Flash UI Panel to Edit the Properties of Multiple Bitmaps

Long ago (MX 2004 days, I believe) there existed a great custom Flash panel released by Fuel Industries that would allow you to set the export properties of multiple library items simultaneously. Say, for example, you have a hundred little bitmap items in your library that you’re using for an interface and you want to allow smoothing on all of them. Ordinarily, you’d have to go through each and every one, open up the properties panel and check the Allow Smoothing check box. Hopefully you wouldn’t skip one. With this Fuel panel though, you’d highlight all the bitmap instances and click a single button one time to change them all. I’d nearly forgotten about this extremely useful little plugin until I ran across this blog post by Matt Wright. Since I no longer have that plugin myself, I figured I’d make one. It was a pretty quick and easy thing to do. I can’t remember what all that Fuel plugin was capable of, but mine handles Bitmap objects only. Basically, it’s just as I described – you highlight multiple Bitmaps in your .fla’s library, adjust the settings (allow smoothing, lossy/lossless, jpg compression quality), then click on the “execute” button and – presto – all items are instantly changed.

You can check out a screenshot below and if interested grab the zipped up .mxp file here.

After installing the .mxp using Adobe Extension Manager and restarting Flash (if it was open at the time), you can find the panel at Window -> Other Panels -> Library BMP Editor. It’ve tested it in Flash CS3 and CS4 Beta, but, though it works in both, it isn’t necessary in one…

FlashDevelop 3.0 Beta 8 has just been released! I get excited with each new release – even just a beta increment. I absolutely love this editor and can’t remember what I ever did without it. If you’ve never tried it, do yourself a favor and get it now.

And on the cinema side, a couple new movies on their way out in the near future I’m sure you’ll want to go spend money on. One, a new movie based on another novel by Chuck (“Fight Club”) Palahniuk, Choke. I can’t wait for this one. The novel was even better than Fight Club, in my opinion, and if this Clark Gregg guy does a good job of it, this flick will just be fantastic.

The other is a new Coen brothers movie, Burn After Reading. If you think you’re unfamiliar with their work, you’re probably not. These are the film making super genii, who have created such masterpieces as Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, Raising Arizona, The Man Who Wasn’t There, The Big Lebowski, and most recently No Country for Old Men. There isn’t a genre these cats can’t nail, exceptin’ one: the romantic comedy. Intolerable Cruelty had to be one of the worst films ever. It took me a long time to believe it was even a Coen bros. piece. I’m really hoping Burn After Reading isn’t in the same vein. Of course I’m definitely shelling out my money to see for myself. At home. In Ireland. With the wife.

Which reminds me – only 21 more days stuck in the Navy…