MACROMEDIA DIRECTOR MX-USING DIRECTOR MX, Use Manual

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Chapter 2 80
Import a cast digital video member
So far, all the cast members you’ve used have been created and stored within your Director movie
file. The buttons, graphics, and text are part of the Director file. It is common to import files
from outside Director, too. When you import files into Director, you can import the entire file
into your Director movie file or leave it as a separate file, creating only a reference to the external
file in your Director movie. If you import a file by reference, it’s crucial not to move it from the
location where it’s referenced. If you move it, Director will not be able to find it the next time you
open your Director file, and the movie will not play as intended. Advantages of importing by
reference include the following:
•
The file size of your Director movie is smaller when you reference, rather than fully import,
your media.
•
Referencing media offers greater flexibility in terms of how you manage and where you locate
your media assets.
When the referenced file is edited using the Launch and Edit feature of Director, there’s no need
to import the edited file again.
The first cast member you’ll use in the sound and video scene is a QuickTime digital video file.
Digital video files are always imported by reference, leaving the digital video file separate from the
Director file.
1
Select File > Import. In the Import dialog box that appears, navigate within your Director MX
folder to Tutorials/Basics/BasicsMedia and select the file named Ouch!.
2
Click the Import button. The new digital video cast member appears in the Cast window in
slot 8. It’s named after the imported file.
Play the digital video
You can view the QuickTime cast member by opening the QuickTime window. This window
contains controls for playing the video file but not for editing the video; you cannot edit digital
video files in Director.