Download
the Windows projector file of the SWF created
in this tutorial. (466kb download.) If you have
Wild FX and Linx, you can follow along as you
read through the tutorial.
The
Wildform Linx Flash Editor is a very easy
way to combine, edit and manipulate any Flash
(SWF) file so you can create amazing Flash
files without knowing Flash. Because Linx lets
you import (or drag and drop) any type of Flash
SWF file, you never have to use `Load Movie'
or other complicated actionscript programming.
With Linx you can import and combine Flash
text effects made in Wildform Wild FX (or any
other SWF files made from any third party Flash
tool).
This basic tutorial will show you how to create
your text effects in Wildform
Wild FX and combine them in Wildform Linx.
The tutorial presupposes no knowledge of either
Wild FX or Linx. It will show you how to create
the file displayed here:
Creating
text effects in Wild FX is easy. Simply open
Wild FX, type in your text in the text field
box, select an effect and click preview. If you
like the effect, click "save" and save
your effect out to a folder.
First I am going to create my effects:
Text
Wild FX Effect
Font
Font Size
"Create Stunning Effects in Wild
FX"
F4-Quill (#253)
Arial, Bold
24 point
"Combine Your Effects in Linx"
F4-YellowFlameTrail (#302)
Arial, Bold
24 point
"Dazzle Your Viewers"
F4-HSThompson (#287)
Arial, Regular
16 point
"Impress Your Clients"
F4-Sagan Nova (#270)
Arial, Regular
16 point
"It's Easy"
F4-Matrix rainbow (#226)
Arial, Regular
20 point
No
more Load Movie with Linx!
If
you are already using Wild FX, you may know that "F4" indicates
a Flash 4 effect and "F3" indicates
a Flash 3 effect. The Flash 4 effects (just like
any SWF that is published as Flash 4, 5 or 6)
cannot be directly imported into Macromedia Flash--you
have to use "Load Movie" action. However,
with Linx you don't have to worry about what
kind of Flash file your text effect is, because
Linx imports every type of Flash file.
Creating
Text Effects for my Mouseover Button
Next,
I am going to create two effects identical in
every respect except for their color. These will
be used for creating the "Play again" mouseover
button. I am also going to choose a very simple
text effect for this button, and I am going to
check the "sync letters" box in Wild
FX so that all the letters appear simultaneously.
I am doing this because I really just want to
have the text, not an animated effect, and the
simpler effects are usually smaller in file size.
Whenever I just want to get text without an animation,
I use the "typewrite" effect.
Getting
Started in Linx: Choosing An Output Path for
Your Project File
When
you launch Linx you will see the main window
where you import, layer, edit and preview the
project you are creating. This is the window
you will use the most. One of the first things
you need to do when beginning a Linx project
is to choose an output name and path for the
SWF you are creating. If you have not entered
one, you will be prompted by Linx to create one.
You can also enter this name and path in the
File Tab of the Movie Properties Window. (The
Movie properties window allows you to set properties
for your entire project. The settings applied
in this window will apply to the entire SWF file
that you output from Linx.) To launch this window,
go to the "View" menu and open the "Movie
Properties" window.
I
am going to label my output file "Linx_and_Wild
FX_Tutorial.swf".
Next, I am going to save the settings file I
am creating. The settings file saves all the
settings and characteristics of your Linx project.
You will want to save this file often as you
go along, so you don't lose any of your work
by mistake. In the "File" menu, selecting "Save
Settings" will call up a dialog box in which
you can label the name of your .lnx file. I am
also going to call this file, "Linx_and_Wild
FX_Tutorial_1.lnx".
All
Wild FX effects will import into Linx with a
transparent background, no matter what the color
of the background that you set in Wild FX. You
can set a new background color for your Linx
project in the Files tab of the Movie Properties
window. I am going to change the background color
for my final SWF to blue.
While I am in the Movie Properties window, I
am also going to set the dimensions of my SWF
file to 350x250.
Next,
I am going to import my first Wild FX text effect
file, "CreateStunningEffects.swf" into
Linx. Under the "Import" menu, I select "Import
File". The file will appear on the timeline
in Linx's main window. You may also import your
file by dragging the SWF file from your hard
drive and dropping it onto the timeline. (There
are several other ways to import files but these
are two easy and obvious ways.)
Three
Ways an Imported File Can Play on the Timeline
There
are three different "play modes" that
you can choose from your SWF file. These affect
the way the Flash player will play your SWF.
You must select a "play mode" for each
SWF you import. The three modes are "Play
on the main timeline", "Play with LoadMovie",
and "Play independently (in a sprite)",
which is the default setting. Files played in
a sprite do not affect the other files in your
Linx project. (You can change the default in
the Options window.)
In this tutorial we are going to use the default
setting and not worry about the other modes.
This sprite mode works fine for smaller files
such as the text effects SWFs we are importing
here, but if you plan on bringing larger SWFs,
such as audio and video SWFs into Linx, you will
need to familiarize yourself with the different
play modes. (Consult the Quick Start Guide in
your Linx Help File to learn more.)
Files played with any of Linx's three play modes
will appear in your Linx timeline and in the
Main window preview pane and can be moved, resized
and cropped in the preview pane.
Previewing
My File
Before
I do anything else, I want to see the Wild FX
effect I just imported. To do so, I go to the "Preview" menu
and select "Preview SWF" (or I can
press ctrl>P on my keyboard.) The Wild FX
effect I just created will play in the preview
pane of Linx's main window. Please note that
every time you make a change in Linx you must
generate a new preview in order to see the changes
you have just made, unless you turn on the "Auto
Preview" mode. You may turn on "Auto
Preview" from the Toolbar, or by going to
the "Preview" menu and selecting "Auto
Preview".
Next,
I am going to import the "CombineYourEffectsinLinx.swf" Wild
FX effect I created. This time, I'll simply grab
the SWF from the folder on my desktop and drag
it onto the timeline in Linx. The SWF will appear
on a different layer in Linx.
Now
I want to arrange my two text effects SWFs differently
in my project file. The first step I want to
take is to label my layers.
Labeling
Layers
To
label a layer, simply double click on the layer
and type in the name you desire. This helps in
organizing your project - especially as it gets
more complex.
Moving
SWFs in "Preview Scale Mode"
Next,
I want to move these effects. You can do this
in two ways. One way is to turn on the "Preview
Scale Mode" by clicking the "Preview
Scale Mode" icon in the toolbar (or from
the Preview Menu select "Preview Scale Mode".)
Click
on the SWF that you want to move. Notice that
a box with a cross in it will appear in the preview
window over the SWF you have selected. You may
then drag that SWF in the preview window wherever
you like. (You can also scale it in the preview
pane or rote and skew it in the SWF properties
window.) I am now going to move the "Create
Stunning Effects in Wild FX" above "Combine
Your Effects in Linx" by dragging them with
my mouse.
Moving
SWFs in the SWF Properties Window
If
you want align your files precisely, under the "View" menu,
open the "SWF Properties Window", and
go to the "Appearance Tab." Here you
can adjust a number of settings for the SWFs
on your Linx timeline.
To activate a SWF to apply settings to it, you
simply click on the SWF in the timeline.
In this case I am going to click on my "CreateStunningEffects" SWF
in my timeline and then in the "SWF Properties
Window" click the "Appearance Tab" and
then adjust the "Translate X" and "Translate
Y" settings so that the two effects are
perfectly aligned.
Currently
my two SWFs are playing simultaneously. Now,
I want these effects to appear in my movie one
after the other. All I need to do is to select
a file and drag it to the frame on my timeline
at which I want it to begin playing.
Now
I am going to import my remaining Wild FX effects
into Linx in the same manner I did above:
Import my files (Import
Menu -> Import File)
Preview my files (Preview
Menu -> Preview SWF)
Label my layers (Double
Click on the Layer Title)
Move each SWF to where
I want them (Preview Menu -> Preview Scale
Mode, click on SWF, and drag it in my preview
window, or fill in the X and Y Translate
boxes in the Appearance Tab of the SWF Properties
Window.)
My timeline now looks like this:
Finally, I am going to
move my SWFs on the timeline so that they
start playing when I want them to. (Click
on the SWF in the timeline and drag it to
the frame you want it to start on.)
Next
I am going to create a mouseover button using
the "Play Again - Yellow.swf" I have
already placed on my project. To create a rollover,
I highlight the "PlayAgainYellow.swf" in
my timeline, and open the SWF Properties Window
(View Menu -> SWF Properties Window) to display
the properties of PlayAgainYellow.swf.
In the SWF Properties Window, I click on the "Mouse
Events Tab". At the bottom of the tab are
the "On Mouse Over Options". Checking
the "Add Mouse Over" box, I select
the SWF file I would like to appear when my user
moves his mouse over the PlayAgainYellow.swf.
I am going to select "playagainred.swf".
Adding
an 'On Click Link' to Your Mouseover Button
I
am now going to insert an `On Click' link in
this mouseover button. Linx gives me the option
to link to an external web page, another SWF,
or any frame in my Linx movie. In this case I
am going to link to the beginning of the movie
itself. I want my movie to start again when my
viewers click the "Play again" button.
In the On Click Options section above, I check
the "Add on click" box and select "Jump
to frame". This option will cause your movie
to jump to another frame that you specify when
the specified SWF is clicked on.
In the Target field specify the name of the SWF
you want to jump to. The name of the SWF is the
same as the name that appears in the "Name" field
at the top of the SWF properties window when
that SWF is selected. By default the name is
the name of the file minus the .swf extension.
In the frame field specify the frame you want
the to jump to. If the target is blank then the
frame number is for the main timeline.
I am not going to specify a target, because I
want the button to jump back to the first frame
of my entire movie.
To ensure that your movie will play again from
the very beginning you need to insert a blank
frame. (This is because of the way Flash works
- if you want files in sprites to play correctly
from the beginning, you need to jump to a frame
before the sprite begins.) To do this select
all of the layers on your timeline by using your
mouse and holding down the Shift key on your
keyboard. Then right click and select "Insert
Frames".
Then
select "Insert 1 Blank Frame".
You
will now see a blank frame at the front of each
of the layers on your timeline. Your mouseover
button and link should now work if you preview
your file.
The
last thing I am going to do is to add a "fade
in" to my "play again" button.
To add a fade to your file simply select your
desired SWF by clicking on it in the timeline,
then open the SWF Properties Window and click
on the "Play" tab. In the "Play
Options" section check the "Image Fade
In" box and designate the number of seconds
you want the fade in to take.
Please
Note: Using image fade in and/or image
fade-out with certain SWFs set to the main
timeline play mode may result in increasing
file size. This increase in file size is most
notable with Wild FX's Flash 3 effects. If
this occurs you may want to use either the
sprite or LoadMovie play modes. As we are using
sprite mode in this tutorial we do not need
to concern ourselves with this. But it is worth
keeping in mind for other projects.
I
am now ready to export my final file. Linx offers
a number of additional export options that can
assist you in the deployment and distribution
of your Linx encoded SWF files.
You may export your final SWF by clicking the "Export
SWF" button in the File Tab of the Movie
Properties Window, or you may click the "Export
SWF" icon in the toolbar.
To
play your exported SWF, click the "Play
Output" icon in the toolbar.
Export
HTML
If
you wish to deploy your SWF in a web page, you
may select "Export HTML", which will
produce an HTML file with the code to embed the
SWF in a web page. Simply copy that HTML into
whatever page you wish.
Export
E-mail
If
you want to send your output SWF file in an email,
select this box. Linx will automatically output
a text file that can be cut and pasted into an
html e-mail editor, such as Outlook Express.
The text file will be named according to the
following format: swfoutputfilename_email.txt.
Linx will also output both Windows and Macintosh
projector files. These can be very useful for
deploying your Linx output on CD and for other
methods of offline distribution. Projector files
contain the SWF output and player together, so
you can be certain that the viewer does not need
any additional players to view the files.
Export
Win Projector
Selecting
this box will cause Linx to export your SWF as
a Flash projector file for Windows (an .exe file).
Export
Mac Projector
Selecting
this box will cause Linx to export your SWF as
a Flash projector file for the Mac (an .hqx file).
The .hqx file created by Linx must be expanded
on a Mac user's computer prior to playing.
We
have now covered everything necessary to make
the SWF file included in this tutorial. You can
do much more with Linx including adding images,
audio, and even video to your text effects. Future
tutorials will cover these subjects. The Wildform
Linx help file also addresses these topics.
Enjoy your work with Linx and Wild FX. If you
come up with anything you would like to share,
please feel free to email
us and we may feature your work in our gallery.
Wildform
provides a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all our software.
If you are not completely satisfied with our software
for any reason you may request a refund within 15 days
of purchase.
