TechNote (Archived)

Endcaps on paths change when exported as Macromedia Flash SWF

Issue

When I export my FreeHand document as a Macromedia Flash SWF file, the square or butt endcaps on my paths turn into round endcaps.

Reason

There is no way in Macromedia Flash to specify which endcap a path will use; all paths default to round endcaps. When you export your FreeHand paths, they essentially turn into Flash paths, which can only have round endcaps.

Solution

The only way to be sure your path will retain its square endcap is to convert it into a bitmap image first.

1	In FreeHand8 or later Choose Modify > Rasterize. Enter your DPI and anti-aliasing from previous versions.
2	In FreeHand 7 or earlier The object must be exported in a bitmap format Then re-imported into the working document.

Note:Remember that these paths will no longer be vectors - they won't be editable, and if you zoom in on them enough, they won't look as smooth. They may also increase your file size - vectors are usually smaller than bitmaps.