Section 35.5. Integrating Flash with Other Technologies


35.5. Integrating Flash with Other Technologies

Flash has proven to be such a popular multimedia format for the Web that it can now be integrated with the other web media staples such as QuickTime and RealMedia. Additionally, Flash files can be used within both Macromedia Director and Macromedia Dreamweaver.

35.5.1. Flash and QuickTime

QuickTime is a multitrack container format. Traditionally, this meant tracks for audio and video. In the evolution of QuickTime, support has been added for other tracks such as text, timecode, and (starting with QuickTime 4) Flash content.

To add a Flash track to a QuickTime movie, use the Flash authoring tool and export the file to the QuickTime format (.mov). The resulting file is a QuickTime movie that can simultaneously play video, audio, and Flash media elements.

The QuickTime 4 Player or higher is required to view QuickTime Flash. QuickTime 5 supports most of the functions of Flash 4. QuickTime 6 supports ActionScript and most Flash 5 player features.

As an alternative to using the Flash authoring tool, you can also import an existing .swf file into QuickTime Player (or Player Pro) and save it as a QuickTime movie. Plus, as mentioned in the "Advantages" section previously, you can import and trim QuickTime movies in the Flash 8 Professional authoring environment and output them as FLV files using the new On2 VP6 codec.

35.5.2. Flash and Director

Macromedia Director is capable of importing Flash files into its Cast and having those Flash elements play in its Timeline. When including Flash elements in Director, the Flash Assets Xtra plug-in is automatically included in the list of dependent plug-ins added to the movie.

Although there is a Shockwave Player for Director movies published for the Web, Director has increasingly become a product for developing interactive and robust CD-ROM presentations. For more information about Flash and Director, see Macromedia's web site:

www.macromedia.com/software/director/resources/integration/

35.5.3. Flash and Dreamweaver

Macromedia Dreamweaver allows you to add Flash elements to a web page using a graphical interface. Dreamweaver has a Properties Inspector that allows you to edit the properties of the Flash movie.

Starting with Dreamweaver MX, you can also link to the source file that was used to produce a Flash movie so you can launch the Flash authoring environment to edit that object directly from Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver additionally has some built-in Flash objects, which you can edit without requiring the Flash authoring environment.




Web Design in a Nutshell
Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (In a Nutshell (OReilly))
ISBN: 0596009879
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 325

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