Adobe® Flash® CS4 Professional can use artwork created in other applications. You can import vector graphics and bitmaps in a variety of file formats. If you have QuickTime® 4 or later installed on your system, you can import additional vector or bitmap file formats. You can import Adobe® FreeHand® files (version MX and earlier) and Adobe® Fireworks® PNG files directly into Flash, preserving attributes from those formats.

Graphic files that you import into Flash must be at least 2 pixels x 2 pixels in size.

To load JPEG files into a Flash SWF file during runtime, use the loadMovie action or method. For detailed information, see loadMovie (MovieClip.loadMovie method) in ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference or Working with movie clips in Programming ActionScript 3.0.

Flash imports vector graphics, bitmaps, and sequences of images as follows:

• When you import Adobe® Illustrator® and Adobe® Photoshop® files into Flash, you can specify import options that let you preserve most of your artwork's visual data, and the ability to maintain the editability of certain visual attributes with the Flash authoring environment.

• When you import vector images into Flash from FreeHand, select options for preserving FreeHand layers, pages, and text blocks.

• When you import PNG images from Fireworks, import files as editable objects to modify in Flash, or as flattened files to edit and update in Fireworks.

• Select options for preserving images, text, and guides.

  Note: If you import a PNG file from Fireworks by cutting and pasting, the file is converted to a bitmap.

• Vector images from SWF and Windows® Metafile Format (WMF) files that you import directly into a Flash document (instead of into a library) are imported as a group in the current layer.

• Bitmaps (scanned photographs, BMP files) that you import directly into a Flash document are imported as single objects in the current layer. Flash preserves the transparency settings of imported bitmaps. Because importing a bitmap can increase the file size of a SWF file, consider compressing imported bitmaps.

  Note: Bitmap transparency might not be preserved when bitmaps are imported by dragging and dropping from an application or desktop to Flash. To preserve transparency, use the File > Import To Stage or Import To Library command for importing.

• Any sequence of images (for example, a PICT or BMP sequence) that you import directly into a Flash document is imported as successive keyframes of the current layer.

Flash can import different vector or bitmap file formats depending on whether QuickTime 4 or later is installed on your system. Using Flash with QuickTime 4 installed is especially useful for collaborative projects in which authors work on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. QuickTime 4 extends support for certain file formats (including PICT, QuickTime Movie, and others) to both platforms.

You can import the following vector or bitmap file formats into Flash 8 or later, regardless of whether QuickTime 4 is installed:

You can import the following bitmap file formats into Flash only if QuickTime 4 or later is installed:

1. Select File > Import > Import To Stage or File > Import To Library.
2. Select FreeHand from the Files Of Type (Windows) or Show (Macintosh) pop-up menu.
3. Navigate to a FreeHand file and select it.
4. Click Open.
5. For Mapping Pages, select a setting:

   Scenes

   Converts each page in the FreeHand document to a scene in the Flash document.

   Keyframes

   Converts each page in the FreeHand document to a keyframe in the Flash document.

6. For Mapping Layers, select one of the following:

   Layers

   Converts each layer in the FreeHand document to a layer in the Flash document.

   Keyframes

   Converts each layer in the FreeHand document to a keyframe in the Flash document.

   Flatten

   Converts all layers in the FreeHand document to a single flattened layer in the Flash document.

7. For Pages, do one of the following:

   • To import all pages from the FreeHand document, select All.

   • To import a page range from the FreeHand document, enter page numbers for From and To.

8. For Options, select any of the following options:

   Include Invisible Layers

   Imports all layers (visible and hidden) from the FreeHand document.

   Include Background Layer

   Imports the background layer with the FreeHand document.

   Maintain Text Blocks

   Preserves text in the FreeHand document as editable text in the Flash document.

9. Click OK.

Flash supports the AutoCAD® DXF format in AutoCAD 10.

DXF files do not support the standard system fonts. Flash tries to map fonts appropriately, but the results can be unpredictable, particularly for text alignment.

Because the DXF format does not support solid fills, filled areas are exported as outlines only. For this reason, the DXF format is most appropriate for line drawings, such as floor plans and maps.

You can import two-dimensional DXF files into Flash. Flash does not support three-dimensional DXF files.

Although Flash doesn’t support scaling in a DXF file, all imported DXF files produce 12-inch x 12-inch files that you can scale using Modify > Transform > Scale. Also, Flash supports only ASCII DXF files. If your DXF files are binary, convert them to ASCII before importing them into Flash.

With ActionScript, you can load external image files or assets from the Library at runtime.

For information about working with images and assets in ActionScript, see the following article:

• Loading images and Library assets in Flash with ActionScript 3 (Adobe.com)