Backgrounds

[supaSphoje]

What are the most common programs used to make backgrounds for flash animated content? what's the best program to use? (sorry if the question is somewhat redundant)

[Pkmn2]

At 1/16/13 01:35 AM, supaSphoje wrote: What are the most common programs used to make backgrounds for flash animated content? what's the best program to use? (sorry if the question is somewhat redundant)

I've seen many people just use Flash for the backgrounds. But if you want to make more detailed backgrounds, then I would say Photoshop or Paint.NET.

[dylan]

Any program will work fine, as long as you know what you're doing. The main thing to be conscious of when choosing a program is whether you are using a pixel based program (i.g. Photoshop) or a vector based program (i.g. Flash or Illustrator).

Here's a quick, super basic rundown of the differences between the two:

Pixels are those little tiny squares that make up most images you see online. Pixels can create very detailed images that look beautiful. However, if you make a pixel based graphic larger, it will suffer a loss in quality. Scaling a 640x360 image to 1920x1080 will basically make each individual square making up the image three times larger. This causes the image to appear blocky and all-around shitty.

Vectors are mathematically produced. Think of them as made of lines instead of being made of squares. Lines have only one dimension, while squares have two. Because of this, they can be scaled to any size without a loss in quality. They can't make images that look as realistic as pixel graphics, but the scalability helps greatly in the exporting phase of your animation.

If you make an animation at 640x360, and want to export in mov format at 1920x1080 for YouTube or elsewhere, vector images will scale with no problems. A pixel based graphic would scale as well, but it would look like crap. You could design the photoshop file in 1920x1080 from the start, but that would add a lot of data to an SWF's file size.

Some programs, like Adobe Illustrator, can basically trace over pixel graphics with vector graphics (I believe it's called live trace), which can let you design in pixel based programs like Photoshop and still have the ability to scale up in size with no loss. Don't have Illustrator? You can still design pixel based graphics and trace over them manually in programs like Flash. That's basically what rotoscoping is.

I generally just stick with Flash for my backgrounds, which is both good and bad. Yes, it's easy and efficient, but some parts can be a little lackluster, as Flash isn't really built for detailed design. In the end, you can make good looking backgrounds no matter what program you choose. Find and use one you like; just be aware of what effects your choice may have on your final animation.

[supaSphoje]

Good point about the vectors and pixels. Thanks for the help!

[lennyandfriends]

I wish someone had told me that in the beginning when i first started doing animations, it would save me alot of trial and error.

[Max-Vador]

At 1/16/13 03:21 AM, SafePlagiarism wrote: a buncha stuff

if your filesize is an issue(i.e. exporting as swf) then you make the background at 300 DPI, and export as 90 DPI for the flash version, saving the 300 for a mp4 or avi export.

[supaSphoje]

At 1/17/13 01:14 PM, Max-Vador wrote:

At 1/16/13 03:21 AM, SafePlagiarism wrote: a buncha stuff

if your filesize is an issue(i.e. exporting as swf) then you make the background at 300 DPI, and export as 90 DPI for the flash version, saving the 300 for a mp4 or avi export.

It was just more a question of which program can help with making detailed background but thanks for the info!

[BabySteps]

At 1/18/13 01:38 AM, supaSphoje wrote:

At 1/17/13 01:14 PM, Max-Vador wrote:

At 1/16/13 03:21 AM, SafePlagiarism wrote: a buncha stuff

if your filesize is an issue(i.e. exporting as swf) then you make the background at 300 DPI, and export as 90 DPI for the flash version, saving the 300 for a mp4 or avi export.

It was just more a question of which program can help with making detailed background but thanks for the info!

if you watch biteycastle series, all backgrounds are made with solid colors and gradients in flash, i would use his background for referance