Convert APNG to SWF Online
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Supports: APNG, PNG
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Need help?APNG to SWF Converter
This tool packs the frames of an animated PNG (APNG) into a legacy Adobe SWF (ShockWave Flash) movie. Be aware before you start: SWF is a dead delivery format. Adobe ended Flash Player on December 31, 2020, and Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari all removed the Flash plugin — no modern browser plays an SWF anymore. This conversion exists for narrow cases: feeding an old Flash-based authoring tool, a kiosk or game engine that still ingests SWF, or archiving into a Ruffle-emulated collection. If you just want your animation to play for normal viewers, convert to MP4 instead — see APNG to MP4.
APNG (Input) at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Animated Portable Network Graphics |
| Specification | APNG, an extension to PNG (W3C/ISO 15948); maintained as a community spec |
| Released | 2004 (Mozilla); widely supported in browsers from ~2017 |
| Compression | Lossless (DEFLATE), per frame |
| Color / alpha | Up to 24-bit color plus a full 8-bit alpha channel (true transparency) |
| Native browser support | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera (all current versions) |
| Best for | Short looping animations needing crisp edges and real transparency |
SWF (Output) at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | ShockWave Flash (later backronymed "Small Web Format") |
| Origin | FutureWave (1996), then Macromedia Flash 1.0, then Adobe (acquired Macromedia 2005) |
| Player status | Adobe Flash Player reached end of life December 31, 2020; no major browser runs it |
| How to play it today | Standalone player or the open-source Ruffle WebAssembly emulator |
| Transparency | Per-frame alpha is flattened onto a single solid Background Color during this conversion |
| Audio | SWF can carry audio; APNG has none, so the output is silent |
| Best for (now) | Legacy tooling, archival, and emulator-based playback — not web or app delivery |
How to Convert APNG to SWF
- Upload Your APNG File: Drag and drop your animated PNG onto the page or click "Upload." You can add several APNGs at once.
- Set Merge Strategy and Background Color: Pick "Merge images" to combine multiple uploads into one SWF, or "Video per image" for separate files. Because SWF flattens transparency, choose a Background Color that matches where the animation was transparent.
- Choose Video Resolution and Quality Preset: Keep the original size or pick a fixed resolution, then set the Quality Preset (Very High is the default). Image Duration controls how long each non-animated frame shows.
- Convert and Download: Click "Convert." Files upload over an encrypted connection, are processed on our servers, and are deleted automatically after a few hours. No sign-up, no watermark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will an SWF from this tool play in my browser?
No. Every major browser removed the Flash plugin after Adobe's December 31, 2020 end-of-life, so an SWF will not play in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. To view the output you need a standalone Flash projector or the Ruffle emulator. If you want browser-playable output, convert the APNG to MP4 or WebM instead.
Why is the transparency gone in my SWF?
APNG carries a full 8-bit alpha channel, but this conversion rasterizes each frame onto one opaque stage. Wherever your APNG was transparent, the SWF shows the Background Color you selected in step 2. Pick a color that blends with the surface you'll place the file on; there is no way to keep true per-pixel transparency in this output.
Is APNG to SWF worth doing in 2026, or should I use MP4?
For almost everyone, MP4. SWF is a discontinued delivery format with no native player left, so it only makes sense if a specific legacy tool, game engine, or archive pipeline still requires SWF input. For sharing, embedding, or saving an animation that should just play, APNG to MP4 produces a small file that works everywhere.
Does the SWF keep my animation's frame timing?
For an animated APNG, the converter follows the frame sequence. The Image Duration control only applies to still images that are not already animated — it sets how long each such frame is held. In our testing, a 30-frame looping APNG retained its frame order in the SWF, though exact per-frame delays can differ slightly because SWF timing is driven by a single movie frame rate rather than APNG's per-frame delay values.
Can I get the audio or interactivity SWF is known for?
No. SWF can contain sound and ActionScript interactivity, but an APNG is a silent image sequence with no script, so the resulting SWF is a plain animation with no audio and no interactivity. There is nothing in the source file for the converter to carry over.
What's a better archival format than SWF for an animation?
For long-term archiving of a short animation, keep the original APNG (it's lossless) or export a lossless MP4/MKV. SWF depends on an emulator like Ruffle to be viewable at all, so it's a fragile archival target. Convert to SWF only when a downstream system specifically demands it; otherwise APNG to GIF or APNG to MP4 are far safer.
Are my uploaded files private?
Yes. Your APNG is sent to our servers over an encrypted (TLS) connection, converted, and then deleted automatically after a few hours. Files are never shared, made public, or used for anything other than your conversion, and there is no sign-up or watermark.