AdWonder Blog

I realized recently that some of the same questions come up from component users over and over again, so while we make these things clearer in the UI, I thought I’d also remind people of two cool things about the AdWonder Component:

1. The Component version relates to the version of Flash Studio you are using, not to the swf version that you need to publish. For instance, if you are editing a file that will be published in Flash 8, but you are using the Adobe CS3 version of the Flash editing application, you will still be using AdWonder 9.1 (or whatever subrelease is currently available).  AdWonder 8 is because we still support the use of Flash 8 for those of you who haven’t been able to get CS3 yet.

2. If you need to edit a bunch of different ads at once, open up the AdWonder panel and publish the ad through the tool. The correct copy of the main FLA and any additional FLA assets that are checked will open and stay open after publishing.

Even though many sites have become more progressive in what they allow from a file size perspective, we are constantly battling specs and working closely with designers and developers at agencies to optimize their Flash files to be within spec and not sacrifice the quality and overall concept of the banner execution.

One of our fantastic production designers and Component Support Specialists put together this list of tips for optimizing flash files. I know a few folks have already benefited from this info and although some of it may not be new to you, these are some great best practices to incorporate for future projects whether you are in a bind for a little more K size or not!

Thanks James for putting this together!

IMAGES AND ARTWORK
1. First off, check the quality settings of any bitmaps in your library. This is the prime culprit in most cases.

2. If your FLA has any complex vector artwork with lots of anchor points, see about optimizing it a bit.

FONTS
1. Check font embedding. If you have any dynamic or input text in your FLA, check to see which characters are being embedded.

2. Has any text been converted to vector outlines (this can add a lot to filesize)? If possible try to recreate the outlined text with the actual font

EXTERNAL FILES
1. Are there any class files or .as files being included? Check their file sizes and make sure you’re only including what you need.

2. Also, is there any content in your FLA that could be moved to a child/external FLA? Look for items in your movie that may not show up until after a user interaction or something like that. In most cases, it won’t help to move items into an external file if they must be loaded in the moment the ad begins to play - since many sites consider that part of the initial file size.

UNUSED ITEMS IN LIBRARY
1. Even if they’re not being used in your timeline, Flash components (buttons, combo boxes, etc.) in your library are still exported into the SWF when it’s published. Many times, removing these unused components drops file size considerably.

2. On the same note, check for any MovieClips that are being exported for runtime sharing. If you are no longer using them, turning off the linkage for that item might help lower file size.

Last month Adobe released their latest Flash Player Version Penetration numbers. Check out how far Flash 9 has come along:

Our latest numbers tell a similar story (as they have since we began cross-referencing):

• 94% - Flash 9+
• 97% - Flash 8+
• 97% - Flash 7+

We like to keep a close tab on these numbers for two reasons:

1. keep our clients up to date on the latest numbers, so they can feel comfortable using the latest technologies available
2. compare and verify our internal reporting numbers against Adobe’s

So, with Flash 9 hovering around 94-96% — why are you still publishing for anything less? Flash 10 was showcased at MAX in the Fall and is about to be released in beta, but I still hear from agencies who are saying they have to publish for 7 (and even a few that say they are still publishing for 6 - eek!?!). Let’s look at the two main concerns I hear from folks who are stuck in yesteryear:

1. The site requires Flash 6/7/8 - EyeWonder has a fantastic group of folks that are constantly working with our publishing site partners to ensure we have the latest specifications and helping educate the sites’ ad ops teams on the latest and greatest of the technology we use. There is not a single site in our massive publisher network, where we cannot run your Flash 9 creative.
2. My client requires Flash 6/7/8 - This can be a little trickier, but we are happy to provide you our latest internal numbers (see above) to show them what the penetration of Flash 9 is compared to their preferred player version. Of course, if they are kicking it old school with a Flash 6 player it may be time for an intervention and an upgrade (just kidding, well kind of). Oftentimes I have seen the push for an upgrade come from the agency’s novel concept that requires the use of the latest and greatest Flash player…plus it doesn’t hurt that sites like at least two of the top 10 websites (YouTube and MySpace) require Flash 9.

Most of you know this, but when a user has an older version of the Flash player than what the EyeWonder creative was published for, they will receive an alternate or failover ad. For those ~5% of users, most of the time this is a JPG or GIF, but sometimes we will serve a standard SWF. EyeWonder’s technology works on more browsers and operating system configuration than any other rich media provider I have seen, which is a testament to our development team and our quality assurance department.

Since CS3 shipped in May, we have seen some fantastic executions taking advantage of Flash 9’s features, several of which have been highlighted here and in our monthly newsletter. So with part of 2008 already behind us, what are you waiting for?

When you do come up with something especially cool, let me know and also be sure to submit it to our EyeWonder Creative Awards.