Flash newbie needs help with slow loading site

BigBoatBuick · Jul 19, 2009, 02:27 PM

Hi all. I am new to Flash and web-site building in general and I have been learning while doing. Its fun, but frustrating. I really need some help, hope someone out there with Flash experience can give me some advice.

My problem is this: I built a Flash website, but it is painfully slow to load up (3-5 minutes via cable modem) when I visit the site (via Firefox, etc). Once it does load up, everything is fine with navigation. I'm having a hard time figuring out why its taking so long to load up on the web because, basically, I don't know how to trouble shoot. Hope you guys can help!

Details: the site is just a portfolio site with pictures and a few motion-things, no complicated animations. The swf file is about 9MB. I do have a flash preloader, but it doesn't show up until after the 3-5 minute "load-up" time. When I do the testing via Flash, its Ok and doesn't show the lag. But once I upload the website files and try to visit my website, the load time problem occurs.

My thoughts:
- do I have to purge my Flash file/library of unused images before creating my swf file?
- Is there a problem with my html code in my index file?
- because it is a portfolio site, I've got about 90 images on it, each image about 300-400K. Is this too big, or about right?

Please help! Sorry for the long email, just desperate for help. Thanks in advance for any advise!!!! Just in case, here is the html code:

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
<title>Acme Company</title>
<script src="Scripts/AC_RunActiveContent.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<style type="text/css">

</style>
<link href="favicon.ico" rel="icon" />
</head>
<center>
<body>
<script type="text/javascript">
AC_FL_RunContent( 'codebase','http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0','width','800','heigh t','600','title','Acme Company','vspace','100','src','development files/company site_AS2_2008 OCT_final','loop','false','quality','high','plugin spage','http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash','bgco lor','#000000','scale','exactfit','movie','develop ment files/company site_AS2_2008 OCT_final' ); //end AC code
</script><noscript><object classid="clsid27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0" width="800" height="600" vspace="100" title="Acme Company">
<param name="movie" value="development files/comapny site_AS2_2008 OCT_final.swf" />
<param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="BGCOLOR" value="#000000" /><param name="LOOP" value="false" /><param name="SCALE" value="exactfit" />
<embed src="development files/company site_AS2_2008 OCT_final.swf" width="800" height="600" vspace="100" loop="false" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" scale="exactfit"></embed>
</object></noscript>

</body>
<center>
</html>

Dal123 · Jul 19, 2009, 03:48 PM

9MB is huge, I'm also starting to build my own website and learning on the way.
Most people on here are not keen on flash. I had an animation in flash that I was using but had to scrap it as it took too long to load. So I am now trying to learn code.

decksnap · Jul 19, 2009, 05:41 PM

Your website is called Acme Company?

Your images are way too big. You need to optimize them for the web! Depending on their dimensions, none of them should be over 100k (and that's pushing it)

If you have a lot of images, consider loading the separate sections when the user requests them, not all at the beginning. You just build separate flash files and have the main flash file load them in when the necessary.

lucidmedia · Jul 19, 2009, 08:41 PM

Take a good look at the loader class... this allows you to download images as the user requests them... you do not want the user to have to download all of your content before the site becomes visible...

no "site preloaders". Each image should have its own small preloader.

a loader can load images, or SWF files... this will allow you to separate up the downloads.

Note that due to a bug in FP9, images are not released from memory when you are done with them. For a site such as yours you want to target FP10 and use the unloadAndStop command.

http://gskinner.com/blog/archives/20...e_to_unlo.html

snickelfritz · Jul 20, 2009, 02:45 AM

A few recommendations:

Load the images dynamically from an external directory.
ie: do not import the images into the FLA.
Use AS3, and XML/E4X to organize the data for the site.
You can write the XML in an external document and load it dynamically, or write it directly within the flow of actionscript.
External XML is advantageous in that you do not have to recompile the SWF when you make changes to the gallery.
Write the Actionscript in a document class, or on frame1 of the main timeline.
Use SWFObject to embed the SWF.
This would replace the HTML code you've posted here.

BillyBobBongo · Jul 20, 2009, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dal123

Most people on here are not keen on flash.

Then let's hope they stay out of this thread.

Talk about diving in at the deep end. You're going to need some help if you're really new and want to follow snickelfritz's advice (which is what I would have recommended too).

Some tutorial sites that come to mind will help you grasp the concepts of accessing XML feeds from Flash are:

http://gotoandlearn.com/
http://www.kirupa.com/
http://actionscript.org/
http://www.flashkit.com/

If you need help just ask. I'm sure there are a few Flash designers kicking around these forums....they just tend to keep a low profile.

carlosbutler · Jul 20, 2009, 06:45 PM

personally i dont like creating websites in flash. thats not to say that if dont discreetly they cant look good. if doing a flash one, i will always create it in html first and then 'copy' it to flash. flash is able to let you do things that would otherwise would be a pain, or impossible in html.

dont make a flash site turn into something that users get fed up of. if they have to wait a long time for the site to load, it needs to be very good.

imho i would only use flash for video content, or other multimedia such as games.

Jul 19, 2009, 02:27 PM	#1
BigBoatBuick macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2009	Flash newbie needs help with slow loading site Hi all. I am new to Flash and web-site building in general and I have been learning while doing. Its fun, but frustrating. I really need some help, hope someone out there with Flash experience can give me some advice. My problem is this: I built a Flash website, but it is painfully slow to load up (3-5 minutes via cable modem) when I visit the site (via Firefox, etc). Once it does load up, everything is fine with navigation. I'm having a hard time figuring out why its taking so long to load up on the web because, basically, I don't know how to trouble shoot. Hope you guys can help! Details: the site is just a portfolio site with pictures and a few motion-things, no complicated animations. The swf file is about 9MB. I do have a flash preloader, but it doesn't show up until after the 3-5 minute "load-up" time. When I do the testing via Flash, its Ok and doesn't show the lag. But once I upload the website files and try to visit my website, the load time problem occurs. My thoughts: - do I have to purge my Flash file/library of unused images before creating my swf file? - Is there a problem with my html code in my index file? - because it is a portfolio site, I've got about 90 images on it, each image about 300-400K. Is this too big, or about right? Please help! Sorry for the long email, just desperate for help. Thanks in advance for any advise!!!! Just in case, here is the html code: <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> <title>Acme Company</title> <script src="Scripts/AC_RunActiveContent.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <style type="text/css"> <!-- body { background-color: #000000; } --> </style> <link href="favicon.ico" rel="icon" /> </head> <center> <body> <script type="text/javascript"> AC_FL_RunContent( 'codebase','http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0','width','800','heigh t','600','title','Acme Company','vspace','100','src','development files/company site_AS2_2008 OCT_final','loop','false','quality','high','plugin spage','http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash','bgco lor','#000000','scale','exactfit','movie','develop ment files/company site_AS2_2008 OCT_final' ); //end AC code </script><noscript><object classid="clsid27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0" width="800" height="600" vspace="100" title="Acme Company"> <param name="movie" value="development files/comapny site_AS2_2008 OCT_final.swf" /> <param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="BGCOLOR" value="#000000" /><param name="LOOP" value="false" /><param name="SCALE" value="exactfit" /> <embed src="development files/company site_AS2_2008 OCT_final.swf" width="800" height="600" vspace="100" loop="false" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" scale="exactfit"></embed> </object></noscript> </body> <center> </html> __________________ 17" MacBook Pro, 2.4 GHz, 4GB RAM, 150 GB HD; G-Drive 320G Firewire HD; WD MyBook 1TB USB HD; 1st gen iPod Touch
	0

Jul 19, 2009, 05:41 PM	#3
decksnap macrumors 68030 Join Date: Apr 2003	Your website is called Acme Company? Your images are way too big. You need to optimize them for the web! Depending on their dimensions, none of them should be over 100k (and that's pushing it) If you have a lot of images, consider loading the separate sections when the user requests them, not all at the beginning. You just build separate flash files and have the main flash file load them in when the necessary. __________________ My cat's breath smells like catfood.
	0

Jul 20, 2009, 02:45 AM	#5
snickelfritz macrumors 65816 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Tucson AZ	A few recommendations: Load the images dynamically from an external directory. ie: do not import the images into the FLA. Use AS3, and XML/E4X to organize the data for the site. You can write the XML in an external document and load it dynamically, or write it directly within the flow of actionscript. External XML is advantageous in that you do not have to recompile the SWF when you make changes to the gallery. Write the Actionscript in a document class, or on frame1 of the main timeline. Use SWFObject to embed the SWF. This would replace the HTML code you've posted here. __________________ 2.4ghz 24" iMac (Aluminum); 4GB RAM; 320GB HDD; 250GB external G-Drive; 10.6.3; Adobe CS3.
	0

Jul 20, 2009, 06:45 PM	#7
carlosbutler macrumors 6502a Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: London City	personally i dont like creating websites in flash. thats not to say that if dont discreetly they cant look good. if doing a flash one, i will always create it in html first and then 'copy' it to flash. flash is able to let you do things that would otherwise would be a pain, or impossible in html. dont make a flash site turn into something that users get fed up of. if they have to wait a long time for the site to load, it needs to be very good. imho i would only use flash for video content, or other multimedia such as games. __________________ CarlosButler.com
	0

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Jul 19, 2009, 03:48 PM	#2
Dal123 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: England	9MB is huge, I'm also starting to build my own website and learning on the way. Most people on here are not keen on flash. I had an animation in flash that I was using but had to scrap it as it took too long to load. So I am now trying to learn code.
	0

Jul 19, 2009, 08:41 PM	#4
lucidmedia macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2008	Take a good look at the loader class... this allows you to download images as the user requests them... you do not want the user to have to download all of your content before the site becomes visible... no "site preloaders". Each image should have its own small preloader. a loader can load images, or SWF files... this will allow you to separate up the downloads. Note that due to a bug in FP9, images are not released from memory when you are done with them. For a site such as yours you want to target FP10 and use the unloadAndStop command. http://gskinner.com/blog/archives/20...e_to_unlo.html
	0


MacRumors Forums > Special Interests > Visual Media > Web Design and Development

Similar Threads
thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Newbie needs help with Xcode	usrg	Mac Applications and Mac App Store	18	Nov 24, 2009 04:06 AM
Newbie needs help with Canon HV20...	shuffle1	Digital Video	14	Feb 18, 2009 02:56 AM
Newbie, Need help with Iphone and Itunes Please	0gameon0	iPhone Tips, Help and Troubleshooting	1	Nov 25, 2007 02:14 AM
Newbie, need help with composition	chaoticbear	Digital Photography	8	Aug 27, 2007 02:34 PM
PB newbie needs help with shopping list.	bopat	Buying Tips, Advice and Discussion (archive)	1	Mar 9, 2005 03:41 PM