QCT TechPubs eLearning -- design tips No.

3 in a series page 1 of 3

QUALCOMM multimedia developers can now put Flash ‘movies’ right into a PDF that anyone can
view on any platform.

The secret: Adobe Framemaker 8

While other programs let you save in SWF format, only Framemaker 8 lets you directly import
Flash SWFs as graphics. Amazingly, your Flash animations... and your Captivate control bars...
and your audios... still work after the Frame document is saved as a PDF! And you can have more
than one SWF on a Frame page, just like regular graphics. SWFs work best when imported same-
size (bring in at 94 custom dpi, copy into document).

Click to start

Figure caption textline

[ If viewing in PDF, click above image to run movie ]

This has an immediate implication: existing documents can have still-image graphics replaced
with same-size SWF animations, adding value to the PDF version of the document without
affecting its ‘look and feel’ or printability.

To keep the same original document ‘look

and feel’, make a same-size bitmap of the
document image and use the bitmap as the
Captivate preload image via Edit > Prefer-
ences > Project > Start and End > Project
Start Options. The document will now show
the preload image instead of a blank Flash-
Player motif. The user clicks on the image
to start the animation.

Jon Donahue, Multimedia Designer, QCT TechPubs Web & Tools Group
QCT TechPubs eLearning -- design tips No. 3 in a series page 2 of 3

PDF security insists on alerting the user the first time any SWF animation is clicked.

After you give an OK for any one animation, any other animations in the document are ready to
run... you won’t see the security message twice. You can’t turn off the warning message from
inside your PDF... only users can get rid of the warning messages, via their Acrobat Trust Man-
ager settings.
Framemaker 8 doesn’t play favorites -- you can import animated SWFs made in Flash, Adobe
Captivate and Presenter, Articulate, Xara, Swish, or Wink (hey, it’s free). You can also embed
videos turned into SWFs via Videozilla or Camtasia.
And, you can can import still-image SWFs made from programs like Illustrator... but you really
don’t want to. Instead, save the art from Illustrator or Visio as PDFs. Then import the PDFs as
still-image graphics to let the user take full advantage of Acrobat’s Zoom tool.

SHOCKING! Test PDF graphic from Visio

Visio print-to-file (*.ps), then to CM PDF dropbox,
or into Distiller to make PDF

core_wr_data(11:0)
sampsrv_test_ram_we_ctl
core_addr(16:2)
=
(11:0)

core_wr
test_ramc_dec
rst_sys_ss
rst_sys_ss

serr_1x(0)
(0)
WR_REG
d
wr_en

addr_dec

s
r
test0_ack
test1_ack
test_write

ss0_ctl_reg(27:26)
test0_ack

test1_ack
dtest0_ack(1:2)
REG

REG

test1_rdat(31:0)
test0_rdat(31:0)
REG

REG

1
0
tack
s
r

upd_addr_range

test_rdat
'0'
d2test_ack
0
1 core_wait

World’s most amazing Zoom!

serr_srch(0) s
r test_addr_loc(10:0)
ss0_ctl_dec
core_rd test_write
ss0_mode_reg(3:0) rd_data
(3) core_rd_data
core_wr_clk WR_REG
rx_gps_mode(0) ss1_mode_reg(3:0)
(2) rx_hdr_mode(0)
wr_data(3:0) (1) ss0_ctl_reg(27:0)
d
rst_sys_ss ares enable_ant(0) ss1_ctl_reg(27:0)
(0)
core_wr wr_en window_mode(0)
sampsrv_0_mode ss0_mode_dec addr_dec
= ss0_ctl_reg(25:0)
ant0_rtc_latest(17:0)
ant1_rtc_latest(17:0) tack core_rd_en
rst_sys_ss WR_REG
core_addr(16:2)

6400%!!! Try it out...

= ss0_ctl_dec
addr_dec immed_st (25) immed_st(0)
sampsrv_0_ctl 25 core_addr
d stop_rtc(10:0)
24:14 (24:14) stop0_rtc(10:0)
d
13:0 d start_rtc(13:0)
wr_data(25:0) (13:0) start0_rtc(13:0) core_rd
core_wr wr_en
rst_sys_ss upd_addr_range
sampsrv_0_latest_rtc
=
wr_latest(0)
core_addr(16:2) Gradient-shaded box from MS Word.
core_wr

ss1_mode_reg(3:0)
(3)
(2)
rx_gps_mode(1) You can enhance Visio by
rx_hdr_mode(1)
wr_data(3:0)
WR_REG
d
(1)
(0)
enable_ant(1) bringing in text boxes and
window_mode(1)
sampsrv_1_mode
core_wr
rst_sys_ss wr_en
ss1_ctl_reg(25:0) graphics from Word... just
= ss1_mode_dec

rst_sys_ss
addr_dec
about everything except
core_addr(16:2) rst_sys_ss WR_REG
immed_st(1) Sparkle Text.
= ss1_ctl_dec addr_dec immed_st (25)
sampsrv_1_ctl 25 d stop_rtc(10:0) (24:14) stop1_rtc(10:0)
core_wr 24:14 d

wr_data(25:0) 13:0 d start_rtc(13:0) (13:0) start1_rtc(13:0)

core_wr wr_en
sampsrv_1_latest_rtc rst_sys_ss
= serr_1x(1) s
core_addr(16:2) wr_latest(1) r
core_wr ss1_ctl_reg(27:26)
serr_srch(1) s
addr(16:2) =
ss1_ctl_dec r
upd_addr_range core_rd
sampsrv_i_ramd

What this means

Frame 8’s ability to directly import and embed SWF content is the start of an historic change in
the development of illustrated books. For the first time, anyone can easily publish -- in the ubiqui-
tous PDF format -- a work with moving images and sound... without sacrificing traditional print-
media page layout and typography. The key word is easily ...Frame 8 really opens the door for
non-technical authors and illustrators to create and control all production aspects without having
to depend on technical staff to compile final output.
This can only get better, as more programs allow importing SWFs for embedding into the output
PDF. The message for today’s tech writers and trainers? Build in animated content when you plan
your documents -- it’s easy, you can do it, and you can do it right now with available software.
Like FlashPaper 2 (see next page).

Jon Donahue, Multimedia Designer, QCT TechPubs Web & Tools Group
QCT TechPubs eLearning -- design tips No. 3 in a series page 3 of 3

FlashPaper 2
FlashPaper 2 lets you print any document to SWF format, the same way that many programs let
you print to PDF format.
FlashPaper 2 SWF conversion allows inclusion of multipage documents in your Framemaker-
generated PDF. And, the FlashPaper SWF ‘shell’ includes page turning, zoom, and text-search
controls. This makes it very easy for readers to immediately view information referred to in the
main PDF... without having to go to Agile or other intranet storage locations.

An STC Powerpoint presentation.

FlashPaper wants to ‘print’ a whole 8.5 x 11 page, either portrait or landscape... it will get con-
fused if you try to print custom page sizes. But it works fine for all standard-sized documents and
Powerpoint presentations.
Note: you can’t change the preload image in FlashPaper itself. But... if you import the FlashPaper
SWF into Captivate (size your single-slide .CP project to be the same size as the FlashPaper
SWF), you can then make a preload bitmap (same size as the project). Works fine!
Unfortunately, now that Adobe’s bought Macromedia, FlashPaper 2 is no longer an $80 stand-
alone product. To get it these days, Adobe wants you to buy Creative Suite 3 ($1,500, mega
kah-ching!) ...but it also was part of Macromedia Contribute 2 and 3, and Studio 8, and prob-
ably other older Macromedia programs. You may already have it installed! Check your list of
printers for ‘Macromedia FlashPaper’.
Next in this series...
Using Artificial Voices
...coming soon!
Jon Donahue, Multimedia Designer, QCT TechPubs Web & Tools Group