Too many frames?

[JPeoplz]

I created a project that apparently has too many frames to export into a video. I now want to break it into two parts.

Can someone please explain to me the best and/or easiest to take what I already have export it into twork smaller vids so I can reunite them in Premiere?

I wish I could just hightlight what I want exported and just export it.

[robdillon]

If you can, the simplest method is to create the first part of the file in a movieClip. Then put the second part into another movieClip. Then have your main timeline play the first clip and move to the second clip when it is completed. The main timeline will then have only two frames and should export correctly.

If this doesn't work for you then you can break the file into two or more parts and put each of those parts into separate Animate files. You can then export each of these individual files to a video. Then import each video into Premiere to combine them into one final video file.

[JPeoplz]

Hello Rob Dillon, thank you for responding..

To your first suggestion,

I had already created everything, so as opposed to "creating it within a clip", I need to move what's already created into a clip. Could you please explain how I would do that,  because my experience with copying and pasting frames has been a nightmare.

To your second suggestion,

Same thing, I am having trouble breaking this project down into smaller parts because copying frames and pasting it has been glitchy. How do I go about "literally" breaking this into sections so that I can seperate them into their own animate files?

What is the best method ? I just tried copying the first half and pasting it into a new file, and all I got was one layer full of mess. It didn't even paste ALL of the layers I copied.

[robdillon]

For the first version.

1. Make a duplicate of your .fla file. Never work with the original.

2. Open the duplicate .fla file and create a new empty movieClip.

3. From the main timeline, select the first frame of the first layer, and then move down the timeline to point where you want to segment the file and shift-click on that frame in the last layer of the timeline. This should select all of the frames in all of the layers to that frame. Right-click on the selection and select Copy Frames.

4. Open the new movieClip that you just created from the Library.

5. Select the first frame in that movieClip and right click. Select Paste Frames. This will place all of those copied frames into the movieClip.

6. Create a second new empty movieClip.

7. Go to the main timeline and select the rest of the timeline in the same way as step 3. Select the first frame in the first layer of frame after your previous selection. Then, shift-click on the last frame of the last layer in the timeline. Right-click to select Copy Frames.

8. Open the second new movieClip that you created and select the first frame in that movieClip. Right-click on that frame and select Paste Frames.

You now have two movieClips that contain all of the content of your original file. If you are satisfied that each movieClip is correct, Select all of the frames in all of the layers on the main timeline, NOT in the movieClips, and delete everything.

9. In the main timeline, drag the first movieClip to the stage. Use Test Movie... You should see the first part of your original file.

10. Add a layer to the timeline at the top. In this new layer add the Actionscript: stop();

11. In the layer that contains your first movieClip add a new keyframe. At this keyframe drag the second new movieClip to the stage.

12. Add another keyframe to the Actionscript layer above this new keyframe. Add stop() to this keyframe.

13. Open the second new movieClip and go to the last frame. If there is no Actionscript layer, add a new layer to the top of the movieClip. Make this last frame a keyframe. Add the Actionscript: parent.play();

For the second version:

1. Make two duplicates of your original .fla. Never work with the original.

2. Rename the first duplicate Part One or something equally as exciting.

3. Rename the second duplicate Part Two.

4. Open Part One. Move the last frame where you want to segment your original file.

5. Select the first frame in the first layer after the frame where you want to segment. Shift-click on the last frame in the last layer of the file. Right-click on this selection and select Cut Frames. You now have an .fla that contains the first part of your original file. Run Test Movie to be sure that it is correct.

6. Save the file.

7. Open Part Two. Select the first frame in the first layer of the timeline.

8. Move down the timeline to the frame where you want to segment the file. Shift-click on that frame in last layer of the timeline. Right-click on this selection and select RemoveFrames. You now have an .fla that contains the second part of your original file. Run Test Movie to be sure that it is correct.

9. Save the file.

Now you can export a video from each of these files and open the videos in Premiere.

[JPeoplz]

*sigh thank you for your help so far however I encountered issues in your directions.

For the first method, step 5, "Paste Frames" is greyed out and unselectable despite copying frames I wish to segment. That stops that method in its tracks.

But to test out the rest of your method, I instead hit control+V to paste. This in turn "seems" to put everything onto 1 layer of the movie clip. I say "seems" because as I scrub within the movie clip it just seems to display one frame, and all the frames I pasted don't seem to be present. Only the first frame. This could have to do with me not being able to "paste" the way you directed. ALSO I'm not able to TEST MOVIE because I still get the flash error message telling me I cannot publish it due to it exceeding 16,000 frames, DESPITE me only trying to TEST a movie clip that only useskin 8000 frames (which is where I segmented it). So I wasn't even able to get to the last few steps because of tripping over step 5.

So I tried the second method,

Afree successfully "Cutting" the frames, I am still not able to TEST MOVIE because of the flash message again telling me it cannot publish due to the 16000 frames DESPITE me cutting out half of the project which makes it 8000 frames. So this seemed like the easiest method,  but an easy task like cutting out half the frames, then exporting seems to be complicated as well.

Any thoughts?

[Colin Holgate]

An easier to follow set of steps would be:

duplicate the FLA, may as well do that twice, so that somewhere you have the original full animation. Let's say you end up with animfull.fla, and rename the duplicates as animpart1.fla and animpart2.fla.

in animpart1.fla, make sure the layers are all unlocked, and click in layer 1, frame 16000.

shift-click in the last layer, of the last frame.

Shift-F5 will remove those frames. Then do the File/Export/Export Video, to get part 1 of the animation

in animpart2.fla, click in layer 1, frame 1, then shift-click in the last layer of frame 15999.

Shift-F5 will remove those frames. Then do the File/Export/Export Video, to get part 2 of the animation

import the two MOV files into Premiere to put them bak together.

[JPeoplz]

I think I understand what your saying but if I follow your directions verbatim I'd be deleting the entire project. So I read it again and again but am still getting hung up on the layer X, frame X part.

You said

"click in layer 1, frame 16000.

shift-click in the last layer, of the last frame.

Shift-F5 will remove those frames."

clicking frame 16000 (which is the last frame), then shift clicking the last layer of the last frame ends up selecting the whole project...

Maybe it's the way you're wording it, but on paper it seems like you're telling me to delete it all.

Then you said

"in animpart2.fla, click in layer 1, frame 1, then shift-click in the last layer of frame 15999"

Layer 1 frame 1 is the beginning correct, so then you say shift click 15999.. which is the whole project again.

My entire project is 160000 frames just about. Also you confuse me when u say "last layer of frame X". How does frame X have a layer ? I'm reading everything your saying in a literal sense. Thanks for your assistance.

[robdillon]

I don't know what the problem might be for Paste Frames not working. Be sure to select the target frame before you right-click on it. Yes, paste will not work.

The second is simply copying the section of the original and pasting it into a new movie. If you copy 8000 frames and paste that into a new movie and save and test, then that new movie should only be 8000 frames long.

You could try a third party app that will convert an .swf to video. There are many available. I have never used one, so I can't help there.

[JPeoplz]

I dont know why either, but that's what it's saying. 3rd party software will be my last resort. I'm trying to get my money's worth from this suite. But yes thanks anyway.

[JPeoplz]

On a side note, for the life of me I cannot understand how your able to copy paste and I cannot. I'm not even able to "cut". What reasons could cause this? is it because included in my selection is a camera layer? also a layer that contains just audio?

[robdillon · Accepted solution]

I just made a simple AS3 file. I added a camera layer. I am able to select a section of the timeline that contains the camera layer. When I right-click I can copy or cut frames. When I create a new empty movieClip, and paste the selected and copied frames into this new clip, I get everything EXCEPT the camera layer contents. That layer is unnamed and just has an empty keyframe at the first frame in the new clip.

So, the camera layer may be playing some part in your problem.

Audio in a layer should copy and paste like graphics content. The difference with the audio is that if you are cutting and pasting a sound file across two movieClips of .flas, the audio will play from the beginning in each copy.