Rendering SWF Files as MPEG2 with Vegas 5.0

Cunhambebe wrote on 6/17/2004, 1:39 PM
I know that among other new features, Vegas now supports Flash files
I have some of these around here, most of them animations (cartoons). There's a nice applc called SWF2AVI that works pretty well to convert flash files to AVI. The only one drawback is that it doesn't let the final AVI file be as the same as the original Flash file. I mean, there are some stripes (no banding at all, I said stripes - in the place of softened transitions between light and dark colors).
As soon as I've learned Vegas would support swf files, I tried rendering a flash file to MPEG2. Surprise here: things like suns, stars, you know, elements on the backgroud, are totally misplaced if compared to the original file (you don't even need to render anything, just open the flash file with Vegas).
Trying to find out what was happening, I've read Vegas doesn't support (if I understood it well) motion video and audio for flash files as it is explained on the help file:

" Macromedia Flash (.swf) format importing. (ActionScript, motion video, and audio are not supported.)"

Could this be the problem? I was just wonderinf why some parts on the background are totally misplaced as you try to open flash files with Vegas.

Thanks

Comments

Cunhambebe wrote on 6/18/2004, 4:31 PM
How come no one has a simple answer??
farss wrote on 6/18/2004, 4:41 PM
Maybe you're one of the few people trying to import Flash files?
I'd say 90% of the users don't even know you CAN do it let alone tried to do it, I only found out about it by chance. This is a new feature and it can take a while before it gets used in earnest. I'd say right now you're the one at the 'bleeding edge' of Vegas!
Cunhambebe wrote on 6/19/2004, 2:14 PM
:)
Well, it's so nice to know that. In fact the problem exists. When you use the program SWF2AVI, the generated AVI has an excellent quality. The only drawback are the stripes. Where you get softened transitions between colors, from light blue (for instance) to dark blue on the original SWF file, the AVI file presents stripes and not softened color transitions.
Opening SWF files with Vegas for editing and rendering as AVI files or MPEG2, fixes the color problem, but on the other hand, some elements on the background such as suns, stars, are totally misplaced, comparing to the original SWF file.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 6/19/2004, 2:56 PM
There was some talk about the version of Flash that is supported in this thread. Vegas can only read flash files created in Flash 5 or older. If they were created in Flash MX they won’t work unless you save them as Flash 5 format.

I went out and bought SWISHmax when I heard that Vegas supported SWF import. I’m just using it for animated titles and it seems to be working well for me. I understand that SWISHmax will allow me to save as an AVI file as well but I haven’t had to.

You might want to do a search on SWF and read some of the posts.

~jr
nickle wrote on 6/19/2004, 3:28 PM
I also created some swf files in Swish and saved them with an alpha background. I used them as an overlay in Vegas to create animated titles over a still picture which was quite effective.
I did however run into a couple of cases where Vegas thought they were EDL files from FCP or Avid and wouldn't open them. I couln't tell what the difference was in the files, but they played as flash files outside of Vegas.
Cunhambebe wrote on 6/19/2004, 8:48 PM
Thanks to all who took time to respond. In fact I didn't know Vegas could only accept kind of older flash files - if I understood this well. In fact I've never heard about this Swish...There are some folks around here who make great animations with flash. I usualy enconde some of those animations to AVI tru SWF2AVI for editing, as I've already said. Trying to do this with Vegas was a bit frustrating (I rendered a SWF file as MPEG2). There was no problem with color stripes, but the final quality was simply unacceptable. Thanks for the hint on seaching for SWF files, but I've already searched it in the forum as I always do BEFORE posting any message around here.
Thanks again.