Producing Flash CS3 Video

Producing Flash CS3 Video

by John Skidgel
Released August 2012
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136140853

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Book description

* Best practices for production, encoding, and integration
* Build custom video players for web and mobile use
* Apply transparency and effects with After Effects

Design and develop video applications with Flash Professional CS3. In quick primer chapters, you'll get the best practices for shooting video for Flash distribution and the basics of how to design Flash applications for compelling user experiences. Subsequent chapters demonstrate the integrated use of Flash Professional with Dreamweaver, Device Central, and After Effects in practical tutorials. Annotated ActionScript 3 code gives you the facility to build your video applications.

In 27 progressive tutorials, you'll acquire practical experience in the cutting edge techniques for:

* Encoding single files, batch files, and embedding cue points in video.
* Customizing FLVPlayback components
* Building Flash Video players from scratch to include cue points, full screen events, and current playback time
* Applying transparency, masks, and effects to enhance Flash Video.
* Looping Flash Video continuously or in creative combinations
* Embedding Flash Video in HTML pages for web deployment
* Integrating Flash Video with XML, closed caption text, and JavaScript
* Preparing video for streaming servers and mobile devices including a Flash Lite application with device video

The companion DVD-ROM contains project media for all 27 tutorials that teach the nuts and bolts of implementing video in Flash applications on web pages and on alternative devices.

Table of contents

  1. Front Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Dedication
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. 1 Getting Started withFlash Video
    1. Video and the Web
      1. Flash Video and Web 2.0
    2. Before You Begin
      1. How This Book Is Organized
      2. Required Software
    3. Tutorial: Inserting Flash Video in Flash Professional
    4. Tutorial: Inserting Flash Video in Dreamweaver
    5. Wrapping Up
  9. 2 Video Production Tipsfor Flash Video
    1. Shoot with the Best Possible Format
    2. Controlling Camera Motion
      1. Avoid Quick Zooms and Whiplash Panning
      2. Controlling Movement
      3. Use a Tripod or a Stabilizer Wherever Possible
    3. Don’t Sweat Title and Action Safe Zones
    4. Simplify Backgrounds
      1. Use Depth of Field to Your Advantage
    5. Get Good Exposure and Light Softly
    6. Shooting for Blue and Green Screen
      1. Reduce or Turn Off Detail or Sharpening
      2. Exposure Is Everything
      3. Shooting Blue and Green Screen
    7. Recording Room Tone and Effects
    8. Wrapping Up
  10. 3 An Introduction to Flash Professional and ActionScript 3
    1. Getting Acquainted with Flash Professional CS3
    2. Creating Flash Documents
      1. New Document dialog
      2. Tutorial: Creating a Reusable Flash Template
    3. Interface Overview
      1. Timeline
      2. The Stage, Shapes and Symbols
      3. Tool Palette
      4. Properties Panel
      5. Library Panel
      6. Components Panel
      7. The Actions Panel
      8. Compiler Errors and Output Panels
      9. The Help Panel
      10. Testing with the Preview Window
    4. Wrapping Up
  11. 4 Encoding Flash Video
    1. Analog and Digital Theory
      1. The Analog-to-Digital Process
      2. Color Spaces
      3. Color Sampling
      4. Quantization
      5. Data Rate
    2. Compression
      1. Lossy and Lossless Codecs
      2. Intraframe and Interframe Compression
      3. Compression Ratios
      4. The Takeaway
    3. Important Factors Regarding Compression
      1. Internet Access Speed
      2. Flash Player Versions and Video Codecs
    4. Encoding Decisions
      1. Pixel Dimensions
      2. Frame Rate
      3. Aspect Ratio
      4. Interlaced and Progressive Frames
      5. Frame Content
      6. Bit Rate
      7. Disk Space and Bandwidth Quota
      8. Video Delivery Methods Supported by Flash Video
      9. Flash Video Encoders
    5. Flash Video Encoding Settings
      1. The Settings Dialog
    6. Encoding Tutorials
      1. Tutorial: Encoding with the Import Video Wizard
      2. Tutorial: Batch Encoding Several Clips
      3. Tutorial: Setting Cue Points
      4. Tutorial: Exporting Cue Points from an Existing FLV
      5. Wrapping Up
  12. 5 CustomizingFlash Video Players
    1. Custom Player Development
    2. Tutorial: Creating a Flash Video Text Banner
    3. Tutorial: Skinning the FLVPlayback Component
      1. Part 1 : Adding Components to the Stage
      2. Part 2: Skinning the Components
      3. Part 3: Writing the ActionScript
    4. Tutorial: Writing a Custom Player from Scratch
      1. Writing the Base Video Player Class
      2. Wrapping Up
  13. 6 Interactive Video Concepts
    1. Designing Navigation and Interaction
      1. Flowcharts
      2. Prototyping
      3. Helpful Interaction Design Questions
      4. Interaction Design Tips
    2. Backgrounds, Loops and Flash Video
    3. Tutorial: Repeating Loops
      1. Part 1: Setting Up the FLA File
      2. Part 2: Adding Text, Button, and Video Elements Elements
      3. Part 3: ActionScript Code for Loops and Navigation
    4. Tutorial: Intro, Exit, and Return Loops
      1. Part 1: Setting Up the FLA File
      2. Part 2: Adding Backgrounds, Buttons, and Video
      3. Part 3: ActionScript Code for Intro, Exit, and Return Loops
    5. Wrapping Up
  14. 7 Video Transparencyand Effects
    1. Flash Video and Transparency
      1. Tutorial: Creating Flash Video with Transparency
    2. Creating Transparent Video on a Web Page
      1. Tutorial: Exporting Transparency from Flash
    3. Masking Video
      1. Tutorial: Masking Video
    4. Applying Blend Modes and Effects to Video
      1. Tutorial: Applying Blend Modes and Color Effects
      2. Tutorial: Applying Bitmap Effects Directly
      3. Tutorial: Applying Bitmap Effects Dynamically
    5. Wrapping Up
  15. 8 Enhancing Flash Deployment
    1. Deploying Flash with HTML
    2. How Flash Video Is Embedded
    3. Browser Compatibility and Web Standards
      1. What Are Web Standards?
      2. Object and Embed Tags
    4. Flash Player Version Detection
    5. The EOLAS Patent and Active Content
    6. Tutorial: Using SWFObject
    7. Ensuring Your Web Site Can Serve Flash Video
    8. Wrapping Up
  16. 9 More FlashVideo Applications
    1. Displaying Closed Captions
      1. The FLVPlayback Captioning Component
      2. Flash CS3 Support for Timed Text
      3. Targeting Dynamic Text Fields for Use with Captions
    2. Displaying Cue Points
    3. Creating Video Playlists
      1. Arrays
      2. XML
    4. The External API
      1. Flash Player and Browser Communication
  17. 10 Flash Media Server andFlash Lite Video
    1. Serving Flash Video with a Streaming Server
      1. Specifying a Streaming URL
      2. Using Bandwidth Detection
    2. Flash Lite 2 and Mobile Video
      1. Preparing Video for Flash Lite
      2. How To: Exporting Mobile Video from the Adobe Media Encoder
      3. How To: Exporting Mobile Video from QuickTime Pro
      4. Mobile Video Encoding Considerations
      5. The ActionScript Video Object in Flash Lite 2
      6. Previewing Video with Flash Lite Applications
      7. Deploying Flash Lite Applications with Video
      8. How To: Create a Template Using Device Central
    3. Tutorial: Import an Illustrator File into Flash Professional
      1. Importing an Adobe Illustrator CS3 File
      2. Structuring the Movie’s Layers and Timeline
      3. Configuring Buttons
      4. Importing and Bundling Device Video
    4. Tutorial: Writing ActionScript and Testing inDevice Central
      1. Testing the Movie in Device Central
    5. Wrapping Up
  18. Index

Product information

  • Title: Producing Flash CS3 Video
  • Author(s): John Skidgel
  • Release date: August 2012
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136140853