Re: FLASH File Size

I have strong beliefs regarding file size and a few rules of thumb I use in 
evaluating my use of flash.

Speed rules whether it's flash, jpg, pdf, whatever. Very few visitors to a 
business web site are going to think "this is so cool I don't mind waiting".

ALL skip intro buttons identify content that should not exist, usually some 
sort of dog & pony show that adds very little lasting positive impact to 
the site. Think about it. You've placed a barrier at the front end of your 
site that is the first thing up and you already believe people will not 
want to see it every time they come back to your site. If you've already 
decided it will annoy people... do not do it.

Flash has to be useful to the site owner in marketing terms. If you're a 
web designer and want to showcase your visual skills flash wise... put 
something in a portfolio/demo area and let visitors ask for it. If it's a 
client site it really must enhance the visual presentation without slowing 
things down or demo a product/service without slowing things down. I did an 
online business card ordering site (people see what the card will actually 
look like) where the largest file required at any one time is 46K. The rest 
are much smaller (total is 420K) and load in steps as the visitor adds or 
requests information.

I just did a quick check and found that most of the flash I usually 
requires 20K-50K at a time to function and I've never exceeded 80K.

Steve
www.thewebguy.ca


At 08:25 PM 9/24/2002 +0000, you wrote:
>Hello,
>
>I've just completed my first FLASH movie interface for a photographer.  He 
>is a very talented, so I am thrilled with the results.  However, I am not 
>certain on what is considered an acceptable file size for a FLASH 
>file.  The movie (actually its more of a manual "rollover" interface) is 
>intended as a "stand alone catalog" component of the site, and the target 
>audience is upscale fashion and corporate viewers, so the assumption is 
>they likely have powerful machines.  My client is extremely pleased with 
>the results and found the download quick.  Of course he has the latest 
>equipment, and I'm on a cable modem.  So, on a personal level, I'm curious 
>if their are any recommended standards for flash file sizes given the 
>intended use, as explained.  Your input will be greatly appreciated.
>
>On another note, I am somewhat a newbie to FLASH, and have a lot more to 
>learn.  I kept this FLASH on a simple level working only in the main 
>timeline with small animations, as its main goal was to showcase the 
>photographers work.  I know I could likely use movie clips to achieve the 
>same reslults, but with the time constraints I had, I did not have a 
>chance to explore this option.  If anyone would consider having a look and 
>giving me input, contact me off line and I'll be happy to send you to the 
>URL.  (I intentionally left off the URL in this message, as I want to hear 
>unbiased info on the file size question in general!)
>
>Thanks everyone!
>Jacqueline Sylvia

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