a Tuesday feature
This week I take a closer look at Macromedia's Shockwave for Freehand. After mentioning it in a column a few weeks ago, I got a lot of mail asking for more information and some examples. So this week's column includes: More on Macromedia Shockwave for Freehand
A Closer Look
So without delaying any further, let's get right into it.
- Some more detailed information on Shockwave for Freehand.
- Some cool tips on using Shockwave for Freehand.
- Links to William's choice Freehand-enhanced sites.
The Information
So what can you do with Shockwave for Freehand? To start with you can embed links to URLs in your illustrations. This can serve you in several ways. You can use this ability to:1. Create client-side image maps using Freehand
2. Embed links to supporting information for your illustrations
The following are some examples of both points listed above. If you have a user base using the Shockwave for Freehand plug-in, you can create graphics (reduced up to 50%) that can be used as a client-side image map. Since Freehand allows you to assign links to "Objects," you can create almost any design and shape, and then create links for each of the objects. This may be hard to understand without a visual cue, so I'll try to put something together for next week's column as an example.Also, how about using frames to create Freehand Shocked sites in which you have a map in one frame and then within the map a link to a Target URL? This would be nice wouldn't it? You could bring up supporting information in the other frame that gave details about the section of the map you clicked on.
Cool Tips
Make sure the users have the Shockwave for Freehand plug-in installed.Sounds simple doesn't it? Make sure they have it. Every time someone complains about broken icons on pages I design Shockwave into, it is because the plug-in is not installed. All the other times the user has the wrong version of the plug-in.
Try using Afterburner to compress your Freehand documents.
As was already mentioned, Shockwave for Freehand offers the extra benefits of compression. If you use it right, you can get up to a 50% reduction in the file size of your Freehand documents.
The Links
The list below provides links to some of the better designed sites that I think demonstrate some of the functionality we have discussed thus far. Remember, you can always visit Macromedia's Shockwave Gallery, in addition to these links, for inspiration. Next week I'll present some examples. Until then, continue to send me e-mail if you have any questions.
