kk5000
asked on
Flash preloader for SWF movies
We have made some video tutorials of how to use features on our sites by capturing desktop videos by using Camtasia Studio from techsmith. These tutorials have been made in SWF format.
The problem is that when clients link to these tutorials they see a blank white screen until they load. Many of them close the browser thinking it's not working.
We need to either :
1. Attach a preloader to the SWF file that shows the loading progress so the clients can load http://site.com/file.swf directly (highly prefer this)
2. Get a preloader on a web page which waits while the animation loads.
Since I am primarily a server admin rather than go through flash code (I can if I absolutely have to) I prefer to use a simple commercial preloader product. Have tried 2 for far :
1> http://www.flashkicker.com - The preloader works great except the screen turns black just before the movie should play. You then need to right click the black area and click play to see the movie screen (which in turn has it's own play button that you need to press to start it)
2. www.verticalmoon.com/products/swflockload/ - Doesn't work. I see the preloader to start and it doesn't load anything. Right click --> play and it just turns to a black screen.
I guess all I need is something like flash kicker that actually works.
Any suggestions? Or I gotta kick this to the web people? Was hoping to resolve this myself :-)
The problem is that when clients link to these tutorials they see a blank white screen until they load. Many of them close the browser thinking it's not working.
We need to either :
1. Attach a preloader to the SWF file that shows the loading progress so the clients can load http://site.com/file.swf directly (highly prefer this)
2. Get a preloader on a web page which waits while the animation loads.
Since I am primarily a server admin rather than go through flash code (I can if I absolutely have to) I prefer to use a simple commercial preloader product. Have tried 2 for far :
1> http://www.flashkicker.com - The preloader works great except the screen turns black just before the movie should play. You then need to right click the black area and click play to see the movie screen (which in turn has it's own play button that you need to press to start it)
2. www.verticalmoon.com/products/swflockload/ - Doesn't work. I see the preloader to start and it doesn't load anything. Right click --> play and it just turns to a black screen.
I guess all I need is something like flash kicker that actually works.
Any suggestions? Or I gotta kick this to the web people? Was hoping to resolve this myself :-)
ASKER
While those preloaders are very nice and I may even buy one of them to put in our videos what I am looking for here is an actual software like www.flashkicker.com that will insert the preloader into our SWF files.
Here is another preloader software.
A2 Flash Preloader
http://www.a2flash.net/preloader_eng/index.htm
Also if you find in flashden, you can also find preloaders that can easily call external swf files.
most of the time all you have to do is add the swf file name to the preloader in flash.
http://flashden.net/searches?term=external+preloader&type=flash
A2 Flash Preloader
http://www.a2flash.net/preloader_eng/index.htm
Also if you find in flashden, you can also find preloaders that can easily call external swf files.
most of the time all you have to do is add the swf file name to the preloader in flash.
http://flashden.net/searches?term=external+preloader&type=flash
On second thoughts, If you carefully follow this reccomended method. Verticalmoon product should work.
Also test it by uploading all files to a test folder on your webserver.
http://www.verticalmoon.com/tutorials/swflockload/basic_existing_external7/addpreloader.htm
Also test it by uploading all files to a test folder on your webserver.
http://www.verticalmoon.com/tutorials/swflockload/basic_existing_external7/addpreloader.htm
ASKER
I did follow the instructions on how to use Vertical Moon but doesn't work at all. Let me try an external preloader.
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ASKER
For whatever reason, the camtasia studio would not create the preloader. I am guessing it is a camtasia issue and that's why I needed the other preloader. But I gotta give the points to someone I guess hehe.
all for small premiums.
http://flashden.net/category/preloaders
or you can use the one from here. (free fla available at the bottom of the page).
http://www.kirupa.com/developer/mx/percentagepreloader.htm