Sustainability of Digital Formats: Planning for Library of Congress Collections |
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Introduction | Sustainability Factors | Content Categories | Format Descriptions | Contact |
Full name | Macromedia Flash FLA Project File Format |
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Description |
Authoring format for Macromedia application software. FLA files typically include vector image data for use in animations, timelines to control animation playback, and audio; they may also include "bitmapped" video content. FLA files may include or reference ActionScripts (similar to JavaScripts) to provide interactivity.1 FLA files are comparable to source code and are typically saved as Flash files for Internet delivery; see SWF_7 and SWF_8. Temporary note (March 2010): Although Adobe Systems Inc. had acquired Macromedia in 2005, the specification for version 8 of the SWF file format (SWF_8), together with documentation of the FLV format, was published that year under the Macromedia brand. It is not clear to the compiler of this Web page if the specifications for the FLA project format were revised, although in 2005 the creating application was assigned number 8. See SWF_Family for links to SWF specifications. Comments welcome. |
Production phase | Used for initial-state content creation, or for middle-state archiving by producers.2 |
Relationship to other formats | |
May contain | Sorenson_3, Sorenson Video Codec, Version 3 |
May contain | Screen video bitstream format and Screen Video Version 2, not documented here. |
May contain | On2 Truemotion VP6 bitstream format, not documented here. |
May contain | PCM, PCM, Pulse Code Modulated Audio |
May contain | ADPCM, Adaptive Differential PCM Sound Format. Not described on this web site at this time. |
May contain | MP3_ENC, MP3 (MPEG Layer III Audio Encoding) |
May contain | Nellymoser Asao (speech compression) audio content, not documented here. |
May contain | ActionScript as files as external resources1 |
Other | SWF_Family, Flash SWF File Format Family. SWF files are typically derived from a FLA file. |
Other | SWF_7, Macromedia Flash SWF File Format, Version 7. SWF files are typically derived from a FLA file. |
Other | SWF_8, Adobe Flash SWF File Format, Version 8. SWF files are typically derived from a FLA file. |
LC experience or existing holdings | The Library of Congress has a small number of FLA files in its collections. |
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LC preference | See the Library of Congress Recommended Formats Statement for format preferences for moving image works; it is an interesting question whether FLA ought to be favored over SWF_7 or SWF_8. Potential challenges to the preservation of SWF files (the offspring of FLA) are discussed in Richard Entlich's article "Flash in the Pan or Around for the Long Haul?". |
Disclosure | Proprietary, not publicly documented. Developed by Macromedia, Inc., now owned by Adobe Systems. |
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Documentation | None identified. |
Adoption | Widely adopted by SWF creators. |
Licensing and patents | Details unknown to the compiler of this document. |
Transparency | Not transparent; proprietary binary format. |
Self-documentation | Not investigated; likely to be proprietary and associated with the authoring application |
External dependencies | None. |
Technical protection considerations | None known to the compilers of this document. |
Moving Image | |
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Normal rendering | Good support |
Clarity (high image resolution) | FLA files feature vector graphics for which high levels of clarity (in some sense) are a given. The conventional video in SWF and FLV files may be compressed in various ways and presumably the same options exist for FLA files (see relationships above). The video quality in these encodings is expected to range from good to very good. |
Functionality beyond normal rendering | None noted. |
Sound | |
Normal rendering | Good support |
Fidelity (high audio resolution) | The SWF specification (and hence the presumed inclusions within FLA files) limits uncompressed audio to 44 kHz sampling and 16 bit words, thus providing very good fidelity. The use of compression will reduce fidelity in accord with the specific encoding and settings selected. |
Multiple channels | Stereo only. |
Support for user-defined sounds, samples, and patches | None. |
Functionality beyond normal rendering | None noted. |
Tag | Value | Note |
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Filename extension | fla |
From The File Extension Source. ActionScript files as external resources carry the as extension.1 The Wikipedia article on SWF (consulted May 23, 2024) includes a list of file types (with extensions) associated with the Flash family. |
Internet Media Type | application/vnd.adobe.fla |
Not documented at IANA but listed in http://justsolve.archiveteam.org/wiki/FLA. |
Magic numbers | Hex: D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |
From The File Extension Source |
Pronom PUID | See related format. | No PUID as of May 2024 |
Wikidata Title ID | Q28756039 |
See https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28756039 |
General | The File Extension Source calls FLA files "Flash Movie Authoring Files." |
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History |
1 The Web page http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Macromedia_Flash (consulted November 30, 2006) reports that ".as (or sometimes .actionscript) files contain ActionScript source code in simple source files. FLA files can also contain Actionscript code directly, but separate external .as files often emerge for structural reasons, or to expose the code to versioning applications, and so on." Files with the as extension are simple text files containing ActionScript source code."
2Use as a middle-state format for delivery by producer to publisher is indicated by the following example. The Tribune Entertainment Media Group (consulted November 30, 2006) offers this specification for the submission of advertising: "FLASH files must be received in .FLA format with all font layers located."
3Flash documentation does not state a number for "their" version of Sorenson but describes the codec as a variant of ITU-T (International Telecommunications Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector) recommendation H.263 (MPEG-4_V). In early 2006, one of Sorenson's compression applications to produce content for Flash offered the Sorenson_3 codec, described by experts as a variant of ITU-T H.264 (MPEG-4_AVC). By late 2006, Sorenson offered new compression applications with other outputs.
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