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Image
4: SWF File
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| Such
a simple design, but doesn't it blow your mind? Trying looking at
it from a slight angel on a flat screen monitor, such as a laptop
display screen, for an even cooler effect. Doesn't it look like the
dots are jumping right out at you? I designed this SWF image using Macromedia Flash 5. Flash has many benefits, not all of which are used in this example. Flash has become a standard tool for web animation, and even many interactive games are now designed in Flash. This image is just a simple static dot plot of the colors in the rainbow, but still, it is optimized in the vector-based SWF file. There are many benefits to the SWF format. First, SWF files are very small in nature. This image is only 3.37 kb! Their small file size allow for a rapid page load times. Second, SWF images, like this one, are vector-based. That means that when magnified, a mathematical formula is used to determine where parts of the image should be placed, rather than a traditional bitmap which just increases the size of every pixel. A vector-based system creates smooth lines and limited pixelation when enlarged or reduced. A bitmap image, on the other hand, would look extremely pixelated if enlarged beyond its optimal resolution. Go ahead and try it for yourself -- right click the image and select "Zoom In". Normally enlarging a rounded edge, like on a circle, would look very choppy and pixelated. Noticed how all the circles' edges remain smooth, no matter how far you zoom in? However nice the format, it is not ready ideal to use when creating many images for a website, such as displaying a set of pictures from a vacation, because current browsers do not recongize SWF images as images, but as media agents. Therfore, a simple <img src> command cannot be used. Instead, the images need to be embeded in the page, which can be a hassle for designers. Some designers get around this by making their entire website in Flash and not in HTML at all, but this can be complicated -- however the results of talented Flash designer are usually phenominal! But as most users will need to download a plug-in to view a SWF image, many people who do not understand the concept of plug-ins or do not know how to configure them will simple decide not to view your page than take the time to download the necessary tools. So despite all of the SWF format's benefits, these simple drawbacks may prevent it from ever becoming a standard image format for all web graphics. But in this instance, the SWF format produces a nice, crisp, and colorful image. |
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