Customizing the video

The FLVPlayback component displays the video in the template (see Figure 4). You will select the FLVPlayback instance on the Stage to change the layout and parameters of the video. You can change the following items to customize the display:

• Video file and video parameters
• Size of the video (either automatically or manually)
• Location of the video

Figure 4. FLVPlayback component instance and its parameters in the Component inspector

The video component in Figure 4 appears as a black rectangle with the Flash video icon in the center. When you select the instance, a blue bounding box surrounds it. The parameters for the video component can be set in the Property inspector or in the Component inspector. Also notice that the custom video controls (play, stop, seek bar, volume bar, mute button, and full-screen button) are separate controls and are not attached to the FLVPlayback instance. (You will explore changes to these controls in the section "Modifying the buttons and video controls".)

Changing the video and video parameters

To change the video and FLVPlayback parameters:

1. Open the VideoNavPresentation.fla file in Flash CS3 Professional. Note that the supplied file is an ActionScript 3.0 file and can be opened only in Flash CS3.
2. Click the Flash video icon in the center of the black rectangle to select the FLVPlayback instance. Notice that the FLVPlayback layer is highlighted on the Timeline.
3. With the video component still selected, open the Component inspector (Window > Component Inspector).

4. To change the video, click the source field to select it and then click it again to launch the Content Path dialog box (see Figure 5).

   

   Figure 5. Enter the path to your FLV file in the Content Path dialog box

5. Type in the path to the FLV file that you want to view or click the folder icon in the top right of the dialog box to browse for the file. Usually you will store the FLV file in a relative path near the SWF file that displays it. However, if you are streaming the video using Flash Media Server, you will enter an absolute path to the file on the server.

   Notice that you have an option to match the FLV dimensions. This is a great feature that lets the video component size itself to the target video. If you enter an absolute path into the field, the Download FLV for Cue Points and Dimensions check box becomes active.

6. Enter a path in the text box and choose the Match Source FLV Dimensions check box if desired. Click OK when you're finished.
7. Export the SWF file (Control > Test Movie) to play your video.
8. Return to the FLA file and change the other video parameters as desired.

For more information on FLVPlayback component parameters, refer to the Flash CS3 LiveDocs (Using ActionScript 3.0 Components > Using the FLVPlayback component > FLVPlayback component parameters).

Note that the FLVPlayback component uses embedded metadata in the FLV file to determine the size and duration of the video for automated features such as "Match source FLV dimensions." If you are trying to use an older FLV file that does not contain this metadata, you may notice that some of these features do not work. If this is the case, your best bet is to encode the original video to the FLV format again using the Flash CS3 Video Encoder or use a utility to embed the metadata in the older FLV file.

Changing the size of the video

To change the layout of the video component, you can either let the component automatically size itself to the target FLV file or you can manually change the size the component on the Stage.

If you want the component to size itself automatically, follow the steps in the previous section for assigning the source parameter and make sure you select the Match Source FLV Dimensions check box. Selecting this option will cause the video component to automatically match your FLV file on the Stage, making it easy for you to position the video as desired.

To size the video instance manually, follow these steps:

1. Select the video component on the Stage by clicking the Flash video icon. Open the Component inspector (Window > Component Inspector) if it's not already open.
2. Set the scaleMode field to maintainAspectRatio in the parameter list. These parameters affect the component when the SWF file is playing. Turning off the parameters enables the video to be displayed at any size you choose.
3. With the video component still selected, choose the Free Transform tool (Q) and scale the dimensions of the video instance as desired.
4. Export the SWF file (Control > Test Movie) to see the results. If you want, you can experiment with the scaleMode parameter to adjust how the video appears in the custom size view.

Moving the video to a new location

To move the video to a new location, follow these steps:

1. Select the video component on the Stage by clicking the Flash video icon.
2. With the Selection tool (V) you can click on the video instance and drag it to any location on the Stage. Of course, feel free to change the surrounding graphics to accommodate the change in video location.

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