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SWF to AVI or .MOV

Guest
Jan 12, 2008 Jan 12, 2008

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My goal is to publish training videos on a Ning site that I am designing as an extranet for freelancers working with me. I understand that I need to convert the SWF files to mov, .mpg, .avi, .3gp or .wmv for me to be able to upload to that site . I have been trying all the different trial versions of SWF conversion software programs including Sothink. When one publishes from CP there are a lot of SWF files created and I could not figure out how to convert them all into a single AVI video. I read about unchecking the borders in the skin section under projects and that would create a single SWF and I thought that might work for me, and for whatever reason it does not work I have just as many file as before. I thought I could work around that problem by using the main (largest file size) SWF in the folder and not the ones that say "fullmotion" because the entire video with sound plays without a problem on my computer, but when I drag the same file into one of the SWF to AVI converters I have been experimenting with, the file plays a limited amount of frames and then stops. I am stumped there must be a way to do this without jumping through hoops.

I don't know if that was clear? My goal is to convert my CP project's SWF file into an AVI or another acceptable format for the web and then upload it! --Thanks
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LEGEND ,
Jan 12, 2008 Jan 12, 2008

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Hi Todd and welcome to our community

Wow, it seems very odd to me that whatever this "Ning" site is/does, it doesn't accept .SWF as a valid format? Wazzup widdat? What is "Ning" anyway?

Anyhoo...

What you are seeing is how Captivate handles full motion clips that have been recorded. Normally they are all external and loaded when their point is reached on the timeline. One method of coaxing those beasties into slides was developed by fellow Adobe Community Expert and fellow Adobe Certified Instructor John Daigle. John discovered that if you take your Captivate and publish to an intermediate folder (make sure you use the Flash 7 target if you do this) that you can then insert blank slides immediately either before or after each of your full motion slides. Then configure the slide timing for those blank slides to match the slide with the full motion clip. Then insert the full motion clips from the intermediate folder on each respective slide. Then delete the original slides with the full motion clips. After doing all this, publish your file and you should have a single .SWF to distribute.

I will say that I've seen this suggestion offered and for some, they can't seem to make it work. I'm not sure if they weren't doing things exactly as suggested or why. But it's worth trying.

Happy Saturday to you... Rick

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Guest
Jan 12, 2008 Jan 12, 2008

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OK I will give it a try.

I have watched CP tours on YouTube and "YouTube accepts a wide range of video file formats such as .WMV, .AVI, .MOV, and .MPG transferred from most digital cameras, camcorders, and cell phones." (no mention of SWF) so how did you guys do it? As for http://www.ning.com/, it is a cool social networking template with the same upload restrictions as YouTube and it seems like all the other web hosting sites as well. I would prefer not to host my video on a public site anyway. I'm not sure what "publish to an intermediate folder" means though.
Thanks I will keep you posted.

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Guest
Jan 16, 2008 Jan 16, 2008

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Hello Todd,

The way that we do this is to use the SWF to Video converter from SoThink. You can learn more about this product by clicking on this SWF To Video Converter

HTH

Regards - Mark

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 05, 2008 Feb 05, 2008

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Hi,

I'm having a problem with sothink. I've followed the ipod tutorial on the adobe site but it doesn't work.

before each of the actual screencasts i've created i have inserted on of the standard adobe captivate introductions (it just gives the title of the movie). when i try to convert my swf with sothink, it only recognises this intro and doesn't convert any more. can anyone advise how i get sothink to recognise the whole of the project rather than the short intro?

Thanks!

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New Here ,
Mar 07, 2008 Mar 07, 2008

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I also am having problems with the Sothink swf to video software. The software keeps asking for the stereo mix setting. I do not have this on my computer and cannot find a work around. The software will not convert my files. They are video/audio projects that I need to play on an iPod. I have contacted SoThink - but they have not helped - say the bug will be fixed in the future. I am using Captivate swf files on a Windows XP - Optiplex 745. Does anyone have a fix? I purchased the full version.
Thanks

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New Here ,
Mar 19, 2008 Mar 19, 2008

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Have you tried Pazera FLV to AVI converter? It says it does SWF as well, though I've only used it for FLV. Freeware.

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LEGEND ,
Mar 19, 2008 Mar 19, 2008

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Hi Darrel and welcome to our community

Would be great if you would also post a link to where this can be found. I Googled and found the link below, but am not sure if it is what you are referring to.

http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/downloads/Pazera_Free_FLV_to_AVI_Converter_52110_p/

Cheers... Rick

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New Here ,
Mar 26, 2008 Mar 26, 2008

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We have had major problems with the conversion of Captivate's SWF files in an effort to create an AVI from which to edit within Premiere Pro. We tried three differnet conversion software packages including SoThink. When we load the Flash file, these converters only see the first 150-180 (6 seconds) or so frames -- in our case the videos are thousand of frames in duration. Captivates playback is fine but there is something about their Flash creation or their instructions about how to export it that is lacking. You will note that there are several associated SWF files created. If you use the largest of the created SWF files, it plays back as expected within a web browser with full duration, but when you load that same file in a converter, only the first several seconds are recognized.
What is unbelievable to us is why there is only a Flash output option. After all, Adobe is a video editing player ---don't these development groups consult among each other. Captivate is a powerful application. But not having multiple output formats is a MAJOR, and unforgivable design omission.
By the way, don't try Flashants's SWF2 Video Plug in for Premiere that is supposed to allow you to import SWF files. It will crash Premiere. We tried several times.
We have been tearing our hair out with this problem and will welcome any advice. Let's all appeal to Captivate to get output options!!!!!!

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LEGEND ,
Mar 26, 2008 Mar 26, 2008

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Hi edwardcurley

Please don't repeatedly post the same information in different threads. Moments ago I replied to a new thread you started. That thread appears to be a copy/paste of this one. You may view the thread by clicking here.

Cheers... Rick

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Guest
Apr 03, 2008 Apr 03, 2008

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I would like to second edwardcurley's remarks. Also, comments which imply that SWF is the universal language of communication and that a desire to convert to other formats is perverse, are not helpful. Nor are suggestions to leave a message in Adobe's Suggestion Box for help... when, exactly, would that be? And the idea that Adobe's developers and marketers flat out ignore these User forums is simply appalling-- you could hardly ask for a more concise definition of "bad vendor" than that!

Using Captivate as the container within which to publish a MOVIE just because some part of the movie's content includes a short screen capture demo is absurd. But that appears to be the Captivate paradigm, given that there are no viable export options to video formats and Adobe's own video editing software--PremierPro--refuses to accept SWF (and FLV too, i.e. Flash VIDEO, there's another great definition of what it means to be a bad vendor).

The "John Daigle workaround" is no workaround at all, it still relies on generating SWF output. We--Googling around the 'net there appear to hundreds of people searching for an answer to this--are looking for NON-SWF output. Get it? Not SWF. No, no, no SWF. Something else. Not S---W---F. Is that clear enough? (and not FLV either, which also doesn't play well with others.)

The 3rd party transcoders out there mostly look pretty squirrley, and their demo versions at least don't appear to work. Like edwardcurley I've tried a bunch. I'm not alergic to paying for one but by this time I won't pay anybody until they prove to me that they can handle the load. By the way, in case anyone is actually reading this, there is one product claiming to be an SWF transcoder calling itself SUPER (C) (a copyright symbol follows the "super") that looks radioactive, acts suspicious as heck, and there is much discussion on the 'net about whether or not it is nasty malware. If anyone has more insight about this product please post your experiences.

I did come across an interresting suggestion to simply run the captive show in real time while using a screen capture program to generate AVI or other output. Sounded like a possible winner, but results were not very successful:
• Screen captures using DivX or XviD or other codecs to generate AVI files played beautifully in Windows Media Player and Winamp video, but Premier Pro would not import them, claiming an "unsupported audio rate" whether or not screen capture was set to record audio. QuickTime Pro wouldn't play the files either, claiming an unsupported codec, and referred me to an Apple web page where I could find the DivX and XviD codecs!

• WMV screen capture files actually did import successfully into Premier Pro, but with much degraded image quality over the way show looked in WMP or Winamp. Image quality in fact was too low to actually use.

• I tried capturing the Captivate show off of two separate presentation platforms: Internet Explorer, and also directly in Adobe Flash Player 9 (which of course is the application that runs inside IE when you play the show in IE, but what the heck). The direct-Flash Player 9 effort was interesting-- when I set the screen capture software (ZD Soft) to capture just the FP9 window it reports that the window is empty(?), although the show plays. Oh, Adobe, how clever thou art.

And so on and so forth... Many, many, many efforts, sweat and late nights trying to convert my Captivate show into something importable into Adobe's own Premier movie software. Nada. I must be working off some truly bad karma from a previous life.

Frankly, with zero format interoperability I feel robbed by Adobe for Captivate. Makes me wonder when we'll see the introduction of the Adobe Standalone Transcoder, only $699, download your copy today.

Color me a captive, but hardly captivated.

By the way, this forum lists "1131" topics but I count fewer than 100. Where are the other topics.

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LEGEND ,
Apr 03, 2008 Apr 03, 2008

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Hi Ruth3rf0rd and welcome to our community

C'mon now, tell us how you really feel!

Just kidding you. All of us here are volunteers and Captivate users helping one another out. You have already read that Adobe doesn't monitor these boards too closely, so I'm wondering what purpose your post has, other than just to vent. You seem to be aware of the official channel, the wish form. I'm assuming you also saw the link to it in my reply to edwardcurley in the other post.

Sorry, but none of us here control the way Adobe works. It would be like shouting at the moon and commanding it to be full every evening instead of just a few each cycle. Or attempting to command Microsoft to change the way they do things.

As for the forum post count, after you log in, you need to edit your profile to see more posts and history. This is why you are only seeing 100 or so.

Again, if you honestly want Adobe to see what your issues are, you (and others) need to utilize the Wish Form. And you may do so by clicking this link right here.

Sincerely... Rick

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Guest
Aug 15, 2008 Aug 15, 2008

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Thank you for taking the time to write all of that. You saved me the time of duplicating your efforts.

Captivate is tough. I can output to FLV, which is what I have found out I really want, but only if I use the Adobe Connect service. So the program can make it, but it won't for me. It's disgusting.

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LEGEND ,
Apr 03, 2008 Apr 03, 2008

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> Nor are suggestions to leave a
> message in Adobe's Suggestion Box for help... when, exactly, would that
> be?

I know it seems like bug reports and suggestions are ignored, because we all
want our OWN pet issues dealt with, but Adobe does read every submission via
the bug/suggestion form. Unless it is a showstopper, the standard practice
is to weigh up the relative value of each item, and the report count of an
issue, and create a list of priorities for action through the next official
release. Usually the release cycle is 18 months to two years.

> And
> the idea that Adobe's developers and marketers flat out ignore these User
> forums is simply appalling-- you could hardly ask for a more concise
> definition
> of "bad vendor" than that!

This is untrue. Adobe does pay attention to the traffic on user forums.
Depending on the product, you may even see Adobe engineers monitoring *and
posting* to the user forums, but as each product team has its own methods
and preferences, then you don't see that across the board. Each product has
Community Experts who are volunteers with numerous responsibilities, one of
which is to watch for issues and bring them to Adobe's attention.


>
> Using Captivate as the container within which to publish a MOVIE just
> because
> some part of the movie's content includes a short screen capture demo is
> absurd.

That, of course, depends upon your exact needs.

> But that appears to be the Captivate paradigm, given that there are no
> viable export options to video formats and Adobe's own video editing
> software--PremierPro--refuses to accept SWF (and FLV too, i.e. Flash
> VIDEO,
> there's another great definition of what it means to be a bad vendor).

Captivate is intended to create interactive output. Sure I can see why
sometimes you might want a flat, non-interactive presentation, so I agree
that export to AVI or similar is an omission, but I think it is a reasonable
one when you consider that the typical user of Captivate is non-technical in
nature and may be particularly purturbed to discover that the vast majority
of Captivate's features (all of the interactive ones) will not export to
AVI. I guess Adobe's choice up to now has been that AVI export is a nice to
have for a minority of users.

By the way, if you already have a swf, you can export this from Flash to
QuickTime. Then you can import that to Premier.


> ? I tried capturing the Captivate show off of two separate presentation
> platforms: Internet Explorer, and also directly in Adobe Flash Player 9
> (which
> of course is the application that runs inside IE when you play the show in
> IE,
> but what the heck). The direct-Flash Player 9 effort was interesting--
> when I
> set the screen capture software (ZD Soft) to capture just the FP9 window
> it
> reports that the window is empty(?), although the show plays. Oh, Adobe,
> how
> clever thou art.

Did you, by any chance, try using Captivate's own full motion recording?

Steve


--
Adobe Community Expert: eLearning, Mobile and Devices
European eLearning Summit - EeLS
Adobe-sponsored eLearning conference.
http://www.elearningsummit.eu

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Guest
Jul 22, 2008 Jul 22, 2008

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I have also tried many methods to produce a training video for work. First I made my company buy Captivate and then Premiere.

Our video contains both Power Point slides and motion screen captures. The screen captures were taken using Captivate. I published the files and then imported the MANY swf files, one by one, into Flash. From there I exported to AVI and MOV. The AVIs crashed in Premiere. The MOVs suffered serious degradation of quality even though I specified the highest possible quality and zero compression throughout every step.

Next, we bought the third party plug-in for Premiere, actually recommended on Adobe's website. This program does indeed crash Premiere. I don't understand why though, because the SWF files are a fraction of the size of the MOV files I was working with.

Now I have decided to succumb to Captivate's "container" requirements. Except that now my slides are not advancing as they should. Transitions have been set. Advancement options are set. But at the end of each slide, playback just stops. This happens in both preview mode and in the published file.

I am very frustrated with this project. My company has spent a lot of money on my and my suggestions. At this point, I don't know what to do. Please help!?!

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LEGEND ,
Jul 22, 2008 Jul 22, 2008

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Welcome to our community, gml0813

You said: ...at the end of each slide, playback just stops.

Normally this is caused by the presence of one of the following objects:

* Button
* Click Box
* Text Entry Box

So the question here is to ask if you have looked at each slide and found one of the objects I mentioned. If so, you may wish to try editing the object and removing the pause. Then use the Apply to All function and hope it changes all of them to no longer pause. (This last part may require some trial and error and may not work 100% of the time)

Cheers... Rick

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 04, 2008 Apr 04, 2008

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FWIW I tried using Super (C) to convert a Captivate SWF to WMV, FLV, MOV etc. Super (C) is a great prgram (free too!). Keep getting an error message that a codec is missing either FLV1 or VP6. Perhaps this will solve our problem. But how (where) do we insert this codec for Captivate to recognize?

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New Here ,
Apr 04, 2008 Apr 04, 2008

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The suggestion by a moderator herein encouraging me to use the Wish Form certainly has merit and I have done that. However, I took some crit, and I noticed others have too, for what is characterized as "venting". Is it not true that sharing product frustrations often leads to solutions from among the subscribers? I doubt that readers of Wish Forms at Adobe, while they maybe taking notes about future product enhancements, are going to be quick to suggest alternative solutions such as those that come from this Forum. In fact, no one would expect to hear anything from Adobe. When a Forum user brings a problem to the table, it is usually because the issue requires an immediate solution -- not one that can not wait for a future release. And while I have a complete suite of Adobe products, my first allegiance is to my clients and to implementing the right software.
I applaude Ruth3rf0rd and others like him that take the time to clearly articulate their issues even if it carries an element of venting. And I find it interesting that of all the Forums we belong to, the Captivate moderators seem to have a lower tolerance for this kind of communication. But that's OK because I probably will not have reason to visit this forum again and run the risk of being criticized. I have found a better solution on this Forum to solve my problem: the new Camtasia 5.0. Not only does it have all of the output options that we need, its Smart Focus feature and its highly intuitive design, eats Captivate's lunch. For those who were helpful on this Forum, I wanted to pass this word about Camtasia along to the other "ventors" at large.

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LEGEND ,
Apr 04, 2008 Apr 04, 2008

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Hi again edwardcurley

I'm sorry you feel that by my asking you to abide by posted forum guidelines, you feel I was criticizing you. Our only motivation for asking folks to abide by guidelines and only ask a question in a single forum category is because of the following reason.

Now I know you only posted the same issue twice, but consider the following scenario. Assume that we took no measure to ensure anyone posted a question once. We often see folks arrive and repeatedly copy and paste the same exact question in each and every category. Maybe the question is answered, but in only a single category. Some time later, someone arrives with the exact same issue. They decide to use the search mechanism offered by the forums. They become excited to see that the same issue has been posted more than a couple of times. But they follow perhaps four links that end up with no answers and just give up.

So please know that nobody was picking on you specifically and certainly nothing was done to ridicule what you or anyone else asked.

Sincerely... Rick

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Guest
Apr 14, 2008 Apr 14, 2008

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If you have Flash, can't you just export the captivate to Flash and then export as AVI?

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 17, 2008 Apr 17, 2008

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I do not have Flassh. I am using Captivate the file is saves as a SWF. But I can not find a way (perhaps other than purchase Flash) to convert / export, etc the file from Flash to AVI or any other useable format

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LEGEND ,
Apr 17, 2008 Apr 17, 2008

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Hi there Rich

If you re-read this thread using the Web client, you will see that a product called SWF to Video converter is mentioned.

There's even a link.

Cheers... Rick

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 21, 2008 Apr 21, 2008

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Hi Rick
I have re-read the thread and am not convinced (other than to try it) the Sothink software is really any good. I have posted my concern to Adobe. Captivate, while it is a very powerful software, for the price should allow the user to save in the format which they desire. Not ONLY flash. Why should I have to purchase anohter software package (you recommend) when I think I've spent enough on something that shold allow me the option to save in any format I want to use? Please Adobe give us the option.
I posted before, received no answer BTW, "FWIW I tried using Super (C) to convert a Captivate SWF to WMV, FLV, MOV etc. Super (C) is a great program (free too!). Keep getting an error message that a codec is missing either FLV1 or VP6. Perhaps this will solve our problem. But how (where) do we insert this codec for Captivate to recognize?
Anyone have an answer for this??
Thanks
Rich

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LEGEND ,
Apr 21, 2008 Apr 21, 2008

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> I posted before, received no answer BTW, "FWIW I tried using Super (C) to
> convert a Captivate SWF to WMV, FLV, MOV etc. Super (C) is a great program
> (free too!). Keep getting an error message that a codec is missing either
> FLV1
> or VP6. Perhaps this will solve our problem. But how (where) do we insert
> this
> codec for Captivate to recognize?
> Anyone have an answer for this??

Captivate is not a video tool, so it does not recognise CODECs.

Steve


--
Adobe Community Expert: eLearning, Mobile and Devices
European eLearning Summit - EeLS
Adobe-sponsored eLearning conference.
http://www.elearningsummit.eu

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New Here ,
May 14, 2008 May 14, 2008

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I was having the same issues as many of you here. I then found this in the Adobe Developer Center.
Step by Step swf to YouTube

I believe it was edwardcurley who posted that sothink only records the first few frames. It appears as though it does, but if you follow the link I've given step by step, you'll be able to convert your entire captivate swf including audio.

hope this helps!

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