Problem: Flash preloader has delayed visibility or flash preloader is not visible until most of the video is loaded already.

Solution: You have too many things loading on frame 1. The only thing that should be in the first frame should be your preloader. All code and other content should start on frame 2. This guarantees that your preloader loads first.

If your preloader doesn’t appear until well into the load time then you likely have media content that’s set in the linkage tab to export in the first frame (auto selected when you set it to link with action script). This is important as content that is unused in the movie is not included in the final .swf file, but by loading the content on the first frame it screws with your preloader. The work around is to include the content on frame 3, and have your movie begin on frame 5.

This way the preloader loads on frame 1. Checks and rewinds on frame 2. If all frames are loaded then it goes to frame 5 and plays. It never actually plays the media in frame 3 or 4, but by being in the timeline they are loaded and can still be referenced with variables in action script without disrupting the preloader.

Something I learned while I was working on the litchfieldathleticclub.com site.

Happy coding.