bitmaps in flash

[kerrysmagicshirt]

this isn't the first time ive used bitmaps in flash hiwever it is sinec upgrading to flash 8

i'm having problems
my photoshop file has a shape with no background at all - i've selected, cut and pasted it and it's coming pasting into flash with a white background.
so i break it apart and go on trace bitmap - then it ends up absolutly nothing like i wanted it as vectorised.
grrr

it's gotto be an easy one i'm sure

[Bear]

use save for web as a png-24 file and import it ?

[Eraser Nubbin]

Ya PNG seems to be the way to go, you get your transparency and your clean image.
Have you messed around with all of the tolerance levels in the trace bitmap?

[kerrysmagicshirt]

yeah i had a play around with the torelence levels and got it right but it must have used a lot of memory because everything slowed right down until i got it looking right and converted it to a graphic.

i've never used PNG before i will have to try it out. any thing i should know about when using them? ie 2nd, 3rd generations jpegs loose quality.

[Bear]

they're a lossless format, but you can control the quality of them when brought in. However they can cause slowdowns if used improperly because they give such good quality transparency.

[kerrysmagicshirt]

they're a lossless format,

never heard that phrase before - is that basically what you decribed?
whould you recomend them only for use when the image has a transparent background?

[kerrysmagicshirt]

right similar problem - i am trying to import a (newly advised) png_24 into dreamweaver - with a trans background. but when i test my dreamweaver page it has a white background!!! despite that my dw background is yellow!

[kerrysmagicshirt]

i have found out that it is because in using IE please see this if you are having the same problem http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bobosola/index.htm

sorry i probably should have started a new thread.

[unchained]

I have used trasparant PNG images several times in flash without any background problems in IE. So it must be possible without any proplems.

[Bear]

not in flash, external to flash unchained, in html documents it's a well documented problem that ie can't render 24-bit transparency

[unchained]

Very true Bear but when inserting the PNG into Flash and after that inserting the SWF into dreamweaver it will work for IE and other browsers if needed. :D

[unchained]

On the other hand It is possible to place a transparant gif into dreamweaver. I've tried the GIF 128 dithered and it looks pretty good to me, the only thing you got to do is make sure the Matte outline is the same colour as the final HTML background colour. Maybe not what you wanted, but it works.

[Bear]

a png in a flash file makes no sense if you want the transparency interacting with objects in the HTML. Even if you make the swf have transparency you still get the same rendering problems in certain browsers eg. a solid white/black shape as soon as the alpha channel goes below 100%. Gifs are all well and good but they only allow for 8 bit transparency which means it's either transparent or it's not. Png-24 on the other hand allow for drop shadows (i.e. gradiated transparencys, as well as semi transparency.

[kerrysmagicshirt]

i was tying to use the png directly in dw!!!

well thanks for all the hints and tips there guys.

[Bear]

i was responding to unchained, kerrysmagicshirt. sorry to have sounded inflammatory

[kerrysmagicshirt]

I didn't take it that way at all bear, it's cool.

- looking at it that way my post looks a tad defensive (dam my over eager explenation marks!!!)

[darkstar_tfd]

simply transf in bitmap for example. Right click on the file, edit, and edit it with windows paint, and select the part you want to add in the flash sistem, copy it, and then paste it in the flash file. transfot it in graphic..and this is it..it just take`s a little more space!

[kerrysmagicshirt]

it's ok darkstar - got it sorted now. it was when you traced the bitmap in flash that caused the issue - but all is good now thanks.