Flash CS5: The Missing Manual

Importing Video Files

Once you have access to a video in the Flash video format (.flv or .f4v), you're ready to begin importing the video file into Flash. When you begin this process, your video can be on your computer or it can be on the web, where it's served up by a Flash Media Server. In this section, you see step-by-step examples for both scenarios.

Importing a Flash Video File Stored on Your Computer

When you have a video on your computer in one of Flash's two video formats (.flv or .f4v), it's easy to import it into your Flash project. By making a couple of choices along the way, you can give your Flash audience standard controls to play and pause your video and adjust its sound. To work on the following exercise, you can download the video 11-4_Building_Implode.flv from the Missing CD page at www.missingmanuals.com/cds.

Note

If you need to convert a video to one of the Flash video formats (.flv or .f4v), see Encoding: Making Flash Video Files.

When you add video to your Flash project using this method, Flash creates a link between the Flash file and your project. Even after you publish a Flash .swf file for final distribution, the Flash file and your video file remain separate. If the project is for a website, you need to place both the Flash .swf file and the video file (.flv or .f4v) on the website, ideally in the same folder. To make things easy for yourself, it's best to put your Flash video in same folder where you save your Flash work file (.fla) and publish your Flash ...