Digital Workshop

I am placing the simplest of paragraph text in a publication which is exported to a flash file for posting on the web. Invariably, when published, the text 'expands', either creating a new line, or going out of the bottom of the text frame. In other words, it appears not as in the programme editing window. Also, when put online, the text is very pixelated (I'm using Canadara at 11 point, and am embedding this when publishing the file). I thought that using a different (more usual font) might solve the problem, but the same issue occurs. Any ideas?

With the differences in Flash capability between Opus versions, it's probably wise to include which version you're using.

Mack

I'm using Opus Professional v7.01. I've tried many options - different anti-aliasing (or none), kerning, line spacing (single or exact), etc., etc., but the Flash output almost every time shows paragraph text differently to in Opus editing or preview screen - the text expands somehow so that line endings wrap around and text gets pushed out of the paragraph boundaries. It's as if it increases the point size slightly.
I also have this issue with text appearing fuzzy when published to Flash.

Hi Tony,

Firstly update to Opus 7.05 as this may fix any known problems. Secondly, I'm not a expert in text but using Candara and a couple of paragraphs of Lorem ipsum they appear to look the same in both Flash output and the Opus preview but this is a very simple example.

However, we do get a lot of clients producing material in Flash and as the publications become more complex, especial with scripting and SCORM, odd things do appear such as unusual rendering of text or it no longer fitting to text boxes that work fine in preview.

Have you tried it on a basic publication and if so can you upload some screen shots and the example to illustrate the exact problem.

Mack

I had the same problem. Fortunately, I was using a template that I had developed and that I knew was good. So, I knew that the problem had to be with the text. I made a second copy of the Opus source file and deleted all the text boxes. Next, I copied the text boxes from the first publication into the second publication and published the result every few pages. I found that I had some text boxes that were causing the problem and rewrote those boxes.
I get my storyboards in from my subject matter experts with formatted text. Copying the text from these documents seemed to create the problem--with PowerPoint being the worst offender. To solve this problem, I now copy my text out of the formatted document into Notepad then from Notepad into the Opus source file. These problems can easily sneak into a Flash file at publication--so publish the file and try it often.
A few other Flash lessons:
PNG graphic files give fewer problems than WMF graphic files.
A publication with a solid background in a basic color will be much smaller than the same file with a gradient background.
If you want to play the SWF file to check its external links without uploading it to an Internet server, you can use a freeware program called Swiff Player. Otherwise, just double-click on the HTML file. Swiff Player is available at:
http://www.globfx.com/products/swfplayer/

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the thoughts, and I can see why 'invisible' formatting might give paragraph text problems when importing text from other programmes, but the problems I'm experiencing are with text purely typed in in Opus! This can occur even when the paragraph has only six words, on two lines. When published to Flash, the last word can disappear out of the text box, or move onto a third line if the bottom boundary of the box is extended downwards. I have to make the para surround much larger than necessary to allow for this 'expansion'. It's basically WYSIWYG not working, from Opus to Flash.

Two Flash specific settings may influence this - the Flash Type support which improves the look of text when exported to Flash and the type of text. If you use Dynamic text there should be no difference in the appearance but with the standard setting Flash converts the text to vector graphics (which is why variables won't work in static text).

Other things which can influence matters are basing the publication on an older Opus publication, using Bold or Italic when these styles are not intrinsic to the font installed and have to be simulated and (as you implied) using non-standard typefaces.

If you continue to have problems email support a simple example (with the font in question if necessary) and let them know which version of Flash you have installed and which version of Flash you are publishing to.

Paul Harris

Okay,

Something is definitely odd!

Very simple test. Created a text box and entered the string 'The big red fox jumped over the lazy brown dog'. Copy and pasted this several times. On the second copy / line replaced the word jumped with a variable containing the value 'jumped'.

When published to Flash all text seems expanded but all lines are equal and aligned.

Then copied original text box and removed the variable from the second text - so just text. Placed aligned under other and published to flash. You can clearly see that the box with the variable expands the text.

Both boxes set to to Auto / Flash type.

Was actually looking at a bullet problem - which simply seem to vanish when a variable is used in the text!

Mack

Honestly, what I'm doing couldn't be more basic. No importing of text, no variables, just six words typed into Opus, using any font, onto two lines of paragraph. When I publish to flash (having tried every conceivable comination of text 'types' or options) the text more than often changes, and if the paragraph boundaries are tight, the last word will disappear out of the paragraph. Simple as that.

Hi Tony,

I sympathise having banged my head over the odd alignment of text but you need to, and you may have already done this, produce a replicable working example that others can see and use.

Your description implies something like the layout in the attached image. The text is in it's own box and the border is a frame object used to check that text isn't changing when published. That's unless the frame also changes but hey, this is basic science testing here

When published to flash, using any one of ten randomly selected fonts, the text is exactly the same every time and as it's laid out in Opus design mode. But, that doesn't mean it can't happen. I've had a two word title expand outside its box, but it was on a page with multiple animations, timelines and SCORM script - it was easier to just expand the box and live with the slight increase in space than spend the time working out why. I've also seen something work fine in everything and then display oddly in Chrome.

When you get to the point that it does appears that Opus is broken, and it does happen, you need an example that eliminates OS, graphics cards, machine, browser , bit version, flash version, etc...

The easiest thing as Paul highlighted, is to take a screen shot of what it looks like in Opus, what it looks like in flash and post this with the IMP to either DW or the forum. I don't know about the others, but I always give priority to questions that include a tangible example.

Mack

[edit] forgot example.

I use Verdana in all my lessons. Because this font is wider than Times New Roman, the problem is more evident. When the problem occurs, Verdana has an almost pixelated look--not the sharpness that I am used to seeing.
For now, my problem seems to be solved by using the steps I outlined above.

Message from DW is that the problems with spacing when using text and variables is a known issue.

@Benton, odd - with anti-aliasing enabled and text as static - Verdana looks very good. In fact, it looks better than if I view it in MS Word or Photoshop.


There's an interesting discussion here about the problems with layout and appearance of text under Flash - http://forums.adobe.com/thread/449201

Mack