Customer Reviews

Flash CS3: The Missing Manual

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

More than most other creative programs, Flash requires learning a vast amount of information in order to use. As a beginning- and intermediate-level instructor of Flash, I am constantly searching for new ways of organizing and presenting this information that are quick, simple, and effective. Flash CS3: The Missing Manual is written for beginners, especially creative beginners, and approaches the learning of Flash differently from other books I have seen by organizing its Parts and Chapters more by overlying concepts, rather than the specific technologies and techniques used in the program. The authors realize -- correctly, I think -- that people learning Flash tend to want to accomplish something with it, and instead of organizing this book around concepts like Motion/Shape Tweening or MovieClips, which mean little or nothing to a beginner, they have given us chapters like "Animating Your Drawings" and "Interacting with Your Audience."

Besides its intelligent organization, Flash CS3: TMM contains all of the features I expect of a good-quality educational book: clear and concise language, screenshots (both Mac and Windows), tips and tricks, workarounds to common problems, and example source files (accessible from a Web site, rather than an enclosed CD-ROM). Perhaps the biggest strength of this book is the discussion of the "intangibles" behind any successful Flash project: planning, storyboarding, research, and critical thinking. The authors periodically take a step back from the hands-on, computer-program-using tutorials to ask us to stop and think about what we are trying to accomplish with our animation (or whatever we are working on). While not directly related to the learning of Flash, these insights are crucial to learning how to create quality Flash projects.

In terms of learning how to create quality Flash, the book could be greatly improved by not urging of the use of Scenes and teaching the placement of ActionScript code directly on objects (Buttons and MovieClips). Both practices have been discouraged for years by the Flash Industry and run contrary to the official Adobe Flash Best Practices ([...]). These methods may be the quickest and easiest ways to get things done in the short run, but ultimately set people up for confusion and trouble later on as they progress in learning Flash. Better to take the time teaching the "proper" methods from the outset.

If you adhere to Adobe Flash Best Practices, you should be able to benefit from reading Flash CS3: The Missing Manual. Most of all, its unique organization of information and its discussion of the conceptual and planning foundation required before starting any Flash project. Its "Menu by Menu" appendix alone -- which defines each and every menu item in Flash and reveals their Mac and Windows keyboard shortcuts -- is priceless to any beginning or intermediate Flash user.

Generally you can count on "The Missing Manual" to provide what you need to learn a software package quickly. In this case, however, I didn't get anything I needed, and a lot I didn't need.

I already own FlashCS3 Professional Advanced, the Visual Quickpro Guide, and am very happy with it. As a reference book, it's well-organized and thorough, aimed as much at the Interactive Designer as the Animator. But what it lacks are tutorials that can get me up to speed quickly on new features and shifting paradigms, in an application that has changed radically since moving from Macromedia to Adobe.

Having been very happy with the great tutorials in the Dreamweaver CS3 Missing Manual, I went ahead and purchased the Flash volume.

I should have looked more closely before I bought, instead of relying on my experience of The Missing Manual series. There is not a single tutorial in this book! It is far less thorough and sophisticated than the Dreamweaver volume, with most of the pages being devoted to very basic step-by-steps, mostly on drawing and animating tools. Less than 100 pages on adding interactivity, and not even a single chapter devoted to learning and using Action Script. Finally, there are 60-some pages on testing, debugging and publishing, which might be of limited value to me.

If you're looking for a book that will quickly get you up to pro speed on a pro application, I'd say that -- unlike the Dreamweaver CS3 Missing Manual -- this ain't it.

Flash CS3: The Missing Manual

I just got this book and in less than 24 hours Im using Flash in a beginners level, its easy to follow and the learning curve is really good. I firmly believe that when Im done with this book ill be doing mere complex stuff for animations and web.

I bought this book because I liked Dreamweaver CS3 the Missing Manual and thought this would be similar in terms of the way the topic was thoughtfully covered.

The first section on learning the application with regards to drawing and animation were fine. Organizing the storyboard, utilizing the various tools etc. were good and I was able to essentially create what I needed.

Now comes the real problem with this book. CS3 incorporates actionscript 3 as well as 1 and 2. Actionscript 1.0 and 2.0 are going to be around for awhile but as the world turns and so do they days of our lives - actionscript 3.0 is going to gain traction since there are things you can't do in the earlier versions and 3 is going to be more compatible with newer apps like Flex. We'll be moving toward version 3 more and more.
Chapter 9 deals with interactivity and scripting. Unfortunately they don't remind you that you should have openned your document as a actionscript 1.0-2.0 document and all of the scripting that's being done after chapter 9 is in 2.0 only.
The very beginning of the book does have you open a new doc as actionscript 2, but they don't mention that they'll be scripting ONLY in that version later on. If you skip around, you'll miss that point entirely and waste a lot of time following directions that won't function.

If you're going to use Flash CS3 and take advantage of all of its features, you'll have to script in 3.0 anyways. At least it makes more sense to head in that direction. This book seems to have had a good start, but almost seemed rushed to complete based on the authors choice to omit the basics of actionscript 3.

A better book is "Flash CS3 Professional Visual Quickstart Guide". All scripting is done in Actionscript 3.0 and they tell you so much as I mentioned that, that version is going to become standard and 1 and 2 will eventually be out.

If you need more information on actionscript you'll need another book. If you want to create buttons in Flash you'll have to use actionscript so you'll need another book which there are a lot of.

The best one that bridges the gap for a beginner is "Learning Actionscript 3.0" Blue cover - Shupe, Rosser.
Great book and I use it exclusively along with the Visual Quickstart Flash CS3 book to clear the confussion.

Flash CS3 contains upgraded capabilities for integrating animations into other Adobe products. Flash CS3 also incorporates ActionScript 3.0 and the new XML engine into the popular authoring tool. This book shows you how to work with Flash CS3 by using small groups of instructions for each task at hand. The book begins getting you started launching Flash, creating your own drawings, and transforming them into moving animations. Part two of the book gets you involved in the detailed skills required to get your frames and layers in place. Once you learn how to reorganize your animation by rearranging frames on the Timeline, you learn how to manipulate color and add special effects, and finally how to incorporate non-Flash files of all kinds into your animation. Part three is a crash course on interactivity including a short section on ActionScript that is just enough to get you started. Part four is on testing strategies and delivery methods for your animation.

Each chapter usually involves plenty of screen shots of the application with step-by-step instructions on how to get to the various menus and screens. Among the instructions there are useful tips on shortcuts, and other boxes that include questions you might have and answers to those questions. The book manages to be pretty comprehensive on the subject of Flash CS3 without being confusing or getting bogged down in details. The notes and and asides are kept in separate color boxes to keep them apart from the actual "lesson" the chapter is trying to teach. Overall I found the book quite helpful. The following is the detailed table of contents:

Introduction
Part One: Creating a Flash Animation
Chapter 1. Getting Around Flash
Starting Flash
A Tour of the Flash Desktop
Toolbars
Panels
The Timeline
The Flash CS3 Test Drive
Opening a Flash File

Chapter 2. Creating Simple Drawings
Planning Pays Off
Preparing to Draw
Creating Original Artwork
Copying and Pasting Drawn Objects
Adding Color

Chapter 3. Animating Your Drawings
Frame-by-Frame Animation
Adding Layers to Your Animation
Animating Automatically (Tweening)

Part Two: Advanced Drawing and Animation
Chapter 4. Organizing Frames and Layers
Working with Frames
Adding Content to Multiple Layers
Viewing Layers
Working with Layers
Organizing Layers

Chapter 5. Advanced Drawing and Coloring
Selecting Graphic Elements
Manipulating Graphic Elements
Adding Text to Your Drawing
Advanced Color and Fills
Creating Custom Colors
Saving Color Swatches
Importing a Custom Color Palette
Copying Color with the Eyedropper

Chapter 6. Adding Special Effects
Built-in Timeline Effects
Spotlight Effect Using Mask Layers

Chapter 7. Reusable Flash: Symbols and Templates
Symbols and Instances
Templates

Chapter 8. Incorporating Non-Flash Media Files
Incorporating Graphics
Incorporating Sound
Incorporating Video

Part Three: Adding Interactivity
Chapter 9. Automating Flash with ActionScript
How ActionScript Works
Adding an Action
Adding a Prebuilt Behavior

Chapter 10. Controlling Animation
Slowing Down (or Speeding Up) Animation
Organizing an Animation
Looping a Series of Frames
Reversing a Series of Frames

Chapter 11. Interacting with Your Audience
Dynamic Text
Input Text
Tying Actions to Events

Chapter 12. Components for Interactivity
The Built-in Components
Adding Components
Customizing Components
Finding Additional Components

Part Four: Delivering Your Animation to Its Audience
Chapter 13. Testing and Debugging
Testing Strategies
Testing on the Stage
Testing in Flash Player
Testing Inside a Web Page
Testing Download Time
The Art of Debugging

Chapter 14. Publishing and Exporting
Optimizing Flash Documents
Publishing Your Animations
Exporting Flash to Other Formats

Part Five: Appendixes
Appendix A. Installation and Help
Appendix B. Flash CS3, Menu by Menu

"As expected from the missing manual series, Flash CS 3 : The Missing manual is great reference for anyone interested in learn Adobe flash cs3, the book contains 14 chapters as followings :

Introduction
Part One: Creating a Flash Animation
Chapter 1. Getting Around Flash
Starting Flash
A Tour of the Flash Desktop
Toolbars
Panels
The Timeline
The Flash CS3 Test Drive
Opening a Flash File

Chapter 2. Creating Simple Drawings
Planning Pays Off
Preparing to Draw
Creating Original Artwork
Copying and Pasting Drawn Objects
Adding Color

Chapter 3. Animating Your Drawings
Frame-by-Frame Animation
Adding Layers to Your Animation
Animating Automatically (Tweening)

Part Two: Advanced Drawing and Animation
Chapter 4. Organizing Frames and Layers
Working with Frames
Adding Content to Multiple Layers
Viewing Layers
Working with Layers
Organizing Layers

Chapter 5. Advanced Drawing and Coloring
Selecting Graphic Elements
Manipulating Graphic Elements
Adding Text to Your Drawing
Advanced Color and Fills
Creating Custom Colors
Saving Color Swatches
Importing a Custom Color Palette
Copying Color with the Eyedropper

Chapter 6. Adding Special Effects
Built-in Timeline Effects
Spotlight Effect Using Mask Layers

Chapter 7. Reusable Flash: Symbols and Templates
Symbols and Instances
Templates

Chapter 8. Incorporating Non-Flash Media Files
Incorporating Graphics
Incorporating Sound
Incorporating Video

Part Three: Adding Interactivity
Chapter 9. Automating Flash with ActionScript
How ActionScript Works
Adding an Action
Adding a Prebuilt Behavior

Chapter 10. Controlling Animation
Slowing Down (or Speeding Up) Animation
Organizing an Animation
Looping a Series of Frames
Reversing a Series of Frames

Chapter 11. Interacting with Your Audience
Dynamic Text
Input Text
Tying Actions to Events

Chapter 12. Components for Interactivity
The Built-in Components
Adding Components
Customizing Components
Finding Additional Components

Part Four: Delivering Your Animation to Its Audience
Chapter 13. Testing and Debugging
Testing Strategies
Testing on the Stage
Testing in Flash Player
Testing Inside a Web Page
Testing Download Time
The Art of Debugging

Chapter 14. Publishing and Exporting
Optimizing Flash Documents
Publishing Your Animations
Exporting Flash to Other Formats

Part Five: Appendixes
Appendix A. Installation and Help
Appendix B. Flash CS3, Menu by Menu

What i like it about the this book is containing a lot of tips and trick and answers on common questions and so many figures explain to the reader the instruction step by step . and also the book cover a basic and traditional subject related to ActionScript 2.0 . Recommended for beginners . "

Let's face it - no single book is going to tell you everything you might ever need to know about Flash but I'd say this is pretty much a perfect first book for anybody trying to get to grips with this software package.

It's written in a very clear, accessible style - not at all the dry-as-dust style that blights so many of these technical books - but it's surprisingly comprehensive.

I only started using Flash within the last month but this book got me off to a flying start.

If you want to get into the inner workings of ActionScript 3.0 then you'll need a separate book for that. For everything else, this is the place to start.

Highly recommended.

The biggest upgrade in CS3 is the incorporation of Actionscript 3. It is beyond me why this book focus so heavily on Actionscript 2.

This is a good guide for beginning to learn Flash, but beginners should also learn to use the latest most flexible tools available. There's basic material on the timeline, drawing, creating symbols etc. These are all things Flash developers need to know.

There's not a lot of advanced stuff here. A tiny bit on video and audio and nothing on using XML with flash. Again, a good beginner's book as long as that beginner isn't going to be doing too much Actionscript programming.

Flash is getting more complex with every new version, both for better and worse. The extra capability is amazing, but the learning curve continues to increase. Fortunately with good instruction you can use Flash at various levels, from beginning designer to complex programmer.

This Missing Manual is very well put together with detailed lessons complimented with well put commentary as to the applicability of the principles being taught. Each lesson guides you through creative steps to help cement the features and capabilities. Though not a full color publication, the abundant screen shots and figures are usefully inserted rather than simply as filler.

Though not a reference publication, this missing manual is well organized such that you can jump in on areas that you find interesting or need help with; reading from start to finish is not required. The book is obviously written with the beginner in mind but can be useful for an intermediate like me that hasn't taken the time to learn the differences in the new version.

This book provides a concise introduction to Flash's user interface and basic features, but it barely touches on any of the advanced features or programming that are essential to creating in Flash. In order to even briefly cover all of Flash, the book would need to be twice as long.

This book is useful only for beginners with no Flash experience. If you already understand the basic features and know your way around the interface, it will be of no use to you at all.