Macromedia Flash MX 2004: The Complete Reference, Second Edition [Paperback]

Brian Underdahl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0072229209 | ISBN-13: 978-0072229202 | Edition: 2

Take advantage of Flash’s increased in functionality and flexibility, and discover even greater creativity and brighter, more effective Web content. Get fascinating, thorough coverage of arguably the most exciting Web authoring tool ever created. Enjoy increased coverage of ActionScript, Flash’s native programming language. Gain efficiency in using Flash tools. Animate your productions and publish Flash movies.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Most Comprehensive Resource Available on Flash MX 2004!

Discover the brilliance of Macromedia Flash MX 2004. Whether it's in showcasing graphics or text, animation or movies, or sound or interactivity, this thorough guide will help you master the amazing features of Flash MX 2004. Macromedia Flash MX 2004: The Complete Reference, Second Edition contains six distinct parts and 31 chapters devoted to delivering information on every aspect of this powerful tool. From graphics and animation, to interactivity, to the ActionScript language, learn to use all aspects of Flash MX 2004--and see for yourself why it is among the most successful and popular Web applications.

• Manage the production process by selecting job-appropriate tools, using layers, and grouping objects
• Dissect, edit, and learn from existing movies
• Import and optimize a wide range of bitmap or vector graphic files
• Speed your movie-making by reusing assets through libraries
• Add sound and multimedia to enhance and enliven your Flash presentations
• Master sophisticated interactive techniques like rich interactive buttons and nested movie clips
• Accomplish all your animation goals with tweening, ActionScripting, and other proven techniques
• Learn important development topics, including producing Flash movies for the Pocket PC

Includes trial version of Flash MX 2004, plus four other valuable tools, on CD

About the Author

Brian Underdahl is the best-selling author of more than 60 books on all aspects of computing. His critically acclaimed books have received numerous honors, including an Award of Merit from the Northing California Technical Communications Competition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 721 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 2 edition (October 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072229209
• ISBN-13: 978-0072229202
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,097,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely GREAT reference book - a TX user, November 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX 2004: The Complete Reference, Second Edition (Paperback)

I have quite a collection of Brian Underdahl's books and I have always found his writing style to be easy to understand, accurate, and entertaining. I'm not new to Flash, but this book did a good job of introducing me to the changes in this new version of Flash.

One of the other reviews said this has little coverage of Flash ActionScript, but then I noticed the review is from 2002 and seems to be referencing another book. This one has PLENTY of ActionScript coverage- Chapters 20 to 31 to be exact! And these aren't short chapters!

I always try and write up reviews of books I find useful and this one demands a 5-star review. If you're looking for a book that covers Flash in-depth and will get you quickly up to speed (and not just making simple little animations) I can't recommend this book enough.

I am a technology consultant in Houston, TX and I have about 30 books in my collection on Flash alone. Only about 10 are used frequently and this is one of them.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring and makes you feel like you read but didn't learn, October 25, 2004

By 

Absense of Form (Hong Kong S.A.R.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX 2004: The Complete Reference, Second Edition (Paperback)

I got my hands on this book and at first I was so excited because this was one of the first Flash MX 2004 books on the shelves so I just bought it immediately. After reading the introduction, I learnt that this book decided to not cover Flash MX 2004 Professional. Oddly, it wasn't a "Complete" reference after all. Nonetheless, I wanted to get my money's worth so I started reading on.

As much as the book seems to take a more text-based approach to explaining every tid bit of Flash, it fails miserably because it just seems like after reading 20 pages, you learnt something that could have been explained to you in merely 5 pages. I felt like I was wasting my time and eventually I just stopped reading the book, went out and looked for other books available.

If you REALLY want to learn Flash mx 2004, I'd suggest getting a book that takes you through tutorials rather than simply tells you what each thing does and runs you buy a tutorial the author does..

Oh and there is simply not enough screenshots or graphics to go along with the text, either they are uselessly detailed images or they simply dont exist.

I really hope I never come across another Flash MX 2004 book like this again. I wasted 384 pages worth of reading to this book and finally just let it go, I couldn't go on because it became so boring, reading it was like a painful job.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Flash MX 2004 Book for both Beginners and Advanced, March 2, 2004

By 

Mary L. Mcdonald (Northern Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX 2004: The Complete Reference, Second Edition (Paperback)

The first thing I liked about this book were the notes and tips in each chapter. Someone could just read the notes and tips and get some pretty good applicable tips on Flash MX. The book begins with the beginner in mind. I found the chapters on sound and video extremely helpful. I too have not read the Actionscript part yet, but know it will help me understand object programming using Actionscript 2.0 better than I do currently! Thanks for a great book!