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About export formats

    To use a LiveMotion composition in a Web page, you export the composition in one of these Web file formats: SWF, JPEG, GIF, Animated GIF, PNG-Indexed, PNG-Truecolor, and QuickTime. In addition, you can also export a composition in Adobe Photoshop format. The format you choose depends on the characteristics of the composition.

    Macromedia Flash (SWF)

    Exports animated compositions in the Flash 5 (SWF) file format. Most browsers with the Flash player plug-in can read the SWF format. Because the SWF format can save animations as vector images, it is a good choice for animations with solid areas of color and sharp object definitions. Vector animations usually have small file sizes as well. For more information on optimizing your compositions, see Optimizing your compositions.

    Note the following when exporting as Flash:

    • Some objects--for example, objects with more than one layer--cannot be exported as vector objects. In these cases, the SWF format references a raster file for the objects. This means that when you choose the SWF format for exporting, you can also choose a compression format for any embedded bitmap, such as JPEG, Indexed, and Truecolor. The default format for the embedded bitmaps in an SWF file is JPEG. Note, however, that bitmap objects usually increase the composition's file size.
    • The SWF format supports solid-color backgrounds only. Gradients or textures applied to the background of a composition are exported as a backdrop object--a bitmap object that appears behind all the other objects in the composition.
    • The SWF format is a streaming format, and plays as soon as a certain amount of the file has downloaded.

    AutoLayout

    When you export an HTML composition in AutoLayout format, LiveMotion slices the composition into its components, and makes a separate image file for each object or group of objects in the composition. You can specify a filename and alternate text for each image file.

    Consider the following when using AutoLayout format:

    • The Export HTML Page option in the Export palette creates an HTML page that references the exported images. LiveMotion creates a table in the HTML page and places the objects in the table cells to approximate the composition, preserving its layout. This option is automatically selected when you export to AutoLayout format.
    • Any background color or texture you have applied to the HTML composition is preserved in the individual images. If an image or texture has been applied to the background of the composition, it is also exported as an image file and is used to create a tiled background for the HTML page. If the background is a solid color, it is applied as a background in the HTML page. (If the background is a gradient or other unsupported element, it does not export to HTML.)
    • For the GIF, JPEG, PNG-Indexed, and PNG-Truecolor formats used with the AutoLayout export option, the object settings of the topmost object in a slice determine the slice's export settings.
    • LiveMotion exports any overlapping or touching objects as a single file.
    Selection, and exported object
    Selection, and exported object
    • Each rollover object becomes its own slice, and each state of the rollover exports as a different image file. You should avoid overlapping rollovers, since any state of a rollover that overlaps any other state of a rollover will cause an error.
    • AutoLayout embeds exported image slices into a table in the exported HTML page, starting from the top left of the composition to the bottom right.

    Live Tab

    This format lets you save a composition as a Live Tab. For information on how to load Live Tabs for use in LiveMotion, see Using premade automation scripts and Live Tabs.

    GIF

    The GIF format is a good choice for compressing solid areas of color while preserving sharp detail, such as that in line art, logos, or illustrations with type. The GIF format is also good for rendering small-scale animations, such as spinning or pulsing buttons.

    Note the following when exporting as GIF:

    • GIF supports 8-bit indexed color for a display of up to 256 colors.
    • You can choose a selective indexed color table that contains the colors most commonly used in the image. You can also choose Web to ensure that your colors are Web-safe.
    • The GIF format uses a lossless compression method in which no data is discarded during compression. However, since GIF images have a maximum of 256 colors and LiveMotion can use millions of colors, an image in the GIF format might be degraded.
    • You can choose to create an interlaced GIF image in which a low-resolution version of the image appears in a Web browser while the full image is downloading.

    Animated GIF

    This format is the same as GIF, but rather than exporting the current frame in a composition, it exports all of the top-level linear animation frames as an animated sequence.

    You can select any of the regular frame rates, or use keyframes only, which exports only those frames on which a keyframe occurs. This creates animations in which the image changes at specific points, rather than smooth transitions between keyframes.

    QuickTime Video

    This is Apple's multimedia software format. You can use it for movies as well as for synchronized graphics, sound, video, text, and music on the Web. The QuickTime player is free either as a download over the Web from Apple®'s Web site, or as a preinstalled plug-in on your computer. It is supported by Windows and Macintosh® operating systems. Note the following:

    • Movies are exported so that some information is preloaded for fast starts and the rest downloads progressively via HTTP at a predetermined level of quality.
    • Only top-level linear animation in the composition can export to QuickTime.
    • Animation contained in movie clips does not export (only the first frame of the movie clip appears in the exported movie).
    • Interactivity is not supported.

    JPEG

    Designed for use with bitmap images (such as photographs) and other continuous-tone graphics. JPEG uses 24-bit color, and preserves the broad range and subtle variations in brightness and hue found in photographs.

    Note the following when exporting as JPEG:

    • The JPEG format uses a lossy compression method in which data is discarded during compression, which may degrade sharp detail in some images.
    • You can use the Reduce Chroma option to create a slightly smaller JPEG file by reducing the color information in the exported image. Reduce Chroma discards every other pixel in the chroma information without affecting the luminance, and typically without visibly changing the image quality.
    • For faster image loading, you can create a progressive JPEG. The image downloads progressively, so viewers can see a low-resolution version of the image before the final image downloads completely.

    Note: Data is discarded from a JPEG image each time you export a file to JPEG format. You should always save JPEG files from the original composition if possible, rather than reimporting and exporting the image multiple times.

    Photoshop

    Exports a flattened image to the Adobe Photoshop format. Photoshop, Adobe ImageReady®, and Adobe Illustrator can then open the exported file.

    PNG-Indexed

    Also known as PNG-8, PNG-Indexed color supports 8-bit indexed color. This format uses a lossless compression method. It compresses solid areas of color while preserving sharp detail, such as that in line art, logos, or illustrations with type. LiveMotion uses the composition's alpha channel or active matte information to export PNG-Indexed files with a single level of transparency.

    PNG-Indexed is supported directly by Internet Explorer 4.0 and later. Internet Explorer before 4.0, and Netscape Navigator 2.0 or later need a plug-in.

    PNG-Truecolor

    Also called PNG-24, PNG-Truecolor supports 24-bit color. It uses a lossless compression method, preserving the broad color and tonal range of photographic images. Small bitmaps compress very efficiently using Truecolor; large bitmaps (over 100-by-100 pixels) compress best using JPEG.

    LiveMotion exports PNG-Truecolor files with a single level of transparency. PNG-Truecolor is supported directly by Internet Explorer 4.0 and later. Internet Explorer before 4.0, and Netscape Navigator 2.0 or later need a plug-in.

    A note about sounds

    Compression settings for sounds apply only to Macromedia Flash (SWF). When selecting compression settings for sound, make sure a sound object is selected. As with the Macromedia Flash (SWF) export setting, you can set sound compression at either the document or the object level.

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