RE: FLASH: ADVICE

[Tim Allan]

My two cents:


All the gifs are basically stored in FLash but referenced origianlly from an

outside file. I would get out fireworks/photshop/imageready (whichever) and

get those gifs down in size.


In you flash movie, go to each image in the library and change/update the

reference to the image file. That way you casn get your file size down it

snot a headache.


I would look at treating the sound the same way as the images. OPen

soundedit/soundforge and try resmapling the sound file down if ytou can.

Updateing the sound file in the flah movie library is the same as doing it

for gifs.


Hope this helps, good luck.


Tim


-----Original Message-----

From:

ownerchinwag [dot] com

 [

ownerchinwag [dot] com]On">mailto:ownerchinwag [dot] com]On

 Behalf Of Marc

Hoffman, Poison Dart Frog Media

Sent: Friday, February 25, 2000 12:39 PM

To:

flasherchinwag [dot] com

Subject: Re: FLASH: ADVICE



At 03:57 PM 2/24/00 , you wrote:

>Hello all,

>I need some advice from some knowledgeable freelancers/designers.  I have a

>client who came to me to optimize and program their Flash presentation.. I

>took on the work.....Well here comes the drawback the file contains 30 gif

>images each with a size of 141.kb around 14kb when compressed by Flash.

Not

>only that they have included 6 sound tracks which ring in about 606KB

>Compressed...with all this KB nonsense I now have a file at 1.3 mb---which

>is suppose to go live tommorow.....I've tried to figure out a method to

>stream the info in but the Gifs are located in mc in 6 different scenes,

and

>all scenes need to be loaded due to speculation of navigation.  Now what

>would you kowledgable people due?


First, I would have a mutual understanding with the client about the nature

of the job before agreeing to do it or quoting a price. Second, I would

educate the client about what works and doesn't work in Flash, including

what types of media create large file sizes and what that means for Web

delivery. Third, when the client then comes to me with ten times the file

size and a two day deadline, I explain the consequences in objective terms:

how much time it will take, how long a preload for users with modem

connections, and maybe I'd offer some alternatives. And of course I'd let

them know how that extra time will translate into production costs to them.

All this can be done professionally (kind of the way you'd want a plumber

to handle the situation if you called him or her over to fix a clogged

drain and then asked them to put in a new sink and vanity while they were

at it).


Sounds like in your situation you will need to take a couple of steps

backward, be as gracious as possible, maybe explain that there was a

misunderstanding, and that you and the client will need to redefine the

project and costs.


By the way, I don't know any multimedia designers who don't have problems

like this occasionally, so I'm not trying to blame you. But you will need

to make clear agreements with clients and do lots of client education if

you expect to survive and make money in this business.


On a practical level, if you have large blocks of content that the user

will request in unpredictable order, use LoadMovie for each section so they

don't have to wait for the whole thing to load.


Marc Hoffman


Poison Dart Frog Media: Specializing in Flash Animation and Digital Audio

Production

Our latest Flash job is on display at

<http://www.dartfrogmedia.com/rickfrnd>

See our Flash portfolio at <http://www.dartfrogmedia.com/portfolio>

(featured in Flash 3 Web Animation, by Ken Milburn)



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flasher is generously supported by...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival

  "The World’s Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"

 March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California


-Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email

helpchinwag [dot] com