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| Importing, Combining, Positioning & Cropping SWFs with Linx |
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| Introduction |
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This
brief tutorial will outline the most basic steps
of how to import, combine, position and crop
SWF files (as well as image and audio files)
with Linx.
You can use Linx to combine any .swf file. You
can also directly import any supported image
format (.bmp, .jpeg, .gif, .psd, .png, .tif,
.pic, .tga) or audio files (.mp3, .wav) which
are converted to .swf format upon import. |
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| Importing
files |
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There
are a number of ways to import files into Linx.
Here are two very easy ones:
- You can drag the file
onto the Linx timeline.
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you drag a .swf onto the Linx timeline it should
automatically import it to a new layer and automatically
name the layer the same name as the .swf. This
can be a convenient feature. |
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- You can select Import
File (Ctrl+I) in the Import Menu. When you
import a file onto the Linx timeline using
this method it should automatically import
it to a new layer and automatically name
the layer the same name as the .swf. This
can be a convenient feature.
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are other ways of importing files but these will
get you going. |
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| Importing
Images |
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you import an image the “Import Image” file
dialogue box appears. |
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will control how the audio file is converted
to .swf format. You can set the location of the
.swf file that is created upon import – the
default is the same folder that the source audio
file is in, but you can change it as well. The “Output
Audio Options” settings control the quality
of the audio and how large the resulting .swf
file size will be. As a general rule, you will
want to set the Sampling rate at 22050 Hz and
the Bitrate somewhere between 16-128 (there is
no reason to go above 128). The lower the bitrate
the smaller the file size. |
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| Importing
audio |
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| When
you import an audio file the “Import Audio” file
dialogue box appears. |
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| This
will control how the audio file is converted
to .swf format. You can set the location of the
.swf file that is created upon import – the
default is the same folder that the source audio
file is in, but you can change it as well. The “Output
Audio Options” settings control the quality
of the audio and how large the resulting .swf
file size will be. As a general rule, you will
want to set the Sampling rate at 22050 Hz and
the Bitrate somewhere between 16-128 (there is
no reason to go above 128). The lower the bitrate
the smaller the file size. |
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| Play
Mode |
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The
play modes of Linx are available to help you
create better performing projects for online
distribution, but they can be a little complicated
to understand. So, to make it simple, a good
general rule is:
- Set files that are under
50k to the “play independently in a
sprite” mode,
- Set files that are larger
than 50k to the “main timeline” play
mode.
This should work for you the vast majority of
the time. If you are creating a project for offline
distribution on a hard drive or CD, this doesn’t
matter as much – though it still matters.
(Since this is just meant to be a quick guide
to importing, combining and positioning files,
it’s going to stop at the basics.)
You can set the play mode of a .swf by clicking
the .swf in the Linx timeline to activate it
and then selecting the play mode you want in
the play tab of the SWF Properties window. |
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| Positioning
.swf’s |
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Once
you have imported a .swf file there are a couple
of easy ways to position a .swf.
If you are using the Preview scale mode you can
drag the .swf where you want in the preview window.
To do this, first set Linx to the Preview>Scale
Mode – this option is available in the
Preview Menu. |
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| First,
activate the .swf you want to move by clicking
on the .swf in the Linx timeline. You will then
see the .swf outlined in the preview pane of
Linx. You must always click on a .swf in the
Linx timeline to activate it in order to move
it. |
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can then drag the swf where you want to place
it: |
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you can adjust the settings using the "Translate
X" and "Translate Y" settings
in the Appearance tab of the SWF Properties window
(View>SWF Properties). |
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| Cropping
.swf’s |
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There
are also a couple of easy ways to crop a .swf
that are very similar to the methods of positioning
a .swf.
You can use the Preview crop mode to crop the
.swf in the preview window. To do this, first
set Linx to the Preview>Crop Mode – this
option is available in the Preview Menu. |
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| Activate
the .swf you want to move by clicking on the
.swf in the Linx timeline. You will then see
the .swf outlined in the preview pane of Linx
with the cropping markers. |
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can then either a) drag the cropping markers
on the swf to crop it: |
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you can adjust the settings using the Cropping
options settings in the Appearance tab of the
SWF Properties window (View>SWF Properties). |
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| Moving
.swf’s on the timeline |
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| To
move a .swf on the Linx timeline, simply select
the .swf in the Linx timeline. |
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then drag it where you want. |
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| Changing
Duration |
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Changing
the duration of a .swf can be useful if you want
a .swf to stay on screen longer than it normally
would, or if you need to add extra frames to
a .swf in order to add a fade in or out.
To change the duration simply place your mouse
on the right edge of the .swf: |
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then drag the mouse as many frames as you want
to extend the .swf: |
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| Moving
layers |
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| To
move a layer, all you need to do is select the
layer with your mouse |
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drag it where you want to place it. |
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| Layer
order |
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| .swf
files placed on layers that are higher on the
timeline appear above SWF files that are below
them in the preview and output. So if you want
.swf #1 to appear on top of.swf #2, make sure
.swf #1 is on a layer above .swf #2. Linx automatically
places newly imported files on the top layer,
but you can always move the .swf files and/or
the layers. |
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| Multiple
.swf’s |
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You
can repeat these steps with as many files as
you want in order to combine as many .swf files
as you require for your project.
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| Exporting |
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| When
you are done export the output using the "Export
SWF" button in the Movie Properties window. |
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| Conclusion |
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| So
those are basics for importing, combining and
manipulating .swf files in Linx. There are many
more advanced features that you can use with
Linx, but this tutorial has covered the basics
to get you started. |
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