When it comes to his Flash video players, FireCode has created his own, unique style. Just take a look at this slick YouTube video player:

Not only does it include a very cool design, sharing on Twitter and Facebook buttons, but it also supports all video formats that Flash Player can play, streaming and Youtube videos. If you’re tired of that same old video player design that everybody’s been using for years, then you’ve found your match.

Check out Firecode’s awesome Flash video player collection below or visit his portfolio here.

Click here to download the player and be sure to visit FlashXpert’s portfolio for the complete list of features that his excellent video players include.

FlashXpert added lot of exciting features to these new releases, like:

• - video ads

• - Share .SWF with friends, embed video or link to the video

• - captions and subtitles

If you want to play with the demos and to find out more about one (or all) of these versions, just click on any of the images and you’ll be redirected to the component’s page.

If you have questions regarding the video players, feel free to contact FlashXpert.

CurveMenu Video includes a sliding curve shape video playlist and you can customize the video playback interface to match your company’s image. There are tons of personalized style to choose from.

If you’re eager to find out more about this file’s features and see how you can build your own branded video player, click here.

This pack includes 4 of LambertGroup’s Flash video players and you can now get it at a 52% discount. The players can be set to any size you want by changing its width and height from the configuration XML file, so it can be easily integrated in your projects, HTML or Flash.

What will you get?

1. Cool XML Resizable Video Player FLV / H.264

2. Advanced XML Video Player with playlist and categories – FLV / H.264

3. FLV/H.264/YOUTUBE Video Player with categories and playlist

4. FLV/H.264/YOUTUBE Video Player with Google Analytics, categories and playlist

To find out more about this package, click here.

The best thing about this Flash component is that you can create a personalized video player for your brand as the file has a customizable video playback interface. Watch this short tutorial to see how you can change the player skin for the PhotoFlip Video file.

To find out more about this file’s features click here. Also, do check out Digicrafts‘ portfolio for other great files.

You will also learn how to switch these instructions on and off. Assumed Knowledge: Tweening, use of Symbols, Layers and some Actionscript.

Step I: Set up the Main Stage

Example of a movie which plays in both directions.

1. Create a new movie.

2. Rename layer 1: Car

3. Set the size to 500 x130px in: Modify – Document

4. Create a new symbol by going to: Insert – New Symbol

5. For name: Car graphic

6. For behavior: Graphic

7. Click: OK

8. Draw a car (or type the word car!). Alternatively copy and paste some clip art from Word, into the symbol, which is what I did. Make sure your car is facing to the right >.

9. Go back to the main stage by clicking on the scene 1 button:

10. Open your Library: Window – Library
11. Drag your car on to the left hand side of the stage.
12. If it is too big/small resize it with the Free Transformation tool .
13. Right click (Mac – Ctrl Click) on frame 45 and select: Insert Keyframe
14. With your Arrow tool move the car, that is on frame 45, to the right hand side of the stage.
15. Right click somewhere between frame 1 and 45, select: Create Motion Tween

If you play your movie, the car should now drive from left to right. In test mode it will do this repeatedly, never going in reverse.

Step II: The Play Button

1. Click on the Insert new layer button .
2. Name the new layer: Play
3. Open the Common button Library: Window – Common Library – Buttons
4. In the Library, double click on the Playback folder to open it.
5. Drag the gel Right button, to the right side of the stage.
6. Close the Library.
7. Go to frame 45 in the Play layer and right click, Select: Remove frames

This should have removed that last frame of this layer. You do this because once the play head has reached frame 45, there are no more frames, therefore you cannot ‘Play’ forwards, because there is nowhere to go. Removing the frame removes the button.

Step III: The Back Button

1. Click on the Insert new layer button .
2. Name the new layer: Back
3. Go to frame 2 of this layer, right click, select: Insert Blank Keyframe
You place the back button in frame 2 for the same reason that you removed the last frame of the play layer, except the play head will be going in reverse. If the play head is on frame 1, you cannot go backwards.
4. Open the Common button Library: Window – Common Library – Buttons
5. In the Library, double click on the Playback folder to open it.
6. Drag the gel left button, to the left side of the stage.
7. Close the Library.

Your layers and stage will look similar to this, depending on what frame the red play head is in.

The play head above is in frame 2. You can see both buttons

If you are in frame 1, you should only be able to see the play button on the right.
If you are in frame 45, you should only be able to see the back button on the left, and the car will be on the left.

Step IV: Stopping the Auto Play

1. Save the movie.
2. Go to: Movie – Test Movie
3. The car should be going continuously from left to right, with the buttons momentarily disappearing.
4. Close the test window by clicking the second cross on the top right (maybe in a different place).
5. Right click on frame 1, layer Car, select: Actions
6. Select: – Actions – Movie Control – Stop
7. Do the same thing for frame: 45

The Controller Movie Clip

Up until now everything you have done is standard Flash construction. The problem with making a movie play in reverse is that there is no:

playReverse(); Do not use – does not work !

At least as far as I am aware there is no play in reverse command! I don’t no why not, it seems an obvious option. Macromedia, are you listening!

There is the following script:

This is all very well, but it only goes back one frame and stops. You would have to click the back button 44 times to get back to frame 1!

A Controller Movie Clip is the answer. That is a piece of actionscript that when you click the back button repeatedly says prevFrame(); prevFrame(); prevFrame(); etc. Until you get to frame one then the controller says nothing. In other words you need to be able to switch the instruction on and off. If you could not switch it on and off, when you hit the play button, one bit of script would be saying prevFrame(); and another would say play();. This would cause an obvious conflict.

The controller has to be able to be:

* Switched on
* Repeat an instruction innumerable times
* Switched off

To be able to do this, is absolutely crucial to Flash programming. Here we are going to get a movie to play backwards, but this same principle can be used in hundreds of different ways. At the end of this tutorial you will find links to sample files that use the same system of a controller movie clip to give instructions in a variety of different circumstances.

Step V: The Controller Movie Clip – Frame 1

You should not build a controller on the main stage because that limits your ability to switch it on and off.

1. Create a new symbol by going to: Insert – New Symbol
2. For name: Controller MC
3. For behavior: Movie Clip
4. Click: OK
5. Right click on frame 1 and select: Actions
6. Select: - Actions – Movie Control – Stop
This is the off position. The movie clip does not go to frame 2, there are no instructions. It is dormant.

Step VI: The Controller Movie Clip – Frame 2

1. Right click on frame 2 and select: Insert Blank Keyframe

Your time line should look like this.
2. Right click on frame 2 and select: Actions
3. Make sure the Actions panel is set to Normal.
You do this by clicking on the side menu button ( ). Select Normal.
4. Select: - Actions – Movie Control – Goto
5. In the options above select: Type > Previous Frame
This will place the following script:

prevFrame();

This is no good, as it will go to the previous frame of this movie clips time line rather than the main time line on the main stage.
6. Change the Actions panel to: Expert mode
Click on the side menu button ( ). Select Expert.
7. In front of the prevFrame(); type: _root. (The dot is not a full stop, you need to type it!)
Your script will look like this:

_root.prevFrame();

This will instruct the main stage the (root directory) to go back a frame. But it will only go back one frame!

Step VII: The Controller Movie Clip – Frame 3

1. Right click on frame 3 and select: Insert Blank Keyframe
2. Right click on frame 3 and select: Actions
3. Select: > Actions > Movie Control > gotoAndPlay
4. For the frame option type: 2
Your script should look like this:

gotoAndPlay(2);

Your time line should look like this.

The loop

In the above script gotoAndPlay(2); there is no _root. That means that the script will go to frame 2 of the current time line: The Controller movie clip

Which is what we want. So the playhead to goes back to frame 2, this will repeat the instruction on frame 2 (_root.prevFrame();). The play head in the main time line will go back one frame.

Our controller movie clip will continue to play to frame 3, as there is no instruction for it to stop.

In frame 3 of Controller, is an instruction to go and play frame 2 (gotoAndPlay(2);). The play head in the controllers time line will go and play frame 2.

This will repeat the instruction to move the playhead in the main time line back one frame.

The loop goes on indefinitely.In other words it will make the main timeline play continuously backwards.

Frame 1: Controller is switched off.
Frame 2: Instructs the main time line to go back one frame.
Frame 3: Instructs frame 2 to repeat it’s instructions.

Switching the loop off/on

There are a number of ways to switch a controller on and off. We will switch it on with the back button. To switch it off we will do two things. Use the play button and also remove it from the main time line in frame 1, which will zap it into nonexistence.

You can also switch controllers on and off with instructions in the main time.

Step VIII: Setting up the Controller on the Main Stage

1. Go back to the main stage by clicking on the scene 1 button:
2. Open your Library: Window – Library
3. Select frame 2, Back layer.
4. Drag your Controller MC onto the stage.
You can put it any place you like as it is invisible when you test the movie or view it in a web page. In Flash, an invisible Movie Clip looks like this:
If it is highlighted it will have a cross in the middle.

By placing the controller in frame 2, it does not exist in frame 1.

If the controller has been looping, and the main time line going backwards, when the main play head reaches frame 1 the controller does not exist. The loop will have stopped. If the viewer clicks on the play button, the play head on the main stage will go to frame 2 and play. The controller play head will be by default on frame 1. As there is a ’stop’ in that frame the loop does not play.
5. For the back button to instruct the controller to play, the controller must have a name. If the controller is not selected, click on it with the Arrow tool .
6. Open the Property panel: Window – Properties
7. Where it says Instance Name, type: control

The controller is now ready for action.

Step IX: Actionscript for the Back Button

1. Right click on the back button on the left.
2. Select: Actions
3. Set the Actions Panel to: Normal Mode
4. Select: - Actions – Movie Control – Goto
5. In the frame option above type: 2
Your script will look like this:

This of course refers to the main time line not the controller, we need to change this.
6. Set the Actions Panel to: Expert Mode
7. Type the target path:

These are the best 15 Flash websites that use video in a fancy way.

Adobe Flash On

Aeon Flux Movie

Billy Harvey Music

Brittelactica

Click More

Del Padre Digital

Dubrovnik Fashion Week

Full Sail University

Ideal TV

Kamikadze

Philips Shaveeverywhere

Red Bull Copilot

Quit Doing It

Stefano Bidini

TurboChef

*Source: http://www.bestflashanimationsite.com

Have other examples of Flash websites that use video? Drop a comment, don’t be shy.

Now, if you’re planning on using video in your website, I recommend you check out some of the tutorials posted on the Adobe Video Technology Center. They’ve got lots and lots of useful resources and if you need a solution to a video related problem, you’re most likely to find it there.