Adobe Flash CS3 Professional How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques [Paperback]

Mark Schaeffer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2007 | ISBN-10: 032150898X | ISBN-13: 978-0321508980 | Edition: 1

Flash is the most ubiquitous technology today for creating and deploying dynamic content on the Web. From button rollovers to video animations, Flash not only brings pizzazz to the Web but also makes difficult concepts easier to understand through illustrations, diagrams, and so on. Now that Flash CS3 Professional is part of the Adobe family, users new to the software as well as veteran users unfamiliar with added Adobe feature need quick access to key features and fundamental techniques. Adobe Flash CS3 Professional: 100 Essential Techniques provides users with what they need to know to start working in Flash. Each technique is presented in a self-contained unit of one or two pages so users can dive in and start working right away, unencumbered by lengthy descriptions or technical detail. For example, if readers want to know how to use Flash’s new QuickTime export feature, they can turn directly to that page, quickly grasp the technique, as well as pick up a few tips along the way.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Schaeffer directs the digital media program at Chabot College in Hayward, California, where he teaches courses in Flash, ActionScript, and related topics. Prior to that, he spent 25 years as a writer, designer, and producer of educational and training materials in print, video, and computer-based media. His projects have included interactive demos for Apple and Compaq, web pages for Levi Strauss and Kaiser Permanente, and video animation for educational publishers such as Houghton Mifflin and McGraw-Hill.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Adobe Press; 1 edition (October 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 032150898X
• ISBN-13: 978-0321508980
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #662,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, Quick, Beginner Level Overview, November 28, 2007

By 

L. LePere - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adobe Flash CS3 Professional How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques (Paperback)

At 237 pages to cover 100 techniques this book covers a lot of ground very quickly. Each "technique" or topic is covered in 2 or 3 pages. It aims to present the most useful skills for using Flash as opposed to being a comprehensive guide to the program. Still, It starts at the very beginning of using Flash with the basics of the interface and briefly covers virtually every aspect of the program: drawing tools, symbols and movie clips, using the timeline, masking, filters, importing artwork from other Adobe products, sound, video, basic Actionscript and components, and publishing.

As an intermediate level user of Flash my first impression was that this book doesn't cover much I didn't already know. However, I did learn things even in some of the more basic chapters. Many of the techniques also have sidebars with tips that help to demystify some of Flash's more unintuitive features or improve usability. For example, in an early topic on Setting Movie Properties, the sidebar explains the importance of filling out Title and Document fields to improve search engine indexing.

The introduction says that the book should help readers "understand how Flash `thinks' and how it approaches tasks." With topics covering things like how to choose between using groups and symbols and between graphic symbols and movie clips, troubleshooting broken tweens, differentiating between symbol and movie timelines I would say it does do a good job of introducing the many unique concepts in Flash.

Some of the techniques are presented with instructions along the lines of tutorial exercises, but most are presented as descriptions with explanations to help readers decide between various methods and options.
There is only a bare minimum of information on the use of Actionscript. It will help beginners to add very basic interactivity and it does include topics on the use of components. But this is not a book for developers with programming expertise looking for Actionscript techniques.

I would have found this book very helpful when I was first learning Flash. For intermediate users who are fairly familiar with the design side of Flash it might be worth borrowing from a library or user group to pick up a few tips. It might also be useful to Actionscript programmers who would like to understand the design interface better.

Tucson Adobe Users Group

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Way to Learn Flash!, February 22, 2008

By 

leahjo5 (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adobe Flash CS3 Professional How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques (Paperback)

I have been trying to learn flash for a few months now. I first used another book by Todd Perkins about flash and I found it very confusing. The tutorials and instructions it told me to follow often didn't work like I expected and I was forced to read the book page by page, paragraph by paragraph to gain any sort of understanding. On a whim, I bought THIS book to see if it was helpful at all. And it was so helpful. It gives you the essential information, without giving you information overload. Each lesson is a stand-alone lesson, so you can apply the teachings to your current project or follow along with the book. It is organized in such a manner that it gives you a complete and straight-forward understanding of the program. I was so confused by the program after reading that other book and this book cleared up any misunderstandings I had and made the program seem so much easier and more accessible than I ever thought it could be. I highly recommend it

37 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK for a first book on Flash, April 10, 2008

By 

Kevin Carlson (Everett, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Adobe Flash CS3 Professional How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques (Paperback)

Frankly, I had hoped that a book on "100 Essential Techniques" would be more useful than this. Basically, if you have ANY other book on Flash, then you don't need this one.

Imagine a book on "100 Essential Driving Techniques" that includes separate listings for "Unlocking the car door", "Adjusting the mirror", etc. and you'll get an idea of what this book covers...