Flash CS3 Quicktime Export

Anyone using Flash CS3 is probably aware that we can now export our movies to Quicktime format keeping movieclips intact and exporting any actionscripted graphics/animation. This is something that was screwed up in previous versions of Flash, where only the first frame of movieclips were exported and any actionscript was ignored.

Note: CS3's enhanced Quicktime Export is the only video export format that Adobe have improved so far. Exporting to .avi or image sequences will result in the same old movieclip/actionscript issues.

Even though I'm using CS3 I still use graphic symbols wherever possible because it's important that I'm able to scrub the main timeline and preview the animation in the context of the scene. This isn't possible with movieclips, despite the menu item Control > Enable Live Preview (which the Help file tells us allows movieclips to be previewed in the timeline - - uh, no it doesn't).

Still, being able to export actionscript stuff like particles, physics experiments and so on, it's a godsend for any Flash programmer who's ever wanted to create a showreel for YouTube or a DVD.

To use Flash CS3's quicktime export, go to:
File > Export > Export Movie

then choose Quicktime as the format.



Then you'll get some options to play with:



Clicking the Quicktime Settings button at the bottom gives you further options such as the compression codec and audio settings.

A word of warning for animators. The 'enhanced Quicktime export' has great difficulty coping with large movies, CPU intensive graphics and high frame rates. Because it captures frames from the Flash Player, your exported movie may contain dropped frames and some unexpected stuff.

It's recommended that, if possible, you lower the frame rate for the export process, then raise it in another program like After Effects. I know, this is a huge pain in the arse but remember this is QT Export's v1.0. At least we know Adobe are listening to us and the feature will inevitably improve as time goes by.

Waterlollies
I posted an update on my Newgrounds user blog and Tom frontpaged it (cheers!):
chluaid.newgrounds.com/news

If you've come here from Newgrounds looking for a Waterlollies update, here's the latest graph:



I estimate it's about 82% complete now. My painful schedule of 4 scenes per day is pretty tough but it's good to see how fast the movie is coming along. The end is actually in sight and I'm pretty sure we're looking at a September release. Don't ask me for a specific date or my face will implode.


Click image for full size

OK that's it! As always, thanks for the support. See you in about 10 days with the next update ;)