SWF File Format
   
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GraphicsAcademy.com  >  File Formats  >  Flash

SWF File Format

Short Name SWF
Long Name Flash
Typical File Extensions .swf
Contains Animation


This is a format originally devised by Macromedia (subsequently merged into Adobe) for storing animations (optionally including sounds), although it can also do a lot more than do animations (for example, process forms or even build entire web sites).

In order to play a SWF file in a user's browser, they must have a Flash plug-in installed, however most users do have this.

If you have a Flash enabled browser, you should see an example Flash animation in the box below. This demo also demonstrates one of the best things about Flash - it's possible to pack an awful lot of animation into quite small files (the example below is only approximately 19K).

Example Flash animation:
 

 



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