How to import an animated GIF, AVI movie or PICT sequence into Macromedia Flash
Macromedia Flash MX and the Macromedia Flash Player 6
One of the primary reasons to import an AVI, Pict sequence or other animation sequence into Macromedia Flash was to simulate video. Macromedia Flash MX adds full video support to the Macromedia Flash Player, allowing you to import any standard video file supported by QuickTime or Windows Media Player, including MPEG, DV (Digital Video), MOV (QuickTime), and AVI. Which specific file types you'll be able to import depends on which video codecs are installed on your machine. After importing these files you will be able to manipulate, scale, rotate, skew, mask, and animate video objects, and make them interactive using ActionScript.
Video is natively supported in Macromedia Flash Player 6 with the addition of the Sorenson Spark codec. The Spark codec is built into Macromedia Flash MX and the Macromedia Flash Player 6, allowing you to compress the video with Spark when importing video into Flash and publishing SWF files, then decompress the video during playback in Macromedia Flash Player 6. Playback of SWF files with embedded or linked video requires Macromedia Flash Player 6. For complete details see the Macromedia Flash MX documentation.
With that in mind, it may not be necessary to import a sequence if video playback will achieve the goal. However, these steps will continue to work in Flash MX as they did in Flash 4 and Flash 5.
Importing files
To import an AVI movie, PICT sequence, or other animation into Macromedia Flash follow these steps:
- Export the animation as a series of images in a file format that Macromedia Flash can import. Use a naming scheme such as anim1.gif, anim2.gif, anim3.gif and so on. See the table following these steps for a list of compatible file formats.
- Select File> Import.
- Select anim1.gif.
- Macromedia Flash recognizes that the file is part of a series and offers to import all of the files. Select OK. The GIF images will be placed on one layer as a series of keyframes.
To import an animated GIF:
- Select File> Import.
- Select the animated GIF file.
- Select OK. When Macromedia Flash recognizes that the file is an animated GIF it will extract the individual frames. The series will be placed on one layer as a series of key frames. The frames will be spaced to reflect the timeline of the animated GIF.
Additional information
The following are acceptable file formats to bring into Macromedia Flash MX:
| File type | Extension | Windows | Macintosh |
| Adobe Illustrator (version 8.0 or earlier) | .ai,.eps | x | x |
| AutoCAD DXF | .dxf | x | x |
| Bitmap | .bmp | x | |
| Enhanced Windows Metafile | .emf | x | |
| FreeHand | .fh7,.fh8,.fh9,.ft7,.ft8,.ft9,.fh10 | x | x |
| FutureSplash Player | .spl | x | x |
| GIF and animated GIF | .gif | x | x |
| JPEG | .jpeg | x | x |
| PICT | .pct,.pic | x | |
| Flash Player 6 | .swf | x | x |
| PNG | .png | x | x |
| Windows Metafile | .wmf | x |
The following can be imported if QuickTime 4 or later is installed:
| File type | Extension | Windows | Macintosh |
| Digital Video | See Flash MX and the Macromedia Flash Player 6 above | x | x |
| MacPaint | .pntg | x | x |
| Photoshop | .psd | x | x |
| PICT | .pct,.pic | x | x |
| QuickTime Image | .qtif | x | x |
| QuickTime Movie | .mov | x | x |
| Silicon Graphics | .sai | x | x |
| TGA | .tgf | x | x |
| TIFF | .tiff | x | x |
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