Flash 8 Video Encoder


The Import Video Wizard is great for importing a single video file, but if you're working with several video files, you should get familiar with the Flash 8 Video Encoder, which is automatically installed when Flash 8 Professional installs on your computer. To open it directly, use the Windows Start menu to navigate to All Programs, Macromedia. You can also locate the applications folder in which Flash 8 was installed and open Macromedia Flash 8 Video Encoder directly and/or create a shortcut (alias) on the desktop for future use. Figure 15.9 shows the Flash 8 Video Encoder.

Figure 15.9. The Flash 8 Video Encoder.


Whereas the wizard steps you through the process, you can control all the settings directly when creating multiple FLV files with the Video Encoder. With the Flash 8 Video Encoder you can build a list (queue) of one or more files to be processed all in one batch.

To add a file to the batch processing queue, click the Add button and browse for the file on your system. You can delete files in the queue list by selecting them and clicking the Remove button.

When added to the queue, a file can be duplicated and then configured with its own settings. This way, you can process one original video file and create multiple compiled files with different compression levels at once. For example, one might be set for end users with broadband access and another might be set for slower connections. This is incredibly helpful when creating web projects.

To configure a file's settings, highlight the file in the list and click on the Settings button, which brings up the Flash Video Encoding Settings dialog box (see Figure 15.10). Here you can select a compression profile and assign an output filename.

Figure 15.10. The Flash Video Encoding Settings panel.


You can also configure advanced settings such as custom encoding options, cue points, and crop and trim options (see Figure 15.11). Note that when you crop the video area and trim the ends of the video, you are marking only the part of the video that Flash plays, so this does not change its file size. To optimize the file size, you should make these changes in an external video editor before associating the file with Flash.

Figure 15.11. Advanced Flash Video Encoding Settings.


When you're ready to begin the batch process of your video files, click the Start Queue button. The Encoder shows you a preview of each video as it's being encoded, along with the settings for that file. If you don't like what you see, you can stop the encoding and reset the file's settings.



Special Edition Using Macromedia Studio 8
Special Edition Using Macromedia Studio 8
ISBN: 0789733854
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 337

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