RE: FLASH: screen size

[Len Harrison]

Hi Ben,


Since Flash is a vector format, it will rescale to any size you like. I tend

to use 100%x100% which will make your movie fill the browser window through

resizing. There's a problem with this, however, which is either *extremely*

significant or no-big-deal depending on your content and intention. Since

most of what I do is instructional, it's not a really big deal for me, but

it might be for you.


When you allow the movie to scale this way, the aspect ratio can be changed

by the user to something very different from your original intention.

Circles and squares become ovals and rectangles, for example. If you don't

want this to happen, you have three options:


1) Open a new browser window for your movie in the aspect (and size) you

want. If you wish to design for the lowest common denominator that would be

something less than 640x480 (on Windows you have the start bar at the bottom

which is about 50 pixels, for example). Although some don't like this

approach, it's one I prefer and use frequently even when I'm not working in

Flash. I tend to want my stuff to take over the environment while the user

is working with it and don't like to design around the many different

toolbar layouts. Also I don't do stuff that uses scrollbars and I do do

screenshots. With that combination you really do need to know what size

canvas you have to work with and that's client area, not window area. If you

really want to get tricky, do a screen resolution detection in the browser

before you open the window and then you can scale your movie to the user's

display. I've done this quite successfully with CSS and HTML using

document.write to select which stylesheet to use on the fly. That's a bit of

work, but worth it. In Flash it would be a piece of cake. Note that with

this approach, you still size your movie to be 100%x100%.


2) Specify a specific size for your movie that is small enough to accomodate

your lowest target audience and, optionally, put it in a centered table

since Flash doesn't seem to center horizontally effectively (or is that

something I missed? I don't use this option much).


3) Specify a specific size for your movie and put it inside a floating frame

that is centered in the user's browser. This tends to be my second choice

when doing anything involving Web. Basically you define 5 frames, one above,

one below, one two the left, and one to the right of your content frame.

Specify absolute dimensions for your content frame and set the rest of them

to "*". Result is a frame that floats center screen and more or less

centered top and bottom, depending on how small the user makes the window.


It's important to remember that your movie will scale to any size you want.

So you can easily design at one size and then shrink it down or expand it

out with no loss. The one exception to this is if you use bitmaps inside

your movie. They'll still be bitmaps unless you trace them and will exhibit

all the usual effects of resizing.


hth,


len harrison

instructional designer

lenhabtcorp [dot] com

> -----Original Message-----

>

From: ownershocker [dot] com [ownershocker [dot] com]On">mailto:ownershocker [dot] com]On Behalf

> Of Ben Deroo

> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 1998 4:40 PM

>

To: flashershocker [dot] com

> Subject: FLASH: screen size

>

>

> How the heck can I make my movie fit a browser window ?? What

> size movie do

> you all use ?? 550x400 or ??

> Sorry bout my simple question

>

> � http://home2.planetinternet.be <http://home2.planetinternet.be>

> /benderoo

>

ben [dot] derooplanetinternet [dot] be <ben [dot] derooplanetinternet [dot] be (mailto:ben [dot] derooplanetinternet [dot] be)>

> >

>

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