You have a Flash movie, the original source file is gone, and now a client wants one line of text changed. Without the FLA you are stuck. SWF to FLA Converter from Eltima Software (the vendor's product page calls it Flash Decompiler) is built for exactly that situation.
Quick facts
- Vendor: Eltima Software
- Platform: Windows
- License: Shareware (try before you buy)
- Output: FLA files, Flex projects, and individual exported resources
Key features
Turn a finished SWF back into an editable FLA
Pick a SWF, choose your settings in the export dialog or keep the defaults, and the program writes an FLA you can open in Flash. The conversion settings cover motion tweens, the library, the FLA format and ActionScript options.
Pull out just the sounds, images, video or text you need
You can export single resources instead of the whole movie. Sounds save as WAV or MP3, images as PNG, JPEG or BMP, video as FLV, and text as RTF, TXT or HTML.
Restore Flex projects from SWF files built in Flex
If the SWF came out of Flex, you can convert it back into a Flex project rather than an FLA.
Edit colors, images and lines without converting first
The SWF Replacer lets you swap images, colors, gradients and lines directly in the SWF, so small fixes don't need a full conversion.
Work through many files and inspect them closely
You can add several files or whole folders to the Tasks list and convert them in a batch. A multi-window interface lets you compare several SWFs side by side. A global ActionScript search covers all tasks at once. A Dump View shows the tag structure of a file, and LZMA-compressed SWF files are supported.
Who it's for
It suits Flash designers and web programmers who have lost source files. It also suits anyone who wants to see how an existing Flash animation was put together, and anyone who needs to pull assets out of old SWFs.
Pros and cons
- Pro: converts to FLA or Flex and also exports individual resources.
- Pro: batch conversion of files and folders.
- Pro: a digitally signed installer.
- Con: it's a paid shareware product, so the trial is limited.
- Con: it runs on Windows only.
- Con: decompiling only helps with files you have the right to modify.
FAQs
Can it convert more than one SWF at a time?
Yes. You can add multiple files or folders to the Tasks list and convert them together.
Can I extract only the audio or images?
Yes. Sounds export as WAV or MP3 and images as PNG, JPEG or BMP.
Does it work with Flex-built SWF files?
Yes. These can be converted back into Flex projects.
Do I need Flash installed to make edits?
No. Simple changes to images, colors, gradients and lines can be made in the SWF directly with the Replacer feature.
System requirements
Windows. The listing mentions a Pentium II class processor at 200 MHz or faster, 64 MB of RAM, and a few MB of free disk space.