Flash 8 Cookbook

2.7. Exporting Animated GIF Files

Problem

You want to use Flash to export an animated GIF.

Solution

Create your animation in the main timeline and then export the file as an animated GIF.

Discussion

Flash allows you to export your animations not only in SWF format, but in several other formats, including animated GIF files. As with single-frame GIF content, you can publish your animated GIFs in two ways. One way is to use the File → Export → Export Movie option. We’ll call this method the export movie technique. The other way is using the publish settings technique—almost identical to the publish settings technique described in Recipe 2.6.

The single advantage that the export movie technique offers over the publish settings technique is that it allows you to export an animated GIF from a timeline other than the main timeline. Otherwise, the publish settings technique is typically more advantageous. In order to export an animated GIF using the export movie technique, choose File → Export → Export Movie. The Export Movie dialog box opens. Choose the Animated GIF option from the “Save as type” menu. After you’ve entered the name of the file you want to export and clicked OK, you will be presented with the Export GIF dialog box. This dialog box is almost identical to the one you get when exporting a single-frame GIF file (see Recipe 2.5), but it also allows you to specify the number of times the animation sequence should run. A value of 0 causes the GIF to animate repeatedly until unloaded ...