Photoshop Import options

When you import a Photoshop PSD file that contains multiple layers, you can set the following options:

Layer Comp

If the Photoshop file contains layer comps, you can specify which version of the image to import. A layer comp is a snapshot of a state of the Photoshop Layers palette. Layer comps record three types of layer options, all of which are imported into Flash:

Layer visibility: whether a layer is displayed or hidden.

Layer position in the document.

Layer appearance: whether a layer style is applied to the layer and the layer’s blending mode.

If no layer comps are present, this pop-up menu is hidden. Flash supports all aspects of the layer comp’s fidelity, including visibility, position, and layer style.

Select Photoshop Layers

Lists all layers, groups, and layer effects in an image. To select which layers to import, use the options to the left of the layer’s thumbnail. By default, all layers visible in Photoshop are checked, and invisible layers are not checked.

Note: Adjustment layers do not have a compatible layer type in Flash. For this reason, when importing as a flattened bitmap, the visual effect of the adjustment layer is applied to maintain the appearance of the Photoshop layer being imported. If you’ve selected other import options, the adjustment layers will not be applied.

Merge Layers

Merge (or collapse) two or more layers into a single bitmap, and then import the resulting single bitmap object rather than individual objects. You can only merge layers that are on the same level, and the selection must be contiguous. For example, you cannot select an item inside a folder and an item outside a folder and merge them. Instead, select the folder and the item outside the folder to merge them. You cannot Control-click individual items that are out of sequence and merge them.

Note: If you select a merged bitmap object, the Merge Layers button changes to the Separate button. To separate any merged bitmap objects you create, select the resulting single bitmap, and click the Separate button.

Importing text objects

Text objects are text layers in PhotoShop. Choose how to import text into Flash.

Editable Text: Creates an editable text object from the text on the selected Photoshop layer. The appearance of the text might be compromised to maintain the editability of the text. If you import the text as a movie clip, the movie clip contains an editable text object.
Note: When importing editable text into the library, it must be inside a movie clip. Only movie clips, bitmaps, and graphic symbols can be stored in the library. When Editable Text is selected as an option for a text layer being imported into the library, it is automatically imported as a graphic symbol.
Vector Outlines: Converts text to vector paths to preserve the visual appearance of the text. The text itself is no longer editable, but opacity and compatible blend mode maintain their editability. If this option is selected, the object must be converted to a movie clip.
Flattened Bitmap Image: Rasterizes the text into a bitmap to preserve the exact appearance of the text layer in Photoshop. Rasterized text is no longer editable.
Note: When importing text on a path you must import it as a flattened bitmap image to preserve the visual fidelity of the object.

Importing shape objects

A Shape Layer object is an object that was originally a shape layer in Photoshop or an image layer with a vector clipping mask on it.

Editable Paths And Layer Styles: Creates an editable vector shape with a bitmap clipped inside the vector. Supported blend modes, filters, and opacity are maintained. Unsupported blend modes that cannot be reproduced in Flash are removed. The object must be converted to a movie clip.
Flattened Bitmap Image: Rasterizes the shape into a bitmap to preserve the exact appearance of the shape layer in Photoshop. A rasterized image is no longer editable.

Importing image or fill layers

If the image or fill layer is associated with a vector mask, it is treated as a shape layer object.

Bitmap Image With Editable Layer Styles: Creates a movie clip with a bitmap inside. Supported Blend modes, filters, and opacity are maintained. Unsupported blend modes that cannot be reproduced in Flash are removed. The object must be converted to a movie clip.
Flattened Bitmap Image: Rasterizes the image into a bitmap to preserve the exact appearance of the image or fill layer in Photoshop.

Importing merged bitmap objects and objects in a merged bitmap

A merged bitmap is an object that contains more than one Photoshop layer that is flattened (or merged) into a single bitmap when imported into Flash. Objects in a merged bitmap represent layers in Photoshop. To create a merged bitmap, select two or more layers, and select the Merge Layers button.

Importing multiple objects of different types

If you import multiple objects of different types, Flash only lets you import the selected objects with the import options they share in common, such as Create Movie Clip and Registration.

Importing multiple objects of the same type

If you import multiple objects of the same type, the import options displayed are the same as if a single object of that type was selected. If the objects do not share the same attributes, the import options displayed are in an indeterminate state, and your results may not be as expected.

Importing a Group folder

When you import a group folder, you can import it as a movie clip, or place each layer in the group on its own layer or keyframe on the timeline.

If you select Import As Movie Clip, each layer in the group folder is placed on a layer in a movie clip, which is then placed on its own layer or keyframe on the timeline. The movie clip uses the same name as that group folder had in Photoshop, and if you import the movie clip to a Flash layer, the layer uses the same name.

If you do not place the group in a movie clip, each layer is converted to the type that is currently set for it, and each layer in the group is imported to its own Flash layer. The Flash layers are named for the individual layers in the PSD file.

Importing and merging layers

The PSD importer lets you merge two or more layers into a merged bitmap that is imported as a single bitmap file rather than individual objects.

The layers you select to create a merged bitmap must be a continuous range of two or more layers at the same level. For example, you cannot select one layer inside a group, and a layer outside that group, and merge them. Instead, you must select the entire group and the separate layer.

Setting publish options

The Publish settings in the PSD Importer let you specify the degree of compression and document quality to apply to the image when publishing the Flash document as a SWF file. These settings take effect only when you publish the document as a SWF file, and have no effect on the image when you import it to the Flash Stage or library.

Compression

Lets you choose either lossy or lossless compression formats:

Lossy: Lossy (JPEG) compresses the image in JPEG format. To use the default compression quality specified for the imported image, select Use Publish Setting. To specify a new quality compression setting, select the Custom option, and enter a value between 1 and 100 in the Quality text field. (A higher setting preserves greater image integrity but yields a larger file size.).
Lossless: Lossless (PNG/GIF) compresses the image with lossless compression, in which no data is discarded from the image.

Note: Use Lossy compression for images with complex color or tonal variations, such as photographs or images with gradient fills. Use Lossless compression for images with simple shapes and relatively few colors.

Calculate Bitmap Size

Determines the number of bitmaps that are created for a given layer based on your import selections, and the compressed size in kilobytes of the resulting bitmaps on the layer. For example, if you select a layer with a drop shadow and a blur, and maintain layer styles, the Calculate Bitmap Size information states that three bitmaps will result from the import—one for each filter effect, and another for the image itself. To calculate the size of all the bitmaps to be imported, select all of the layers and click Calculate Bitmap Size.

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