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Flash Article
Introducing True Alpha Video in Flash 8
Wes Gorgichuk
Table of Contents
Video support in Flash is nothing new. In Flash 8, however, video support has been improved dramatically. Both the new FLVPlayback component and support for an 8-bit alpha channel open up new possibilities for Flash animators and developers. In the past, any Flash "alpha" video had to be hacked together—with less than satisfactory results. In Flash 8 you simply link to a Flash Video (FLV) file that has an alpha channel, and that's it—any objects or animations will show through in the background. This results in vastly improved user experiences in your video-based Flash applications.
This article will help you to get started creating and importing alpha videos into Flash. You will key a sample video file and see a simple application that demonstrates the new alpha video technology. If you are a Flash developer who is interested in gaining a basic knowledge about keying your video and incorporating it into your applications, then this article is for you.
Note: This article is part of a series of articles on new Flash 8 features written by the staff of gskinner.com, a Flash development and consulting company working with leading new-media agencies and progressive corporate clients to create cutting-edge applications, games, and multimedia pieces. Learn more by visiting gskinner.com/blog.
Requirements
To make the most of this article you need to install the following software and files:
Macromedia Flash Professional 8
Adobe After Effects
- Download a free trial for Macintosh (SIT, 196.3 MB)
- Download a free trial for Windows (ZIP, 175.1 MB)
Tutorials and sample files:
- alpha_video.zip (ZIP, 3.6 MB)
About the author
Wes Gorgichuk is a Flash developer with gskinner.com, an industry-leading Flash development company. Over the past five years he has worked in all aspects of multimedia, from designing to progamming and everything in between. But Flash has always been his passion. Walt Disney said it best: "It's kinda fun to do the impossible"—and it is, especially with Flash.
