Flash 8: Graphics, Animation & Interactivity [Paperback]

James L. Mohler (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1401871054 | ISBN-13: 978-1401871055 | Publication Date: January 5, 2006 | Edition: 1

Through five releases of Macromedia's industry-standard Web graphics software program, James Mohler has become the indispensable resource for those looking to master the power of Flash. Flash:8 Graphics, Animation & Interactivity delivers Mohler's widely praised hands-on approach to learning for the newest version of Macromedia Flash. Exercises and examples in the book, and the on back-of-the book CD, combined with step-by-step explanations, provide the best of both worlds-not just telling you how flash works, but showing you as well. For those new to flash, there are plenty of exercises designed to quickly get users up to speed quickly. Intermediate and advanced Flash users will find new exercises that demonstrate the latest features of version 8 as well as a valuable series of examples that illustrate some of the more complex elements of the software. The book features chapters on graphic techniques, bitmap graphic integration, typography and text, symbols, libraries, sound, animation, interactive techniques-plus an essential introduction to Flash's internal scripting language, Action Script.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Mohler is a Senior Research Scientist and Associate Professor at Purdue University, where he currently leads a highly talented group of artists and programmers who are building Purdue’s next-generation web presence. He is also serving as the SIGGRAPH 2005 Conference Chair, where he will be responsible for the largest computer graphics and interactive techniques conference in the world. James Mohler is the author or co-author of more than 20 computer books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 575 pages
• Publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning; 1 edition (January 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401871054
• ISBN-13: 978-1401871055
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,498,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for experienced software users trying to pick up Flash, September 23, 2007

By 

Byron Binkley (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Flash 8: Graphics, Animation & Interactivity (Paperback)

After working through many "do something right now" tutorials - I felt like I could butcher my way through simple Flash projects and action script, but wasn't really using the software the way it was designed to be used.

I think this book is an ideal read if you've been through Flash tutorials that show you how to use the program, but don't walk you through an overview from top to bottom, explaining the idiosyncrasies, gotchas and tips along the way. While the lessons are not particularly project oriented (like Classroom in a book style), you get a framework for continued learning.

For a programmer / experienced software user who wants to learn Flash, I would recommend reading this book and finding tutorials online to go in deep on areas relevant to your specific project.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst software book ever, July 12, 2007

By 

Alexis Alexander - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Flash 8: Graphics, Animation & Interactivity (Paperback)

I had the misfortune to buy this book for an online class on VR. We were supposed to work our way through the book chapter by chapter, as we took the class online. Admittedly, the online class did not support the flash part of the instruction in any way.

Having said that, I found this book to be the worst book ever for learning a software. The progression of the lessons was clunky and the files that were included as a support for each lesson were hard to use and sometimes impossible to understand. Instead of giving projects to work on, the book focused on explaining each and every button and menu item. One problem with this was a button or pallett or menu item would be mentioned in the text with no graphic to show where to find it. Often you could get lost in trying to find what the heck was being discussed. In fact, the book was very short on graphics, period, which is bad since the program itself is very visual.

I would never recommned this book to anyone who wants to learn flash.

3.0 out of 5 stars For School, Felt Limited, January 5, 2009

By 

Robert S. Bukowski (603, NH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Flash 8: Graphics, Animation & Interactivity (Paperback)

I went through this book a while ago and no longer follow up on Flash. Regardless the book seem limited to challenges in its own tutorials.

He does do a thorough job explaining everything. I would get it if I didn't know squat about flash or computer graphics.