Flash works well with Photoshop
When you are creating your flash website you naturally want striking images within the site. Unless you are a Vector wizard, you will be hard pressed to create striking images within Flash. If you are going to keep your whole site a fixed pixel size, there is nothing more striking than a pixel-vector mixed website. Can you imagine if Adobe one day decided to combine Photoshop with Flash?
Of course you can create your Flash website without using any bitmap images, but you might find you need imagery to drive the message home. If you are concerned about the download size of your final swf file, make sure to export your image using “Save for Web and Devices”.
Notice how the size went from 173k to 23k. This is the #1 overlooked process when creating a Flash website.
Adding Images You Create In Flash
So you created your amazing image in Photoshop, how to do insert them in Flash? Easy, here’s how with Flash open:
Flash and Photoshop Best Friends
So If you have Flash and don’t have Photoshop go and get it. When I personally develop a website I usually have 2 – 3 programs opened at the same time. You guessed it, Flash and Photoshop.
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March 28th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I think that flash without photoshop graphics won’t be flash anymore. There is this series from Lynda.com, flash and photoshop CS2 integration. The author clearly show how great the photoshop bitmaps can make flash be better. What makes flash even better is extra vector graphics from illustrator.
Maybe you’ll write a little article about that too.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:25 am
I use Photoshop to create backgrounds and buttons and then I use flash animation to give them a little extra effect. Until now I am quite pleased by these techniques.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Yeah, that’s how I started learning and continue using that technique, although I try to make the buttons in Flash when I can. What drives me crazy though is when people run full screen scripts and the bitmaps images turn mega pixelated…that looks horrible.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Well if you make the buttons fixed in width and height, they won’t scale that easily, and if you really want vector quality, why not use Illustrator for some extra graphic enchantments? Illustrator is quite a good tool.. actually better than Photoshop sometimes, if you ask me.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I always edit my pictures in photoshop as well before importing them to flash. Guess its mainly because I do not find it easy to edit my photos in flash
March 28th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I love illustrator too. I use it more often than photoshop. Have to agree with Roberts comment that it can be actually better than Photoshop sometimes.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Wouldnt an integration of Flash and Adobe be great. Would save a lot of time having to switch from one application to another
March 28th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Nice tip about exporting images using “save for web and Devices”. I’m actually new to using flash and haven’t gotten round to figuring out some stuff.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Regarding making buttons. I also prefer making them in Flash. Putting a fixed width and height on the image prevents it from pixelating sometimes
March 28th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I love using Flash but hate that you can’t really do any gud image editing with it. Photoshop helps a lot with the editing. Would be nice if Flash had bettter image editing tools.
March 28th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Right Harry, Adbobe Flash does really lack good photo editing components
March 28th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Photoshop and Flash do make a great combination. Photoshop complements Flash on the components its lacking. I usually use illustrator though
March 28th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I use Photoshop and Illustrator to create great graphics, and then I import them into flash. Most of the time I use this technique on banners, headers, menubars or buttons.
March 28th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I don’t like using photoshop for buttons or menubars etc, that things can be easily accomplished in flash, what I do use Photoshop for is the special effects elements like lightning, firebals and other things like textured gradients that animate in the background.
March 28th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I never knew that Photoshop and Flash can work so easily together. Until now I had a few projects where I said to myself “If I could have done this with photoshop and then put it in flash it would have looked soo great”. Guess I have to learn a bit more. That’s how it is with us teachers..
March 29th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I have seen full vector art websites that are absolutely stunning, but people that create those type of websites are in the minority for sure, that really does take a special talent. Someday I’ll take the time to really learn Illustrator.
March 30th, 2008 at 7:57 am
I adore flash! I use it all the time, Photoshop and I are like married to each other, I use it for everything. It took me a year to fully understand every single feature since I was teaching myself as I go but it’s now second nature to me, I use it for EVERYTHING, website designs, patterns,animation,logos & headers, photo enhancements, you name it. I’m so glad Adobe and Macromedia partnered up, it was a brilliant move!I am also happy that there is no longer a need for Image Ready as an animator like in older versions, cs3 has got it all.
March 30th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Isabella:
Imagine if and probably when Flash and Photoshop become 1 program. No need to have 2 programs opened, access either program the way we used to access Imageready. Thanks for stoppping by Isabella and kudos for you for being self taught, I am self taught as well.
I remember being in class, and our instructor was explaining there were no multiple undo’s in Photoshop, well, I ended up teaching the class for the day.
February 16th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
You are a very smart person!
August 30th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Nice write up…usually I never reply to these thing but this time I will,Thanks for the great info.