Toontoonz wrote:
Or did you export from Moho as a Flash movie with sound, then open this .swf file (with sound) in Flash MX, manipulate it and then export as a movie?
I did just that, but I lost the sound on import, so I had to re-import the MP3 file in a seperate layer. Of course, I had to check if the sound was still in synch with the animation, but I had expected a little bit more refinement from a program like Flash MX. Unfortunately, it seems that Flash MX in this case does a poor job indeed
It seems my thread bottles down to optimizing problems. Flash MX has a hard time importing my reasonably simple Flash animation, e.g. losing the sound data. It may be that the Pro-version does a much better job, but IMHO this program is much too expensive for animation hobbyists.
It may also be that I haven't got a clue what Flash MX is all about, and used the wrong settings for import.
BTW I've bought Flash 2 long ago. Back then it was still a cute little program, doing just what it was supposed to do: helping you to make creative webanimations. When I see Flash MX, I shudder: This isn't the program I remember. It has befallen the same fate as many other programs, it wants to emulate Micro$oft by putting as many options into a program as possible, hoping that some of them will appeal to potential buyers. The'd better left the extras to third party software developers, just as Micro$oft should have done with their operating system.
Sorry, I couldn't resist some Windows-bashing
I've used a program called
Flash Optimizer (Windows only), which compressed my Flash animation only marginally, but kept the sound intact. I also made an 3D version of the same file, which could be compressed much better. Here are the files and their sizes:
flat version 73.010 bytes
same optimized 72.756 bytes
3D version 221.711 bytes
same optimized 176.563 bytes
This examplifies that this stand-alone optimizer is (as is advertized) indeed best suited for compressing 3D Flash animations.
Unfortunately, the trial version lasts only 10 days and has a gray scale only restriction. And because it is a Windows-only version, I have to use CD-R/Ws to exchange files with my Macintosh computer, which isn't very productive. How I wished there was a Mac version, then I'd buy it right away.