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 Help menu. SWiSHzone support forums: Get help from others using SWiSHmax on the support forums. Before you post, you should search to see if your question has already been answered in the forums. There is also a list of other SWiSH community websites Read more [...]

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 pixels wide by 300 pixels high. Start a new movie in SWiSHmax, then click the Movie tab in the Objects panel. Set the movie width and height to the desired size. In this example, the size is set to 450 pixels wide by 350 pixels tall, 50 pixels larger Read more [...]

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, select File > Export > HTML + SWF. This exports both the SWF and the appropriate HTML code to embed the file in a Web page. Choose to export the HTML code if you need the code in order to embed the SWF in a Web page.  Other times you may already Read more [...]

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 button is said to have multiple states, depending on how the user is interacting with the button. These states are: Up state. The default behavior of the button. Over state. The button when a mouse is placed over it. Down state. The Read more [...]

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 several categories: Appear in position. This effect is used to make the object move or appear in a particular spot. Disappear from position. This effect is used to remove the object from the stage or fade it out. Loop continuously. These effects Read more [...]

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 300 pixels. This box is 300 pixels wide by 300 pixels high:   Set the frame rate to 15 frames per second. Select the ellipse tool () from the Tools and click and drag on the stage to draw a circle where you want it to appear. Hold Read more [...]

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 better than Macromedia Flash’s $699.95. The two applications have a lot in common. They both generate files in the SWF format, which is well-supported across many web browsers. In fact, a file created in SWF format plays on any computer that has Read more [...]

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