Flash 3! Creative Web Animation [Paperback]

Darrel Plant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1998

Flash! Creating Web Animation is a complete introduction to Flash from one of Macromedia's own training experts, Darrel Plant. It shows even the newest "newbie" how to make streaming animations, rollover buttons, animated logos other moving graphics that load and play instantly. The book covers Flash's drawing tools, animation controls, file format support, and its easy-to-use versions of multimedia features like in-betweening, and "onion-skinning."After readers master these tools, they learn how to make the most of the unique vector drawing tools that allow Flash to generate very compact, screamingly fast-loading files that are scalable to different resolutions. Finally, readers learn the rules for using animation effectively: how to make it useful for the viewer; how to plan Flash integration into a Web site; and how to make animated Web content easy to maintain.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This outstanding guide teaches users of every level how to master this animation and multimedia tool.

You start off with a tour of Flash and its toolset and then import files from (and export to) Macromedia FreeHand, Extreme 3D, Fontographer, Director, and Authorware. Next you learn how to use Flash's vector-based drawing tools to create artwork and modify imported images. Then you enliven your work by creating and transforming overlays and symbols. In creating animations, you work with frames, key frames, onion skinning, and frame-by-frame and tweening techniques.

Plant teaches you how to add complexity and interactivity to your movie by working with layers, scenes, and frame and button actions. He explores the ways in which you can have your Flash movie interact with its Web page and have multiple actions happen with the click of a button. You also learn how to add sounds to buttons and work with streaming audio. In the chapter on delivering movies, you use the Shockwave Flash Export dialog box, learn about compression, create stand-alone projectors, and use Size Reports and the Bandwidth Profiler. Finally, you integrate Flash movies into your site and take a look at sample Flash sites that have been particularly popular.

In the appendices, you learn the basics of configuring a Web server for serving Shockwave Flash movies, handle broken plug-in icons, and work with Aftershock. You also tackle transmission-speed issues, Object and Embed tag references, and JavaScript and VBScript. The guide includes a list of keyboard shortcuts, and the CD-ROM includes practice files and trial versions of Flash and other Macromedia products. --Kathleen Caster

From the Back Cover

Flash! Creating Web Animation is a complete introduction to Flash from one of Macromedia's own training experts, Darrel Plant. It shows even the newest "newbie" how to make streaming animations, rollover buttons, animated logos other moving graphics that load and play instantly. The book covers Flash's drawing tools, animation controls, file format support, and its easy-to-use versions of multimedia features like in-betweening, and "onion-skinning."After readers master these tools, they learn how to make the most of the unique vector drawing tools that allow Flash to generate very compact, screamingly fast-loading files that are scalable to different resolutions. Finally, readers learn the rules for using animation effectively: how to make it useful for the viewer; how to plan Flash integration into a Web site; and how to make animated Web content easy to maintain.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Pr (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201353687
• ISBN-13: 978-0201353686
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,642,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars this book is absolutely great, June 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Flash 3! Creative Web Animation (Paperback)

i think the people trashing this book should get thier heads examined at once...this book acomplishes its task ...IT TEACHES A PERSON WHO DOESNT KNOW FLASH HOW TO BEGIN TO USE IT!!! HELLO?!!?!?!? if you already know how to use flash and you want to learn advanced techniques and tricks then go out and buy that flash FX book..this book is a great reference for anyone who doesnt know flash....i myself am a web designer i work for a top company and this book got me started with the program....im doing my own tricks and effects..without help from a book..the people who hate this book must just be stupid or smoking something some sort of illegal substance NUFF SAID!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Teaching, December 16, 1998

By 

Kevin Frith ([e-mail]) (Nevada, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flash 3! Creative Web Animation (Paperback)

This book does a very good job of teaching you how to program in Flash . . I was impressed with the way it lays down the controls and how it goes about showing you how to manipulate text and graphics. All-in-All a very good book to learn Flash programming from.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent supplement to the Flash 3.0 on-disc lessons., October 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Flash 3! Creative Web Animation (Paperback)

I can only say this book provided much needed information at just the right time for me. I just purchased Flash 3.0, read through the User Guide, visited the Macromedia Web Site, and worked through the Flash 3.0 on-disc lessons. Still, much of Flash's basics seemed obscure to me. Once I opened Darrel Plant's book--and began working through the lessons--the basics started to jell.

The book covers importing vector art from other apps such as Adobe Illustrator. It does a nice job covering the Flash drawing tools (make sure to supplement this with Macromedia's on-disc tour of the drawing tools). Overlays and symbols are explained. Frames and layers are clearly covered and "tweening" examples and exercises help the reader understand Flash's animation capabilities.

The book finishes with chapters about Actions (Flash and the Web, Button Effects, and Complex Actions), Sound, Delivering Movies, and a great set of Appendices covering transmission speed, HTML tag references applicable to Flash, Browser Scripting & Shockwave Flash Movies, Using Aftershock for automatically generating HTML code, etc.

Sure, it may not be on par with Adobe's excellent "Classroom in a Book" series, but how books are? If you're already well versed in Flash, or gleaned all you needed from Macromedia Flash's on-disc lessons, then this book may be a disappointment.

Nevertheless, this book was fun to work through and provided much needed information and guidance for this novice. Thanks, Darrel Plant for writing one of the few "tutorial oriented" books about Macromedia Flash 3.0 that I've been able to find.