f you want interactive Web sites with the eye-catching look of live action, Macromedia Flash and Apple's QuickTime video format are a powerful combination. And the recent release of Flash MX makes it easy to integrate QuickTime video into Flash. But you can also use QuickTime video indirectly, as a source for bitmaps or rotoscoping--techniques that work well no matter which version of Flash you have.
Using Video in Flash MX
Whether its purpose is to inform or to entertain, QuickTime video can add a unique dimension to a Flash Web site. For example, imagine integrating instructional videos into your site on bicycle repair. Until recently, adding QuickTime video to a Flash movie required that you export the entire project as a QuickTime file--and thus lose many of Flash's powerful interactive capabilities. That's no longer the case: Flash MX (800/457-1774,
www.macromedia.com) lets you import a QuickTime movie--as well as a variety of other video formats such as MPEG, AVI, and DV--and play it within Flash.
Choosing an import Method When you import QuickTime video, Flash MX lets you choose to either link or embed it in your Flash movie. Linking is the old way of incorporating QuickTime, and it's the best method if you need to share the file with developers still using Flash 4 or 5. If you choose to link your QuickTime movie, you must export your final Flash project as a QuickTime file. This means that your Flash content will play within QuickTime Player and have limited interactivity.
It's more than likely, however, that you'll want to export your final Flash project as a SWF file, fully integrating the Flash and QuickTime content. In this case, embedding your QuickTime video is the way to go. But keep in mind that visitors to your Web site will need Macromedia's Flash Player 6 plug-in to view the embedded QuickTime movie.
Putting QuickTime to Use To embed a new QuickTime movie in your Flash MX file, simply drag the movie onto Flash's Stage and choose Embed Video from the Import Video dialog box. The Import Video Settings dialog box appears with options for setting video quality. (Flash MX uses the Sorenson Spark. codec to compress and display video.) Here you can find the right balance between image quality and file size by choosing settings for the compression level, keyframe interval, scale, and frame mapping.
After you specify your import settings, click on OK. Flash then asks for permission to add enough frames to your timeline to accommodate the length of the imported video. Click on Yes. Flash embeds the movie m the layer currently selected in the timeline.
You can use the embedded video as you use any other imported asset. You can convert it to a graphic symbol, for example, and apply a motion tween to make it fade in and out. Or you can convert itto a movie clip symbol and use ActionScript to create interactive buttons that control movie playback.
Faking Video Effects in Flash
There are times, however, when directly embedding QuickTime video into your Flash file is impractical or even impossible. Maybe you're using an older version of Flash, for example, or you don't want to risk turning away viewers who haven't updated to the latest version of Flash Player. Or you may simply be looking for an artistic effect that straight video can't provide. In these cases, you can use a series of bitmaps to simulate video and add live-action effects to your movie.
If you create bitmap sequences of your QuickTime video, you can use Flash's drawing and editing tools to transform the bitmaps into vectors; in the process, you can reduce the number of colors and shapes, stylizing the imagery. You can isolate key figures, delete unwanted backgrounds, or silhouette the action to enhance drama. And if you use a short snippet of action this way, you can integrate it into your Flash graphics without being restricted to the rectangular boundaries of a video.
Creating Your Bitmaps To turn a QuickTime video into sequential bitmaps, first open a new document in Flash and import your QuickTime file. If you're working in Flash MX, embed the video and choose the highest-quality import settings. If you're working in Flash 4 or 5, all you need to do is add enough frames to the timeline to accommodate your video's length.
After importing your video, make sure Flash's Stage is the same size as the video. Then choose Export Movie...
How would i add video to this flash? 
Linear Mode
