SlideShowPro & portfolio
Since everyone seems to be blogging about what they got for Christmas, I figured I would show off my new toy. No it's not an Apple product, although I did buy an iPod Nano for my sister this year. My most exciting present was none other than SlideShowPro. I guess I'm just not a big fan of normal presents, because nifty little things like this are what satisfy the geek in me.
I first saw SlideShowPro used for a portfolio in the projects of Lea Alcantara. When I asked my wife if I could burn $20 on a Flash extension, she looked at me like I was crazy. It is my opinion that just like Mint, this is money well spent. One of the benefits of SlideShowPro is that once you purchase it, you can reuse it for as many client sites as you like, without having to buy another license.
Aside from pricing, I love it because it is XML based. This means that when I want to update my portfolio, there's no need to even touch Flash. I just make changes to the XML file with a text editor, and upload it along with my new JPG file. This saves on file size, because you are not embedding images directly into the SWF file, but are pulling them dynamically from a directory.
It can even be used to display your Flickr RSS feed. Essentially, SlideShowPro is to Flash what a good CMS is to website content. It is a container that can be filled with whatever you want, even multiple galleries or photo albums. So, I have put it to good use, redoing my portfolio yet again. Previously, I had limited myself to 25, due to a 5x5 grid, but with SSP I am now sporting 42.
I've made more than that, but sadly some are offline. I also neglected to archive each one during various computer switches and upgrades through the years. Still, I think it will make for a nostalgic walk down memory lane, as they are listed in reverse chronological order. You'll be able to see a sort of progression as my skills have (hopefully) improved throughout the process.