Loading Images

1

Hi gang!
I’ve got a flash file I built where there are scrolling images that fade in, scroll and fade out and this happens with three images…

However, I loaded the images inside the FLA and between the images, the tweens and the effects, the flash file gets pretty big and therefore takes a while to load when you first access the site.

It’s not a type of animation that merits a pre-loader as it’s more a “decoration” rather than a main feature on the site.

Just wondering if creating a flash file with some actionscript that calls images in a directory and accomplishes the same effect would render the file smaller in size and therefore load faster?

Is this possible? Anyone out there can help me with the actionscript?

2

in thoery AS is quicker,

however the only way to make files load quicker is lower thier quality, loading the files external don’t do much for loading faster.

the container loads faster, then the assest load in.

3

So leaving it as is but lowering the image quality will do the trick? I found this site: irongatewine.com and it has a similar effect to what I would like to do… and it seems like it’s loading pretty fast?

4

I think its bandwidth of the site as well.

Saying that. Loading each image one after another speeds the load time.

What other assests do you have in the swf other than the images?

5

Just text with some AS glows… pretty simple really… It’s actually a loader FLA, loading 1 of 3 (random) FLAS with images in them… So a total of 9 images cycle through, three at a time… The loader FLA has some text on it and the “loaded” FLA’s just have the 3 images with the tweens.

6

Things like this are (obviously) always a bit of a give and take. How quickly we want/need something to happen versus the quality of the image and what we are willing to sacrifice. If you do not wish to lower the resolution quality of the image you might want to consider (if it is an option since maybe your images MUST exist in a certain spaced area) playing with the pixel-size of the image (rather than its resolution). Just a thought to consider. Yes, image resolution will effect its loading time but also the overall size of the image would as well.

(Also - which you probably already know (but some other people might not) - adjusting the size of the image actually within the fla will not alter its loading time since it is still loading the image as its original dimensions. One would actually have to go back into Photoshop (or whatever was used to create the image) and alter and save the image there. Again, you might know this (but others might not on this open forum), if your image is already loaded into your library if you right click on the original image in the library one of the menu options is EDIT WITH… Selecting that and then selecting Photoshop (or whatever) saves a bit of time. Because once you’ve saved your changes in Photoshop (and as long as you did not close the Flash file yet) when you go back to Flash the Photoshop adjustments will automatically be reflected in the Flash copy. As opposed to doing something like having to re-import the the image back into Flash after making your Photoshop adjustements.)

[QUOTE=losse;2334793]Just text with some AS glows… pretty simple really… It’s actually a loader FLA, loading 1 of 3 (random) FLAS with images in them… So a total of 9 images cycle through, three at a time… The loader FLA has some text on it and the “loaded” FLA’s just have the 3 images with the tweens.[/QUOTE]

7

Also, just to add to what small_guy said, if you have many pictures that you need to convert, most good graphics editors (photoshop, fireworks, gimp, etc) should have a ‘batch process’ option that allows you to run commands on many files at once. It is useful if you have to convert very many pictures to a smaller resolution or whatnot.

~Cody