QUERTY

How do I get a Flash install on my site?

Flash is the program that powers the scrolling images that you will see in the banner area of some sites, similar to how the Portfolio appears on the Skidmore home page.  Flash is available by arrangement through the Office of Communications -- contact us to inquire.

Prepare Your Images

You will first need 6-10 images that you have properly cropped to fit the Flash area.  Using your choice of image software (Photoshop, Fireworks, GIMP, etc) crop each image to the following specifications:

  • 559 pixels wide by 175 pixels tall
  • 72 dpi maximum
  • image name should be one word, no spaces (ex. image1.jpg, image2.jpg, etc)

These proportions are very important, and it's important to crop (not just resize!) your images to this size, so as to avoid distortion of the picture.  You can read the Image FAQ for more hints on how to manipulate images.

Upload Your Images

Once you have your edited pictures in hand, contact the Office of Communications to ask for the Flash element to be included on your page.  Once that is installed, you will navigate to the flash page for your site, for example http://cms.skidmore.edu/global_skidmore/flash.cfm.  That page will have a handy interface for uploading your images quickly. 

upload


Provide an Alternate Image

You also need to add an alternate image to display in case your visitor does not have Flash installed.  In Author mode on the page you've added Flash to, click the gear wheel associated with the banner area. 

 gear wheel

Choose "Flash", and in the window that pops up look for "No Embed Image".  This means, "image to display when Flash is not loaded".  Click the "Select Image" button and choose the old banner image for your site, or upload something new, and then click Finish.

no embed1

 

Publish your work, and you're finished.