Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Killer Tips

Don't Always Be So Cinematic

The number-one way to reduce file size in Flash is to create symbols out of objects that you use repeatedly. The only thing they leave out when mentioning this rule is that all symbol types are not created equal. When I first started, I would just convert everything to movie clip symbols. The problem is movie clips have many more properties and capabilities than graphic symbols. The extra information stored for each movie clip is very small, but can add up to significantly larger files. This is especially true if you have hundreds of symbols and they're all movie clips.

The solution is to create graphic symbols when you can. If you don't need specific properties that movie clips offer, then don't use them. To determine which to use, I ask myself, "Will there be an animation in the symbol?" If the answer's no, then I create a graphic symbol. The great thing is that you can always convert your symbols from one to the other, so you're not stuck with any decision.