Flash CS3 hates After Effects’ PNG files

Apparently I’m not the first person to have experienced this ongoing issue, but Flash CS3 borks when importing png’s that are exported from After Effects CS3. The symptoms of this problem are black pixels where the alpha channel is supposed to be and/or seeing a really high width/height when you drag the png onto the stage.

The workaround is simple enough though. Just open up old reliable, Flash 8, and import your PNG sequence. Save out the imported Fla and open it in CS3. Once open you can convert the flash version to 9 and the ActionScript version to 3 with no negative effects. Unfortunately, once you convert the file to CS3 it can no longer be opened in Flash 8 anymore, so I would recommend just one sequence per fla that you can export as a SWF to compose inside a class that loads that SWF. That way if the png sequence changes its no big deal to import it again.

6 Responses to “Flash CS3 hates After Effects’ PNG files”

  1. Irakli  on May 9th, 2008

    Yeap!!
    Or you can open AE’s PNGs in Photoshop, Save For Web with transparency of cource and enjoy ‘normal’ PNGs with alpha

  2. crebstock  on May 10th, 2008

    Not a bad idea, mix that with the batch ability of Photoshop and you’ve got a winner.

  3. killjoy  on June 9th, 2008

    no, no, no.
    it`s wrong.
    in AE:
    File->export->image sequence
    in the next window:
    file format PNG-> options -> Best Depth (no millionscolor)->ok->ok.
    Then be happy;)

  4. terry ranson  on September 10th, 2008

    yes. export works with million+, but why. What is the actual problem at the root of this? What do we need to change in the render queue?

  5. tf  on January 15th, 2009

    kudos to killjoy, was experiencing this same problem.

  6. Pauli  on February 20th, 2009

    Exporting through File->Export->Image Sequence…
    will premultiply the comps background color into the PNG.
    A batch -open-and-save- in PS is the only option I’m aware of that yields the proper alpha.


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