compression is a pet subject of mine

Rich.