Customer Reviews

Foundation Flash 8 Video

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

 

 

I had hoped that this book would bring me up to speed on how to use Flash video in a more sophisticated way than the Flash video components allow. The book fullfilled this hope about 1/2 of the way.

It did show me how to do some basic action script for the control of video in a clear way in the last part of chapter 4. I was frustrated that the authors did not extend the discussion of creating a custom video player past use of a play/pause button -- to, for example, creation of a custom seek bar. Yes, components can be used to provide one, but, as the authors point out "many Flash developers tend to shy away from reliance on components." So how do Flash developers provide bells and wistles beyound simple buttons?

The chapter on action script anf Flash video would have been much more useful if had concertrated on a real-world application instead of the "jordivision" example that is focused on how to control glows and blurs -- sure, these effects might be useful, but if one is seeking a quick way to understand how to impliment action script controls in the context of a more commerical application one might be frustrated with the example, as I was.

What is presented is presented in a clear and easy to follow way, however.

As someone who has been working with video in Flash quite heavily recently at work, I was eagerly anticipating this book to be released. At first I wasn't disappointed as the book has a great intro to video. It goes through a relatively thorough explanation of video and how it works on the net, talking about progressive and streaming downloading, and so on. As the title suggests, this book is a Foundation book so it is not code heavy and is perfect for beginners.

There is a chapter in the book about editing video, which if it is out of the scope of the book or not, is a very handy chapter. Not everyone in the world could afford huge software packages like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere (or After Effects, depends on how you like to do things I suppose). This chapter goes over how to edit video with some of the tools that come shipped with your OS, whether it be iMovie on OSX or Windows Movie Maker on PC.

Getting back to the whole code thing, as an ActionScript developer I sometimes get let down by not seeing a lot of code (although it really depends on how you see things, because not everyone is nerdy like me and would rather not sift through code and just do things a different way). Page 186 clearly warns that this book is about Flash video, not ActionScript programming, but I believe when doing video you HAVE to know how to code around it. I see some video apps on the web today and all they have is the default FLVPlayback component skin on them. That's fine and dandy, but those things are ugly and everyone who knows how they were made just laughs at them.

Chapter 9 and chapter 11 get a bit more code heavy and even into some class programming, but the coding done throughout those chapters is geared more towards applying code to the video that make its stylized, a la blend modes and filters. To me, when I see a book on Flash video, I want to learn the ins and outs of controlling the video and making it do things like play videos in sequence, loading in the background, so on and so forth. I already know how to use blending modes and filters from the other great Friends of ED books (Flash 8 Essentials).

All in all, this really is a beginner book on video and if you're looking for a way to learn to control your videos thoroughly in and out, you won't find it here. If you just want to add some effects to your videos, this is the book for you.

This is a well-written and enjoyable immersion into the nuts and bolts of creating and publishing video on the web using Flash 8. Aimed squarely at those beginning to work with Flash Video, the book is quite thorough for that audience. Most importantly, it covers all the essential principles one needs. From data rates for encoding videos to alpha channel effects to using the BitMapData and other classes, this book will set you up to launch that internet tv channel you've been thinking about.

However, if you're looking for the mind-bendingly master kung-fu video tricks that break existing rules of reality, I'm afraid you'll have to look further. Or write it yourself!

I like the clear organization and simple instructions the writers give. The book serves as a handy reference for those just starting to use video and other related objects in Flash. The code is broken down and explained for the reader and one can use these building blocks in combinations to stunning effect. Especially helpful is the section on playing multiple videos.

The writers make the whole thing fun and light. Hell, we're all playing around figuring out what we can do with these toys. I'd like more heavy, serious passages as well, though. Still, worth the cover preice, though.

Title: Foundation Flash 8 Video
Author: Green & Chilcott
Publisher: Apress/FriendsofEd


Begins with an overview of video file formats with brief descriptions of each. The various steps involved in creating an FLV file are covered using the Video Wizard and the Flash 8 Video Encoder. Ample screenshots with settings selected are provided, as are descriptions of all the menu options, etc. Basic video editing is described using readily available programs like MovieMaker and iMovie. Alternative FLV creation tools such as Sorenson Squeeze and ON2Flix are covered also, with start-to-finish examples provided for both. FLV components as well as the video object are introduced also.

Alpha channels and keying are described with various tutorials using Premiere Pro, After Effects, and FinalCut Pro. Using a single clip, users learn how to remove background from video with these applications. The keying plugins used in the Adobe program tutorials are specific to the Creative Suite Production Bundle. Users of the standalone versions of these programs will be able to achieve the same results using other included plugins.

Filters, blend effects, and masking provide an insight into the creative potential of Flash video. One compositing tutorial I found particularly useful used a single FLV file to demonstrate the different effects possible using drop shadows. Others use Illustrator shapes to create masks, and ActionScript code samples enable the manipulation of mask color as well as creating motion. Other useful topics with their own chapters include creating video walls and choosing and playing multiple videos. Bandwidth issues and their importance are stressed several times here.

Streaming video using the camera object is described in detail, as well as creating a video box and flipping video. The creative possiblities seem endless. If you have a webcam installed, you can see yourself on multiple billboards in Times Square using the Chapter 10 tutorials. The last two chapters get further into ActionScript and motion graphics using After Effects.

The book itself provides a solid introduction to Flash video, and demonstrates the many ways Flash now increasingly interacts with other programs. The tutorials are straight-forward and practical, and keep the reader interested. Like other FriendsofEd books, all the source files are

Foundation Flash 8 Video
by Tom Green and Jordan Chilcott
Publisher: Friends of Ed
Copyright: 2006
ISBN:-13(pkb): 978-1-59059-651-7

If you need some inspiration, this is a good book to read. It starts out basic and gets becomes advanced.

It explains the whole video process from scratch. One part that I liked was the description of buffering. The book explains that the key to successful playback is the data rate and storing enough packets before the video starts.

This author has fun with video. He is always showing you the amazing things you can do with a very small amount of code. He starts with showing you what the components can do and then ramps up with a very simple code sample that is required
to connect a video object to a web server.

Next Tom and Jordan go into Alpha Channels. They show you how to make a video clip with a green screen mask, attach it to a video object and add a drop shadow. Other exciting topics are: trim a video and use it like an ad banner, play video on video, adding cue points to trigger Flash events, and having someone walk across your web page in a browser. You can do amazing things like having a talking head discuss car models and adding a race car in another video zooming by in the background.

Filters are discussed and how they are added to a video embedded in a movie clip. He warns you that adding filters can be processor intensive.

Some of the things you learn are: moving your mouse across a video and creating trail of blur as you go. Also projecting a video onto an underlying image
with a screen blend mode.

Masking videos is discussed. You can create a mask in Illustrator, drag it into Flash and make it a mask layer. In Illustrator you would apply the roughen filter to 0.5 and the chalk scribble brush stroke. This would be placed as another copy above the mask to enable the details of the artwork to show.

Tom and Jordan show you how to fill Times Square with your own videos by removing the ads, and making masks for your own video feeds.

There is quite a lot of information about building a video wall. He explains getting the Flash Media Server 2 for no charge.

One of the crucial things about working with video the authors say is "Watching the pipe". This means always considering how much bandwidth you are using.

This book is not a complete resource on the Flash Media Server 2 or After Effects but, it touches on them just enough to get you interested.

The authors even leave you with a bit of information on video cameras and how to hook them up with just 2 lines of code. I enjoyed the fun approach in this book and its simplification of a complex topic.

As it's name implies, Foundation Flash 8 Video is geared toward those who are just getting started with Flash Video. It would be ideal for someone who isn't interested in the scripting details of Flash but just wants to figure out how to make video in Flash work.

I was suprised (pleasantly) at the inclusion in Chapter 2 of detailed lessons in using Movie Maker and iMovie to edit and output video. There is also some discussion of more advanced video editing packages. The attention to the details outside of Flash is helpful, particularly for beginners.

As a seasoned Flash developer who only recently started to use it for Video, there was still a lot here to sink my teeth into. As the book progresses, it focuses more on technique and what Flash is capable of doing with video. It includes lessons on using transparency (Alpha Channels), masks, and an intriguing chapter on Video Walls. For those new to video in Flash, this is where the value lies.

Other chapters focus more on Flash itself, including Actionscript, and ways to leverage that when using video. For those already familiar with Flash, its structure and capabilities, there is much here that is already known. I would have liked more information on customizing the Flash video components.

One complaint I have is the lack of a CD containing the example videos. Instead, users are expected to download the files from the book's Web site. This seems particularly ironic given the emphasis early in the book on bandwidth and data rates. For the price of this book, I would expect a CD with this content on it.

I offer kudos to the authors for crafting a well-written, approachable book. Some Flash books can get very intimidating very quickly, and the authors avoided that. I recommend this book to those who are newer to Flash and video.

I bought this book being a big fan of the Friends of Ed series and expecting that an entire book on just Flash Video would cover all I need to know and then some. Wow, was I wrong. There is hardly anything to be learned here.

I'd be willing to bet you'll learn a lot more from a video chapter in a general Flash book like Flash Bible than you will from this.

As an example, one thing I wanted to do is display a video's current and remaining time (like YouTube does). None of the current FLV skins support this, only the Media Player component which you can't customize. This is not covered anywhere in the book. Maybe its just me but I think that is a HUGE omission. The chapter on customizing your skins is short and elementary...nothing new to learn. And that was the main reason I bought the book. I emailed the author about the time thing, and got back a link of an FLV showing only the current seconds in decimal form. Much like the book, no effort was put into this.

Luckily in an online forum someone was good enough to post their code on how to link up text boxes with the current and total playing time of an FLV, in conventional time format. Honestly I learned more from those 3 small blocks of code than I did from this entire book.

Steer clear and save your money for an ActionScript book. You won't learn anything from this book.

Highly recommended this book informs you about key points in Flash Video from Date Rate to frame rate it also shows some of the more sought after function. It will help anyone new to Flash video get up to speed then move on the the next book Poetry in motion for more advanced techniques

I enjoyed "jumping" right into learning how to create a FLV file using both the Video Wizard and the Flash 8 Video Encoder. Then I learned how to use the FLV Playback component in Flash Professional 8 to play the FLV file, and finally publish the movie on a website. The book teaches you how to edit video for Flash using various video editing programs. It explains how you can make your SWF file smaller by connecting and playing a video through a video object and then stream it using Actionscript.

The Flash 8 Video book also walks you through creating an alpha channel video in Adobe Premiere, export it to Quick time file and import it into Flash 8 Professional. There you can trim the video to fit a web page, set cue points triggering other videos and create video on video effects. It walks you through creating filters and masks to creating video walls and choosing and playing multiple movies. All in the name of good clean fun!

This book does cover some more advanced topics like using Actionscript to manipulate a video in a movie clip to apply filters and manipulate colors and using After Effects to apply 3D animations. It provides a good foundation for any beginner learning Flash 8 Professional. It also touches upon using other products like Movie Maker, Premiere, Illustrator and After Effects to manipulate your videos even more.

First, I love the glossy colored pages and I hope other technical books follow this trend.

Second, this book is a great introduction to producing videos for Flash. It walks you through getting videos web-ready (encoding, compressing, etc.) It also discusses the best new web video features available in Flash 8: Alpha channels (there are so many possibilities for this in the future) and all the blending modes. Flash 8 as made so many things possible for web video that were only dreamed of before. This is a well-written, easy-to-follow book that walks you step by step through tutorials that will get you going with video quickly.

Lastly, if you are experienced with Flash video or you're willing to experiment with it yourself you could still pick up this book just to get ideas of what is possible with Flash 8 these days. There are even good ideas for combining Flash 8 with After Effects to produce some great text effects.

The bottom line is if you're new to Flash 8 video, you need this book. If you're experienced, only expect a few "hey, that's a cool idea" moments.