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ibook_steve · Jan 24, 2011, 02:39 PM

Can anybody recommend any good Mac (or PC) software for converting Flash (swf) into a format that could be published as a podcast?

It could even be good screen capture software, since I could just let the Flash movie play and then record it. I'm trying to see how easy or hard it might be to convert some of my company's Flash online trainings into podcasts.

Thanks,
Steve

P · Jan 25, 2011, 02:24 AM

FFmpegx should be able to do it, even if the software hasn't been updated in forever.

Thorzdad · 08:12 AM

VLC actually has a transcoding module, too. I've not used it, but it seems to offer a good set of formats. Of course, for all I know, it might actualy be an adaptation of FFmpegx, too.

besson3c · Jan 25, 2011, 11:07 AM

you mean of ffmpeg. ffmpegx is just a GUI wrapper for ffmpeg.

ibook_steve · Jan 25, 2011, 12:23 PM

ffmpeg cannot convert from swf. The website verifies this.

Steve

Spheric Harlot · Jan 25, 2011, 03:56 PM

Since VLC can play swf, it will probably be able to output the stream to a different format.

ibook_steve · Jan 25, 2011, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Since VLC can play swf, it will probably be able to output the stream to a different format.

I tried playing my .swf files in VLC and nothing happened. Are you sure? It looks like flv only.

Steve

andi*pandi · Jan 26, 2011, 07:23 AM

If they're your company .swf files, surely somewhere is the source video that was imported into flash in the first place?

ibook_steve · Jan 26, 2011, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

If they're your company .swf files, surely somewhere is the source video that was imported into flash in the first place?

No. As I mentioned, we use Articulate Presenter to generate flash from Powerpoint. Presenter has no facility for generating flv or video podcasts (it can do audio podcasts which don't help me).

Steve

andi*pandi · Jan 26, 2011, 01:42 PM

Ah, I didn't see the powerpoint comment. (Actually, still don't.

)

You can export from powerpoint to .mov, last I knew. Which version of ppt are you running?

ibook_steve · Jan 26, 2011, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

Ah, I didn't see the powerpoint comment. (Actually, still don't.

)

You can export from powerpoint to .mov, last I knew. Which version of ppt are you running?

Oops, I guess I didn't mention Powerpoint (2007 and '08, but I don't think that matters).

No, Articulate doesn't work like that. Articulate takes your narration and timing of your slide animation and slide changes, puts it in a template, and generates a complete, user-controllable Flash training. The simplest path for me would be if I can convert the final Flash into something that could be turned into a podcast.

Steve

P · Jan 26, 2011, 02:39 PM

I had never heard of that software before - interesting.

It makes a big point of working with anything down to Flash 6.0. That makes it SWF files only, using either Sorenson Spark or the odd "Screen" format. That last is a so called screencasting format - made for recording what happens on screen - so it's likely that that is what it's using. That may not be the most common codec in existence, to put it lightly, so I would suggest dropping to what you yourself suggested in the beginning: recording what plays on the screen. An app to do that is Snapz Pro X. It has a free trial, so give it a whirl and see if it does what you want.

besson3c · Jan 26, 2011, 02:57 PM

I'm assuming you don't have access to the original .fla file used to construct the SWF?

andi*pandi · Jan 26, 2011, 03:32 PM

^the original content is powerpoint.

I guess a movie won't be as interactive as what articulate is doing, but if you use SnapzPro to record your training, you're still going to have a movie without interactivity. What formats can a video podcast take? I've never seen any that are interactive.

There are folks at work trying out new methods of exporting flash to html5/jquery that are interactive, but they are starting with flash not powerpoint.

ibook_steve · Jan 26, 2011, 07:20 PM

It's OK if it loses its interactivity. I just want to be able to make it into a movie that people could watch in iTunes or on their iDevices. Someone on the Articulate forums mentioned SWF to Video Converter, Convert Flash to Video, Enjoy Flash on portable devices!, so I'll have to check that out.

I would be a true star at work if I can make this happen!

By the way, for anybody who does publish podcasts to iTunes, does it collect statistics on how many accesses or downloads of the podcast are made? We would want to be able to track the popularity of our trainings if this happens. Or does the tracking have to happen on the server you use to serve the podcast?

Steve

Thorzdad · Jan 26, 2011, 08:12 PM

...must not report ~~spammer~~moderator...must...not...report...mod...er..a...to r...

ibook_steve · Jan 26, 2011, 09:41 PM

Yeah, I guess that did look a little spammy, huh?

But it seems like something that might just do the trick. I have to check it out tomorrow.

Steve

andi*pandi · Jan 26, 2011, 09:48 PM

^

Do you have Keynote? Google says you could import your powerpoint in there and export to .mov that way. If the FLV converters don't work, you could try that.

As for stats... I think we track them inhouse though, not via iTunes (at least, given how hard it is to find the person who has the keys to iTunes, no one is checking there!)

ibook_steve · Jan 27, 2011, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

^

Do you have Keynote? Google says you could import your powerpoint in there and export to .mov that way. If the FLV converters don't work, you could try that.

Articulate Presenter is a Powerpoint plugin. It does not work with Keynote. I need to make this as easy a workflow as possible, and everybody at work (except me) uses PCs.

Steve