[Down saving] Is there an outlandish way to open modern FLA drawing files in Flash 8?

[dannyridsdale]

I have a file I drew with only the most basic flash usage in it (motion+shape tweens, some blurring) and it's been saved using the most recent version of Animate. I would love to continue drawing in it in Flash 8.

I know they are aeons apart, and that the code for .fla files in animate has been totally revamped since Macromedia did it. My question is: Since the layers and movie clips and vector lines in my animate file are the exact same stuff that Flash 8 uses, does anyone know of a sneaky pattern of downsaving that could theoretically let me open this basic project in Flash 8?

Or, can I save the fla vector layers into something like Illustrator and then plop those into Flash 8? Praying, because I love me some Flash 8. If not I might resort to saving the layers as jpegs, then just trace them in Flash 8, losing all the animation.

[kglad]

no, but you could probably copy and paste vectors from one to the other.

[Colin Holgate]

It used to be that each version of Flash Pro would let you save backwards by two versions. With CS5.5 they changed that, and made the file format future proof. Newer files might have features that won't work, but at least the file can open.

So, you can open your latest Animate file in CS5.5. CS5.5 can save back to CS4, and CS4 can save a Flash 8 FLA that would open.

But there are some difficulties on the way. Motion Tweens only came in with CS4, and so the save from CS4 to Flash 8 might have some problems. Also, current files are AS3, and that didn't happen until CS3. Hopefully you don't have any scripts in your timeline.

Copying via Illustrator looked hopeful, it is able to export to Flash Player 8, but alas it seems to convert it to bitmap in doing that.

Vectors do copy and paste into CS6, so far I don't have an easy way to test going straight into Flash Pro 8. I'll try installing CS4, if I can get that to work I'll know if I can paste vectors and also save as to Flash 8.

If all of that fails, one option is to export an image sequence, import that into Flash Pro 8, then either use the bitmaps and also draw new vectors, or use the Trace Bitmap option to get them back as vectors.

I'll let you know how my CS4 test goes.

[Colin Holgate]

Unfortunately CS4 only saves back to CS3. I'm trying CS3 now!

[Colin Holgate]

Ok, copy and paste doesn't work out, as with going via Illustrator, it gets converted to bitmap. But what does work is to publish a 10.3 SWF from Animate, then import that into the library of CS3. Tweens are lost, but at least you get the frame by frame animation. Motion Tweens also come in like that. There's a good reason for it, when you make a SWF I think that all references to how the animation was made gets lost. That includes what layer it was on, or what kind of tween it was. To keep layering you would need to go the CS5.5, CS4, CS3, Flash 8 path with the FLA.

With the Animate SWF imported into CS3, you can then Save As to Flash 8.

Amazing that this all still works in macOS High Sierra!

[Myra Ferguson]

This would be a really round about way to go, but I wonder what would happen if you compiled a SWF and used an earlier version of a Flash decompiler like Sothink (Adobe Flash Decompiler: Decompile Adobe Flash to FLA or FLEX by Adobe Flash Decompiler) to convert it to a Flash 8 FLA.

[Colin Holgate]

Yes, that worked out. With the decompiler I had to "force Flash 8", which caused some complaints, but then it gave an FLA that opened in CS3 with the layers and tweens still intact. I used the Trillix decompiler.

[dannyridsdale]

Wow, I am very thankful for the in-depth help. I will try these options and let you know how it goes a bit later on. Many thanks everyone!

[dannyridsdale]

I have my files readable in Flash 8 now, but many of them have a gibberish Timeline in the main timeline and inside movie clips... but I can still look inside the movie clips and copy things into new FLAs so I should be fine. If anyone has a clue how to potentially restore the layers in these garbled files, I would be endebted. I'm attaching a screenshot of it

Thanks!!

[Colin Holgate]

Which way did you use to get the Flash 8 file? A couple of ways lose the layers, and a couple didn't.

[dannyridsdale]

I did the CS5.5 to 4 to 3 to 8 Save As method.

Which should I use, SoThink or Trillix? Or is it the same? Thanks

[Colin Holgate · Accepted solution]

If you can easily do the stages way that should keep thinks intact better than a decompiler.

I don't know Sothink, but I do know that a lot of people who recommend which compiler to get do say that one. I've gotten on fine with Trillix. The two are the same prices (about $80).