Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Beyond the Basics Hands-On Training [Paperback]

Shane Rebenschied (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321228537 | ISBN-13: 978-0321228536 | Publication Date: May 2, 2004

You're not a still-wet-behind-the-ears Flash developer, but you're no pure-ActionScript wizard either: At last there's a book that addresses your needs as a budding Flash master. If you've mastered Flash basics and have a good understanding of animation, symbols, and basic ActionScript, this project-based tutorial from the folks at Lynda.com Training is the answer to your prayers. As you follow along with the book's exercises and the CD's QuickTime tutorials, you'll build an entire Web site in Flash--in the process exploring all of the intermediate-level Flash techniques that you've been dying to get your hands on. You'll learn how to dynamically load text and images, create scrollable text, build a preloader, add music and video, build a dynamic slide show, produce a feedback form, create a Flash plug-in detector, and more. Also covered are a slew of workflow enhancements, ActionScript 2.0--the improved ActionScript language introduced in Flash MX 2004--and more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

You're not a still-wet-behind-the-ears Flash developer, but you're no pure-ActionScript wizard either: At last there's a book that addresses your needs as a budding Flash master. If you've mastered Flash basics and have a good understanding of animation, symbols, and basic ActionScript, this project-based tutorial from the folks at Lynda.com Training is the answer to your prayers. As you follow along with the book's exercises and the CD's QuickTime tutorials, you'll build an entire Web site in Flash--in the process exploring all of the intermediate-level Flash techniques that you've been dying to get your hands on. You'll learn how to dynamically load text and images, create scrollable text, build a preloader, add music and video, build a dynamic slide show, produce a feedback form, create a Flash plug-in detector, and more. Also covered are a slew of workflow enhancements, ActionScript 2.0--the improved ActionScript language introduced in Flash MX 2004--and more.

About the Author

Shane Rebenschied graduated from the Art Center College of Design in 1998 with an emphasis on traditional and digital media. Since then his work has appeared in the Society of Illustrators Los Angeles and New York annuals, as well as numerous national and international publications and advertising campaigns. He is a fan of old paper and stains, and he can often be found staring at pieces of corroded, rusted metal. Shane is a professional freelance illustrator, Macromedia Flash designer/developer/consultant, and author living somewhere in the Arizona desert. Shane is currently the "Photoshop Guide" at InformIT.com and is also the author of Photoshop Elements 2 Hands-On Training. He maintains an online illustration portfolio at http://www.blot.com and is a partner in the interactive design firm Cloudforge (http://www.cloudforge.com).

Past clients include BBC, Maxim Magazine, Scholastic, D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Tor, Harper Collins, Harlequin, Hodder Headline Plc, Summertime Publishing, Harcourt Brace, Ziff Davis, Hanley-Wood LLC, Spirit IC, Backpacker Magazine, X-Files Magazine, McGraw-Hill, Vanderbilt University, Flashforward, Phoenix New Times, Miami New Times, San Francisco Weekly, and Cleveland Scene.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (May 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321228537
• ISBN-13: 978-0321228536
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #969,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book put it all together, August 15, 2004

By 

John Rappold (Charleston, WV United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Beyond the Basics Hands-On Training (Paperback)

After slogging my way through too many Flash books that start from scratch, and then trying to learn Actionscript by reading Macromedia's limp documentation, I had just about given up getting to the next level of Flash. Being the only "webguy" in our organization with lots of PHP to code doesn't leave me a lot of time to try and learn Flash.

This book put it all together. No lengthy tutorials on using the pen tool and designing pretty graphics, this book gets you right off to actually putting Flash to work on the web. I particularly appreciated the opening chapters on arganization of .swf files and the hierarchy used by the author. Actionscript is introduced gradually through the book and everything works as it should.

With this book you don't need to complete every tool that is offered. I skipped the MP3 player and Video, although I plan to go back to the video later. I was easily able to incoporate some small Flash apps I had written into the main parts of the Flash site. Most books don't give you options of using anything other than what the tutorials give you, making it hard to incorporate your own stuff.

I got through the bulk of what I needed to create a good Flash site in 4 days. However, I'll be going back and re-reading just about everything to reinforce for future projects.

One very small quibble. Although I like the author's writing style, I found the use of "smilies" in the book to be unprofessional. Leave that stuff to the internet. :)

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take Flash 2004 to the Next Level!, May 4, 2004

By 

Raymond Brigleb (Portland, OR, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Beyond the Basics Hands-On Training (Paperback)

Let me just say that this book is fabulous. This is something the Flash community has needed more than it realizes! I've read a handful of books that get you started, and a handful of books that cover the most esoteric ActionScript programming possible... but there has simply not yet existed a book that covers the middle ground.

For someone who knows the basics, even of an older version of Flash, this is the book you want. You learn how to make a complete, real, functional, PRO website using Flash, and you learn all of the must-know techniques that took me forever to figure out! Plus, the author teaches you the best practices for programming correctly in ActionScript 2.0, making this one of the few books to do so.

All in all, I would recommend this book to nearly everyone interested in serious website development in Flash. It's a wonderful book.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for intermediate users, September 21, 2004

By 

S. J Mahoney (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Beyond the Basics Hands-On Training (Paperback)

After completing Yeungs intro to flash book, I thought the title of this one would fit me perfectly. I was not dissappointed.

Having conquered the basics of flash, the next logical step is actionscript. Shane picks up nicely where Roseanna left off by introducing you to coding a website using actionscript. I found myself constantly nodding and saying "Now I could do the same thing by creating multiple movies but using actionscript makes it so much easier and decreases the file size significantly". He doesn't assume any prior knowledge of actionscript, and brilliantly walks you through the basics of each and every object he uses (even when the command is similiar to ones you have already used).

I don't understand how the previous guy had problems understanding the author. I am by no means brilliant when it comes to flash and I found myself skipping over a lot of his explanations because they were too detailed. And the exercises are flawless. I did have some problems working some of them out, but when I retraced my steps I found that it was my error and not Shane's (such as embedding fonts-- I followed the MAC directions when I had a PC). Another thing that guy said is that he doesn't use the LoadMovie command. I don't know how he missed the REASON why he doesn't use that command (it is now or will soon be deprecated). He clearly says this in the book and introduces you to a nice alternative (MovieClipLoader class -- Not the myMC which was just the object that was instantiated from this class). My advice to that guy is Yah Roseanna's book was great, but it's time to move on man. That was an introductory book and I know it's hard to learn new things after you have been taught one way, but this author will not lead you astray.

My only complaint is the material is dry. I mean ActionScripting just isn't as fun as tweening movies and making pretty animations but that is something that is unavoidable. Shane's writing style is refreshing and does a great deal to ease this boredom.