Converting Flash project to DVD
by Marco D.
on
Sep 14, 2005 at 12:56:24 pm
We need to convert an entire Flash project to export it to DVD.
The animations were all created in Flash MX, with menus, etc. We have to get rid of the menus and navigation arrows (at the end of each scene). Then, we'll need to export to video in order to encode it for DVD. Our problem right now is that each time we export to QuickTime, all the ActionScript animations and cue point markers are ignored, resulting in the animation playing very very very fast (like it's throwing everything on screen at the same time), and since the ActionScript animations are ignored, we lose all the moving mouths, walking steps, random effects, etc.
How can we export our .fla to QuickTime in a way that will include all the animations ?
We've also tried getting rid of all the menus, then exporting to .swf, then converting the swf to video, but we've only had poor results so far. Is there any SOLID application or plugin that allows to perform SWF to DVD/video conversions ? The ones we've tried so far are more like gadgets and all induce their share of artifacts in the video.
Re: Converting Flash project to DVD by Mike James on Sep 14, 2005 at 3:01:09 pm
Marco,
Getting around the actionscript is a rats nest. But working outside the box you could attempt the following....
Why don't you just screen capture your flash content live so it plays back at the speed you want in the first place? Then simply encode that screen capture AVI (or QT) to MPEG-2. You can use Camtasia recorder (version 1 is still free I believe).
...Or you can buy the full blown new Camtasia Studio 3 (techsmith.com $299). Just be sure to change the capture rate to a very HIGH frames per second so it captures all the animation as you want it captured.
Also, MPEG-2 is not the best at catching/retaining really fast animation. It is notorious for having difficulty with really fast motion scenes. The only solution I've found for fast CG or fast animation being encoded well for DVD is using this encoder:
http://www.cinemacraft.com/eng/sp.html It is very expensive. But with an up to 8 passes (instead of just two VBRs) it gets the job done.
Re: Converting Flash project to DVD by Matt Klundt on Sep 14, 2005 at 4:09:27 pm
If you are going to spend money, the best conversion that I have heard (never tried, yet) is SWFtoVideo. Both basic and pro version can do what you need. Whereas screen capture software could record what you need, it may* not be able to keep the frame rate of you Flash. SWFtoVideo won't drop any frames when recording. http://www.flashants.com/root/swf2video.shtml
Also, Macromedia has their own screen capture software called Captivate.
If anyone has used SWFtoVideo, I'd like to know their thoughts.
Re: Converting Flash project to DVD by LeeBrimelow on Sep 14, 2005 at 6:01:32 pm
Yes I have tried to SWF2Video and it worked flawlessly for me. SnapzPro does the best of all the screen recording programs and rarely has to drop any frames.
Re: Converting Flash project to DVD by Mike James on Sep 14, 2005 at 11:35:00 pm
FYI, captivate's "full motion" capture sucks. I saw in two (yes 2) of macromedia's demos a month back where the file folder showed Camtasia Studio files saved, named as the topic that the presenter was currently demoing!!! I made fun of them in a few blogs and shortly after those demos where pulled.
When a company is using a competitor's software instead of their own you gotta wonder why to listen to the marketing.
That said, I just upgraded for $199 to Captivate. I have used RoboDemo 4 several times and finally decided to upgrade because of the easier audio editing. Captivate is great for tutorials, but the full motion mode sucks compared to Camtasia.
I'm familiar with the conversion, but I tried it a year ago and the quality was not high enough for me to buy it. I used the demo.
Re: Converting Flash project to DVD by Marco D. on Sep 16, 2005 at 3:51:51 am
Thanks to you all,
So, from what I'm reading, all of you are pointing me towards a live screen capture of a playing swf. No one has a way of using the .fla in order to export directly, while including the actionscript animations... am I correct ? If anyone has such a solution, please rise and voice it, as I would find it much more 'professional' or at least 'cleaner procedure' for a commercial DVD production. I'd feel comfortable with screen capturing if it were for a small personal project or for capturing a single element which has to be part of a greater whole. But here, it is the entire clips that we need to capture, and the end result will be integrated in a commercial DVD. So we need maximum quality, with no compromise.
So, again, is there any elegant way of exporting directly from .fla to video without losing any part of the animations ?
If we have to fall back to screen capturing... Can any (or some) of the suggested solutions (Camtasia, SnapzPro, etc.) capture at full frame rate (29.97 or 30 if needed), without missing any single frame, and without inducing artifacts ?
