Online Advertising & Marketing Proffesional blog

Minimum Kbs - Maximum quality!

• Fast method: optimization in flash
• Normal method: optimization in photoshop + import to flash

Fast vs Normal – You can try fast optimization before normal, sometimes quality result is the same. 

Fast optimization in flash

brutal force optimization – try first, then think :)

1. Go to library window (shortcut: CTRL+L)

2. Choose Bitmap object (JPG or PNG or GIF)

3. Double click on bitmap – Opens window with options

4. Switch to Custom and set quality rate (0-100). Try 30-50 first.

5. Test Bitmap Size and visual quality (press TEST button), check size, check visual quality

6. If quality is OK, try to reduce size again (type lower custom-quality)

7. If quality is OK press OK button, and try the same optimization steps to next bitmap

8. Re-export SWF and check new size.

9. If overall bitmap quality (during animation) is OK and new size is OK too – work finished. Else try Normal optimization in photoshop

Attention – Adobe Flash CS4 has OPTIMIZATION BUGS. >>>
After bitmap optimization try re-export SWF file and run it. If bitmaps became flickering/disappearing, you have to close FLA file then re-open it and export SWF again. >>>

Normal optimization in photoshop

Saving bitmap file : Adobe photoshop -> File -> Save for WEB (Alt+Shift+Ctrl+S)

1. Save for WEB window view

2. Try optimise

• JPEG (type)
• Quality (0-100) 
• Optimized
• You can try blur (higher blur = lower quality, lower size)
• Set metadata to None (no metadata = lower file size)

Use swf version 8 (more than 98% world wide penetration) instead of swf version 6

Always re-check technical requirements anyway!!! And don’t forget about gif/jpg backups!

for simple banners and rich media banners.
Most ad-networks support swf v8

Source: ADOBE FLASH v PENETRATION

Worldwide Ubiquity of Adobe Flash Player by Version – December 2008

Other CS4 BUG.

BUG APPEARS: when you trying to optimize bitmap in library (changing JPG compression level).

BUG RESULT: Errorous bitmap  (disappearing , flickering, blinking,…) in final SWF file or in flash preview.

SOLUTION: Save (with optimized jpg), Close (FLA with bug), Re-Open FLA, Re-publish. Result must be OK.

If you see the same problem with other JPG try again (each time this bug appears do the same operations).

This bug is old bug of cs4 (Windows XP SP3). Problem is important for banner makers.

Problem:

When flash CS4 isn’t loaded yet.

It’s impossible to open several selected FLA files  - flash crashes on starting point

Nothing changed from initial CS4 release. I am using original product (not hacked/cracked), but result is the same after several updates from Adobe.

Before opening several files you must start Flash CS4. Then select several FLA files and press enter.

I DISSAPOINTED about adobe software quality. Too much bugs and too much unimportant features.

Differences:

clickTAG method action script example:

getURL(clickTAG,”_blank”);

Hard-coded (direct link) method example:

getURL(“http://www.domain.com/xxxx”,”_blank”);