Getting Familiar with SWiSHmax
Macromedia Flash is the weapon of choice for serious interactive animators, but the outstanding application SWiSHmax may be a better choice for those who need to get the job done with a minimum of fuss – or for those who like its $99.95 price tag bett...
Creating a Basic SWiSHmax Animation
Begin experimenting with SWiSHmax by creating a simple animation:
Run SWiSHmax and start a new movie by selecting File > New.
Use the Movie panel to set the desired height and width for your movie. In this example, the movie is 300 pixels by...
Applying Effects in SWiSHmax
There are more than 300 effects you can apply to objects in your movie. Some of these are quite simple – zooms and fades – and others are fun, pre-designed effects you’ll enjoy applying. Effects that are already created for you are divided into sever...
Creating Buttons with SWiSHmax
Many animations are created around interactivity, and the most common interface to begin an animation or cause an action is a button. In this section we look at how to create a button in SWiSHmax.
Before doing the tutorial, understand that an interactive...
Saving an SWF using SWiSHmax
Once you have created an animation you want to use on a Web page, you need to export an SWF file from SWiSHmax. SWF is the format supported by Web browsers that can be placed into any HTML page.
Here’s how to save an SWF:
With your movie open, s...
Creating a Simple Slide Show with SWiSHmax
You can use a program like SWiSHmax to create attractive photo slide shows. Begin by preparing your images at the size you want them to be in the slide show using a graphics program. For this example, the images have been sized to a maximum of 400 p...
Getting More Help with SWiSHmax
You’ve gotten started, but there is plenty more to learn. Here are a few good SWiSHmax resources:
SWiSHmax Help: There is a good manual and several excellent tutorials that come installed with your SWiSHmax program. You can access these from the H...