Flash vectoring help

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Flash vectoring help

Hey,

I've been doing some tests with scanning and implementing my frames using premier as the engine and flash and photoshop for colour. I'd take a 600 dpi inked image from my scanner as a PSD and convert it in Adobe streamline as a Vector. I'm having problems bringing this into Flash.

1. How do I import an image (vector) into flash, use smooth, and then save as a single, normal-sized image?

After that is just colouring in photoshop, followed by implementation into Premier. Thus far I'm organizing the movement in the film by stick note and diagram, say how the colours are drawn to transition smoothly on the drawings and such. The total time will be about 5-7 min.

You should be able to just import the streamline files into Flash.

I'm a bit confused though. You are scanning the line drawings. Then converting them to vectors in Streamline. Then bringing them into Flash. Then exporting them to Photoshop to color. I'm confused what you are doing in Flash. Can you not bring the vector line from Streamline to Photoshop?

This is a style issue. Why are you going to have a crisp vector outline then have shaded color? Why not just do all the line and coloring in Photoshop?

Aloha,
the Ape

...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."

What exactly do you use Flash for? It's more than just a action and frame tool.

It's a very powerful creation tool, to just import bitmaps from other programs just inflates your files.

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When working with Illustrator CS3 and Flash CS3, you can usually just do a copy from Illustrator, click back to Flash and do a paste on your stage. Flash will ask if you want to use your AI prefs or if you want to bitmap it, just make sure you keep it still as vector (no bitmap). That works well, but it may be because Adobe is now the maker of the new Flash (making both programs more compatible with each other). If you are using an earlier version and are experiencing problems doing it this way, the surefire way of getting your pretty vector files into Flash is to export your file from Illustrator as an SWF. Then, when you're in flash, import this file. It should work fine.

Adobe no longer makes Streamline because there are a number of ways of vectorizing your rasterized files without it. Versions CS2 and CS3 of Illustrator has this feature built into the program. And in Photoshop, you can take your black and white line art, select the black areas, and then create paths, then export them into Illustrator paths.

Hope this helps.

Thanks guys, I was using flash's "smooth" option to round the images so they wouldn't look so sharp.

Thanks guys, I was using flash's "smooth" option to round the images so they wouldn't look so sharp.

Hey, but if you are creating in another program and bringing it in, you are missing out on Flash's creative tools.

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