Adobe After Effects CS3 - Manual (Page 609)

AFTER EFFECTS CS3
User Guide
604
The exported SWF file includes each unchanged item in the After Effects composition once, and then references it
for each use. If a layer is used in multiple frames, each use refers to the same object, even if the layer’s transform
properties (such as Position) are animated. However, if the content of the layer changes—for example, if a mask on
the layer is animated or if the layer’s source footage item is video—a new object is created for each frame in which
the layer is visible. If multiple layers in the composition share the same source footage item, the source is added once
and is then referenced for every additional layer that shares the source. If the source is an Illustrator file, a SWF movie
clip is created and referenced. Text characters are added as vectors once and then referenced on all subsequent
frames, unless you choose Fill Over Stroke from the Fill And Stroke options menu; in that case, the characters are
added as vectors on every frame.
Note: If color management is enabled for the project, then colors are converted from the project’s working color space to
the sRGB IEC61966-2.1 color space for output. This output color space is appropriate for movies shown in a web browser.
(See “Color management” on page 241.)
1 Select the composition you want to export, and then choose File > Export > Adobe Flash (SWF).
2 Type a file name (making sure to include the .swf extension) and location, and then click Save.
3 Specify options as appropriate, and then click OK.
SWF export settings
JPEG Quality Specifies the image quality of rasterized. The higher the quality, the larger the file. (If you select
Rasterize for Unsupported Features, the JPEG Quality setting is used for all JPEG-compressed bitmap images
exported to the SWF file, including bitmap images generated from composition frames or Adobe Illustrator files.)
Unsupported Features Specifies whether to rasterize features that SWF format doesn’t support. Choose Ignore to
exclude unsupported features, or choose Rasterize to render all frames that contain unsupported features as JPEG-
compressed bitmap images and include them in the SWF file. If you choose Rasterize, the SWF Exporter rasterizes
source files for each layer in the composition (except layers that use Illustrator files or solids as the source footage)
and nested compositions with Collapse Transformations enabled.
Audio Bit Rate The bit rate of the exported audio. Choose Auto to get the lowest bit rate available for the specified
Sample Rate and Channels settings. Higher bit rates increase file size. Flash audio is in MP3 format.
Loop Continuously Specifies that the exported SWF file loops continuously during playback. If you plan to specify
looping by writing HTML code to control the Flash Player, deselect Loop Continuously.
Prevent Import Creates a SWF file that digital image or video-editing programs can’t import.
Include Object Names Includes layer, mask, and effect names in the file, for use as input to ActionScript programs.
Selecting this option increases file size. Rasterized objects are not named.
Each mask is exported as a separate SWF object, the name of which is the layer name followed by the mask name. If
all masks use Difference mode, all masks are exported as one SWF object, and the name is the layer name. Each text
character is exported as a separate SWF object.
Flatten Illustrator Artwork Splits all overlapping objects into non-overlapping pieces. When you select this option,
you don’t need to convert Illustrator text to outlines before exporting. (This option supports source files from
Illustrator 9.0 or later.)
There are advantages and disadvantages to flattening Illustrator artwork. When you flatten Illustrator artwork, text
is exported to SWF properly, so you don’t need to convert text to outlines. Overlapping objects are removed, so
composited layers appear the same in both After Effects and the SWF file. End caps, joins, and transparency groups
are exported properly, and artwork outside crop marks, which is not visible in the SWF file, is not included. However,
SWF files don’t necessarily become smaller. In addition, the flattening process may introduce unsupported objects