Flash for presentations tutorial

Draft

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This is part of the Flash tutorials

Introduction

Learning goals

• Learn how to make presentations for talks (instead of PPT)
• Also includes a few hints about product presentations

Flash level

• CS3 /CS4

Prerequisites

• Drawing and basic interactivity

Moving on

• See the Flash tutorials

Level and target population

• Beginners

Quality

• Not done yet, therefore lower than low.

To create presentations in Flash there are several options:

• Use Flash CS3/4
• Create with presentation software, e.g. PPT and then convert to Flash
• Use software (including online) presentation software tools that compile to *.swf

In this tutorial we only will focus on the first option, i.e. use Flash to create something that is different and better. See the links section for some conversion or Flash creating presentation software

Links

Using flash to create slides

• Slide class Flash CS 3 ActionScript 2.0 Components Language Reference. The Slide class corresponds to a node in a hierarchical slide presentation that you create in the Screen Outline pane in Adobe Flash CS3 Professional. The Screens feature has been deprecated in Flash CS3. You can open and edit existing Screens-based FLA files created in earlier versions of Flash, but you cannot create new Screens-based documents. Also, the Slide class is supported only if you are working in a document that specifies ActionScript 2.0 in its Publish Settings.
  • Some tools in the the Flash exchange are based on this.

General

• Hands-on Activity 5: Converting PowerPoint to Flash (A short tutorial with AS2 code, basically it teaches how to use buttons as in the Flash button tutorial)
• PowerPoint to Flash Conversion Tools - Mini-Guide, Part 1. This mini-guide discusses a large list of tools.

Software

Special purpose presentation software that compiles to Flash, none of these has been tested, so there is no endorsement. Also, this is by no means complete...

See also: presentation software and Multimedia presentation

Flash templates for CS3 and CS4

Lots can be found on the Flash exchange. But they mostly just add buttons and backgrounds, not support for power talks. In the same exchange you can find software to create photo presentations or special effects.

• Vervo Software Flash Templates sells Flash Abstract Slide Presentation (Flash 8 and higher).
• Clean XML Template w/ Thumb Style Slide Show and Contact Form.
• XML SlideShow with Thumbnail Image Tooltip previews.
• The Alpha XML Slide Show
• Creative Slide Show

Online slide makers

• Sliderocket A web 2.0 application. Basic use is free. Commercial off-line player also available.
• Qarbon Composica Web-based. Commercial (e.g. $1500/year - 2008).

Free (or half-free) off- line tools

• Powerbullet Presenter ( freeware )
• Wink is a Tutorial and Presentation creation software, primarily aimed at creating tutorials on how to use software (like a tutor for MS-Word/Excel etc). Using Wink you can capture screenshots, add explanations boxes, buttons, titles etc and generate a highly effective tutorial for your users. Windows/Linux

Commercial off-line tools

Some of these are SCORM 1.2 compliant

• Qarbon Viewlet builder ($300 for Linux(/2008)
• authorPOINT - Presentation Software for Multimedia Flash Presentations and other.
• Flair Presentation, screen capture, quizzes, etc. Commercial.
• Adobe Captivate
• Adobe Presenter
• Camtasia
• Presentia FX
• Articulate Presenter

Free PPT to Flash *.swf

• authorPOINT Lite. Free PPT to Flash converter. Pro version is commercial.
• iSpring Free basic version. Also has a free online converter.
• OpenOffice Impress can save to *.swf. Just import the PPT. Then "save as" or export ...

Commercial PPT to Flash *.swf

• Powerconverter $150 commercial.
• PowerFlashPoint is a PowerPoint (2003/2007) plugin. Commercial
• Sameshow
• PowerPoint to Flash from VeryPdf.com. $50.
• conaito PPT2Flash SDK

Other converters

• SWF Tools is a collection of SWF manipulation and

creation utilities written by Rainer Böhme and Matthias Kramm. It is released under the GPL. Some supported formats: PDF, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WAV. Also includes scripting and swf manipulation/combination tools.

PPT to Flash *.fla

• I didn't find any, and that's about the only kind of tool I'd find interesting ...
• Of course, one solution is to produce a *.swf and then use a decompiler.
• Some claim that it is also possible to load the *.swf into the library and then use the graphics. *.swf produced with Open Office 3.0 from PPT and loaded into the library of both CS3 and CS4 made both applications crash. (The Flash player on the other hand didn't crash, but that's no use).

Examples

(mostly web sites that demo Flash presentations)

• Rossiterandco portfolio (e.g. Flash Cartoons that Tell Your Story, Flash Popup Presentations to Explain Ideas )