Flash Photo Album

[Reduced Logic 0]

I'm building a website for my home school group for my final project in a web design class I'm taking. I would like to add a flash scrapbook/photo album, but I'm not quite sure where to start. Does anyone know how to do this? I tried googling for a tutorial of some sort, but I didn't have any luck. Thanks!

[snlildude87 0]

You can join the Flickr community. I've never used it, but I've seen what it can do, and it's awesome. All the photos there are Flash, just like you want it, too!

Good luck!

[BuffaloHelp 24]

I have always wanted to do something like this too. All I want to do is upload images to a folder. Then the flash or whatever program automatically crops, resizes, thumbnails it and renames it for the purpose of photo album. Then somehow right the flash to mimic the actual photo album being "flipped" showing only one picture at a time. And the viewer has the total control over forward and backward. So imagine, if you will, a black backing photo album with a single photo per page held by 4 corner pasties. A small caption underneath to describe the memory in silver color. The viewer either clicks the lower right hand corner to see the next picture or lower left corner to see the previous picture. When the viewer clicks to move forwarded, an animation of "page turning" is executed.I don't know flash enough that I am unsure if this is possible.Cheers.

[Reduced Logic 0]

snlildude87, Thanks for your help. I was actually looking for something I could build in Macromedia Flash though. Sorry if I wasn't clear!BuffaloHELP, Yep, that's pretty much what I'm hoping to do. (Although it would probably be something a little more simple.) I have the software, I just don't know how to use it!Anyone?

[mizako 0]

Maybe instead of using flash you could use Gallery which comes with Xisto

[BuffaloHelp 24]

Maybe instead of using flash you could use Gallery which comes with Xisto

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Son of a gun...someone already beat me to the idea.

 

What we, Reduced Logic and I, are trying to achieve is something like this:

 

http://ww2.fullyregistered.com/?folio=9POR7JU99

 

I hope this is alright to post a link without the user's permission. Since the link was publicly available I am assuming it is according to Xisto forum's rules. I do not claim any ownership or copyright to the material I have provided.

 

Reduced Logic, that's wickedly cool eh?

[Reduced Logic 0]

Yeah, definitely wicked... lol. I'm just going to go with the stuff that comes with Xisto. There are a lot more features than are really necissary (gosh, I can't spell that word), but it'll work just fine.Thanks for pointing that out- I don't think I would have noticed it if you guys hadn't told me!

[snlildude87 0]

Son of a gun...someone already beat me to the idea.

 

What we, Reduced Logic and I, are trying to achieve is something like this:

 

http://ww2.fullyregistered.com/?folio=9POR7JU99

 

I hope this is alright to post a link without the user's permission. Since the link was publicly available I am assuming it is according to Xisto forum's rules. I do not claim any ownership or copyright to the material I have provided.

 

Reduced Logic, that's wickedly cool eh?

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That's an awesome flash file! However, I saw a photo album that was simpler, but cooler than that.

 

Yeah, definitely wicked... lol. 

 

I'm just going to go with the stuff that comes with Xisto. There are a lot more features than are really necissary (gosh, I can't spell that word), but it'll work just fine.

 

Thanks for pointing that out- I don't think I would have noticed it if you guys hadn't told me!

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"necessary" (and no, dictionaries or spell checkers were not involved)

Yeah, cPanel has loads of stuff that can make a novice look like a good webmaster because of all the scripts and preloaded programs in cPanel.

 

I wouldn't recommend making a Flash album because most users probably do not have flash installed on their computer, and they probably don't want to go through the hassle of installing it. Also, flash takes quite a long time to load, and if you have tons of images in your gallery, that just makes your visitors leave especially if they have a slow connection. Also, as opposed to a regular image gallery, you can't save the pictures with Flash, and worst of all, the entire flash movie has to load in order for one to see it.

 

Notice from snlildude87:

Fixed my grammar. Stupid subject-verb agreement

Edited May 6, 2005 by snlildude87 (see edit history)

[T100 0]

I am using two flash album creators. (I am not making advertisement here. I have no association with those two companies) One from dreamingsoft and one from firmtools. The one from firmtools is definitely better. You may take a look at the samples they offer at the official websites. The one from Firmtools, besides generating flash albums, also creates html webpage. But the html webpage is not far better then that offered by macromedia in their development kit for dreamweaver. They are both based on templates, though, which means that you cannot hack the codes through to create a customized webpage. For the one from Firmtools, you may buy additional templates. You site wont be too unique anyway.

http://www.dreamingsoft.com/flashalbumcreator/index.htm

http://albumcreator.firmtools.com/

If you are doing it for a webpage design project, I would recommend that you use the Dreamwaver one, and try to hack through the codes to get something you want. You will impress other then. If you are just creating something personal, I would say coppermine and gallery are better solutions. I am using both of them and they are really good

[moldboy 0]

I wouldn't recommend making a Flash album because most users probably do not have flash installed on their computer, and they probably don't want to go through the hassle of installing it. Also, flash takes quite a long time to load, and if you have tons of images in your gallery, that just makes your visitors leave especially if they have a slow connection.

Actualy apprently approximatly 95% of web users have flash installed, but I won't argue with the speed thing.

There is a product from http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ that makes albums, haven't used it myself, but I have used Swish 2 and it seemed to work better then expected. So if the price isn't an object (not that's it that expensive) give that a try, there is also a free trial, which might be just enough for your project.

As far as using flash I would think there are lots of tutorials available out there.

Just simple if you download OpenOffice.org you can make a presentation just like PowerPoint and then exxport as swf, there are no interaction of animation though (in the swf version)

[BuffaloHelp 24]

That's an awesome flash file! However, I saw a photo album that was simpler, but cooler than that.

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I was wondering if you could share the link with me and this forum, if that is you still have the link.

 

I was truly looking for something very similar to animated flipping of the page with pictures. The site link I posted previously provides free downloading software to compile into the sample link I provided (be sure to get to the root of the directory). The free software was very simple to use: all I had to do was place pictures by selecting from my picture directory. Then saved it under my choosing folder name and presto! All I had to upload was the swf file and 1 picture folder (since it required to be 320x300 it automatically adjusted to fit the swf program). Very interesting.

 

My next hunting is swf file that behaves exactly the same but instead of having the full spread book, I'd like to have it half spread so that I can maximize the view.

 

Any participation would be appreciated. And yes, I could sit down and learn how to make it on my own but...

[shigajet 0]

Since somebody mentioned about Swish2 or Swishmax, you could also try Swishpix - which can be used exclusively for Flash photo albums...consider it as a simple version of the Swish programs. Check out their the website for more info.

[hcwindclub 0]

I would like to recommend a flash album generator JAlbum. It is free and has many skin you can choose. My favorite is FotoPlayer. It is a free flash based web photo album tool designed with some of the advanced features which you won't find in any other similar flash albums. It supports the XML files and set your preferred configurable features and publish to web! When you need to add any new album, since XML files already exist, you don't need to rebuild all folders, just upload the relevant folders generated by JAlbum and modify XML files, it is done! Plus FotoPlayer will take care of creating the dynamic menus, preloading the thumbnails and main photos, playing background music, creating controls for the image navigations and lots of other user interfaces. The best is, you can leave message for each photo not each album! This feature is not often you could see on most online albums. I think if you know a little HTML and XML, you can do even more variations. And IT IS ALL FREE~~~ I really want to give them a big big hug!!! After experience, you will know how deeply touched I felt.

JAlbum: http://jalbum.net/en/ (if you like it as I do, please show your supports, as a programmer, I was really touched by their enthusiastic service , I am not advertising...)
FotoPlayer: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/
Demo: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

Of course you can choose other skin; there are many other choices...

[arboc7 0]

I'm not aware of any way to do that very well in flash that is easy too. You might try googling it...In Photoshop CS and CS2, however, you can import a lot of pictures into certain templates. Most are HTML, but there are two flash templates that come with Photoshop, as of the last time I checked. Photoshop automatically creates thumbnails and the HTML for embedding the flash movie. Very nice and easy. Hope you figure out a good solution!!

[zhan 0]

Hi,

 

I have a tip for creating a photo album with animation in Flash, just refer to the following guide:

http://www.flash-slide-show.com/rg-erdr.php?_rpo=t

 

BTW, Wondershare Flash Slideshow Builder is another software choice for creating cool and funny Flash photo album.

 

snlildude87,

Thanks for your help. I was actually looking for something I could build in Macromedia Flash though. Sorry if I wasn't clear!

 

BuffaloHELP,

Yep, that's pretty much what I'm hoping to do. (Although it would probably be something a little more simple.) I have the software, I just don't know how to use it!

 

Anyone?

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