Flash Tutorial Installment 2

[Lin Evans]

In the first installment I covered general Flash information and gave links so you could investigate various Flash implementations.

In this installment rather than tie up lots of bandwidth, I will post a link to a PDF I've created to discuss various issues with running a Flash 8 FLV slideshow on your web host server.

I've used On2 Technologies Flix Pro as my sample, but the Java script sample and discussion can be used with any Flash 8 generated FLV slideshow. The issues I want to cover concern how to detect whether the visitor to your website or link has the Macromedia Flash 8 player installed and if so just play the slideshow and if not send them to the Macromedia site to do the very quick installation.

The second part of the PDF concerns using the optional On2 Technologies Flash 8 player which is a very low priced solution to having a formatted framework to play the slideshow in. Remember in the previous installment I discussed the difference between the Macromedia Flash 8 Player and a Formatted Flash 8 Player necessary to have controls such as "start" "stop" "volume" and so on.

In the next installment (not this one) I'll discuss converting a Riva Flash Player for use with Flix Standard or other Flash 8 FLV generated shows in case you decide to use Flix Standard or other Flash 8 conversion tools.

Here's the link:

http://www.lin-evans.net/tutorials/Flas8.pdf

Best regards,

Lin

[mightec]

Lin

Thanks for posting Flash Tutorial Instalment 2, I have printed of and read the pdf file. Everything is very clear, you have explained the process very well. Just one minor point, I cannot easily see the file name of the movie in the script. Also do you thing that I could simply use the Photodex ProShow Producer Flash output?

Here is the HTML Code from PSP, in this case the file name is 'slideshow'

<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"

codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0"

width="640" height="510" id="test" align="middle">

<param name="movie" value="slideshow.swf" />

<param name="quality" value="high" />

<param name="play" value="true" />

<param name="bgColor" value="#FFFFFF" />

<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />

<embed src="slideshow.swf"

width="640" height="510"

quality="high"

play="true"

bgColor="#FFFFFF"

wmode="transparent"

type="application/x-shockwave-flash"

pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" />

</object>

[Lin Evans]

Hi Mike,

It's found in the same reference as in your script sample below. Search for "Movie" Value= and find the slideshow name following.

I don't know if you can substitute a PTE AVI filename in the Photodex script or not. It would be worth a try. The last time I was on the Enthusiast forum there were complaints about the Photodex Flash implementation not working quite right. I don't think that it's Flash 8 and I don't know if there is a Flash detection Java script in it or not.

I no longer post there because the site owner emailed me that he had received "complaints" from about a dozen forum users who complained about theDom and about me posting instructions on how to use PTE created AVI files with Proshow Producer and Gold. Apparently there is a Fan Boy attitude with some there who feel threatened by any other products and felt we were "promoting" PTE. I can tell you with absolute honesty that that wasn't the case with either theDom or me but we were simply showing people who had emailed and asked how to create things with PTE then output to AVI and drop this AVI into their Producer or Gold slideshows. It it were possible to do with Producer or Gold there would be no desire there for using other products, but obviously it's possible to do things with PTE which can't be done or can't be done easily with Photodex products. The administrator removed a long and popular thread about theDom's Photo Album template and how to use it with Gold and Producer. I think the Fan Boy attitude by some users there is out of hand a bit - LOL.

I returned his email and explained that I would not tip-toe around and compromise my honesty in answers to the many questions so therefore wouldn't be posting on his forum any longer. The bottom line is that I'm probably not the best source to ask about whether or not this can be done. It's definitely worth a try, but you may want to check the forum there and see if the problems with Flash output have been resolved yet.

Best regards,

Lin

Lin

Thanks for posting Flash Tutorial Instalment 2, I have printed of and read the pdf file. Everything is very clear, you have explained the process very well. Just one minor point, I cannot easily see the file name of the movie in the script. Also do you thing that I could simply use the Photodex ProShow Producer Flash output?

Here is the HTML Code from PSP, in this case the file name is 'slideshow'

<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"

codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0"

width="640" height="510" id="test" align="middle">

<param name="movie" value="slideshow.swf" />

<param name="quality" value="high" />

<param name="play" value="true" />

<param name="bgColor" value="#FFFFFF" />

<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />

<embed src="slideshow.swf"

width="640" height="510"

quality="high"

play="true"

bgColor="#FFFFFF"

wmode="transparent"

type="application/x-shockwave-flash"

pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" />

</object>

[mightec]

Lin

I have downloaded the Flix Pro demo and played around with it a little, but it does not seem to produce a htm file. I can get it to produce an FLV movie and SWF file, any ideas.

[Lin Evans]

Hi Mike,

Look at the linked jpg's. The html is to run the Flash.SWF player which in turn will play the Flash.FLV. It's a bit convoluted in how it all works but an SWF file is required for the player itself. You can embed the FLV or SWF directly in your web software without a player and it will play within the confines of your space alloted.

Which web software do you use to create web pages? Most have a Flash import facility which is sometimes the easiest way to go. If you zip up your files which you have generated and post a link I will look at them and see what else you need and produce a page for you which you can link to via your host as a sample.

http://www.lin-evans.net/pte/flix1.jpg

http://www.lin-evans.net/pte/flix2.jpg

Here's a link to an early test show I did when I was still trying to figure out how to center the display as I mention in the tutorial. This one was from a PSG show made into an MPEG then converted via Flix Pro to Flash 8 and using the optional Player from On2 Technologies. You will see the script I described in action with the "loading" message while my 10% preload was downloading.

http://www.lin-evans.net/flixtest/flix.htm

Lin

Lin

I have downloaded the Flix Pro demo and played around with it a little, but it does not seem to produce a htm file. I can get it to produce an FLV movie and SWF file, any ideas.

[mightec]

Hi Lin

I think that my problem was that I did not configure the HTML file. By the way I assume that I create an .swf and .flv file and upload all to my web site. One other thing, I did a test using the Photodex PSP code and works very well, no problem.

[mightec]

Hi Lin

The Swish product I referred to in an earlier posting should have been SwishVideo by Swishzone.com, they now claim that their latest version uses the On2 Technologies On2 VP6 VFW codex and runs with Flash 8 and 9. The cost of the Swishvideo software is $49.95, I don't think that it is as good as On2 Flix Pro but it is $200.00 cheaper.