Customer Reviews

Macromedia Flash MX: A Beginner's Guide

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After looking at a friend's Flash-filled website, I knew I had to learn Flash for myself. This was a great book to get started. First, all the examples actually work. Second, I was able to understand why things worked as I followed along. The author is really good at breaking down complexity into simple, clear examples, then re-combining the examples into something complex that is simple to do and understand. Flash MX is such a versatile tool that I was perplexed learning it from scratch without a book that could unravel the complexity. This one does it in quick, simple steps. As a beginner I thought I was starting out slow, learning to use one tool at a time, but suddenly I was working with layers, timelines, tweens and motion guides making smooth animations flow across the screen, and it all made sense. Actually, I felt the sort of let-down you feel when someone explains a magic trick to you: "Aww, you mean it's that easy?!" Halfway into the book I was animating graphics from my digital camera and recording and using sound effects. I usually have a hard time following "cook book" how-to manuals because I want to know why and how things work, not just what sequence of buttons to push. The author breaks down all the technical pieces into short, sweet paragraphs leading into each exercise, so I knew what was happening technically with each step. There is all the information necessary for publishing Flash animations to the Web and experimenting to find that critical compromise between bandwidth and detail. The book goes easily through tools like the bandwidth profiler and preloaders, to tailor smooth animation at modem speeds. There is lots of detail on using ActionScript to make some very professional looking effects. I found this book useful both because it has all the detail to make every exercise work right the first time - there are few manuals I can say that about! - and because it is really easy to read, with just enough information about the nitty-gritty inner workings of web animation to make learning Flash a comfortable experience. I would recommend this book without question for beginners, and to anyone who uses the basics of Flash and wants to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the tools that are available, that they haven't yet used, because each module stands on its own, so you can skip the familiar parts and pick up where you need to start learning.

After attending a Macromedia presentation on FLASH MX I was eager to get a book to learn more about it. I was familiar with Flash 5, but certainly no expert. I got this book after working with Flash MX for about one week. The first thing I noticed is the book is well written and organized. Each chapter has a project at the end that covers everything you learned in the chapter, or module. However, it looks like a book written for Flash 5 with a few, very few, comments thrown in for MX. There is only one small paragraph about the new Components in MX, a big change from Flash 5. There is nothing even mentioned about Distributing to Layers, another new and great feature of MX.
I like the book and will keep it for a general reference for FLASH. However, I am looking for another book now that is specific to MX. If you are totally new to FLASH, then this is a great book. If you are looking for something with specifics to MX, look some more.

I am trying to learn Flash because I have heard all of the hype. I have built some pretty basic web pages in the past, but I am interested in creating more exciting content. However, when I got the software, I was basically lost. I just couldn't get a handle on all of the concepts. This book has been a great help. Everything is super clear, and the author organized the book in a very logical manner. I am really pleased with this book. Better yet, you can download all of the working files that the author created for the book.

I was recently tasked with creating an online product tour for our company. I have a lot of HTML and CSS experience but I wanted to do something a bit fancier, and after talking to some people I decided to check out Flash. So far "Flash MX Beginners Guide" seems like a great primer to this software, and it should be a good reference book as I continue to work. The author doesn't make a lot of assumptions about me so I'm not always wondering what a term means. Very well written. If you're looking for a good first book on Flash, I recommend this one.

This is an excellent book. I am a new user, but I have wanted to learn about Flash for a long time. With this book, I was up and running in a couple of hours. I understand all of the basic concepts, and I am learning about ActionScript. The author is really clear, no confusing explanations.

I felt like such a latecomer to the "Flash party." Its ubiquitous use on the internet makes it an important technology to understand for web site design, and "A Beginner's Guide" makes it much easier to learn than I'd imagined it would be. The best tutorials give you the right information at the right pace, all neatly organized. This book meets that challenge and brings Flash down to an accessible level. Kudos to an author who got it right.

I had no previous experience with flash, and within 8 hours of purchasing the book I had a professional looking flash design website complete with links, movies, animation, and buttons. Excellent book for the flash beginner.

I was surprised at how easy it was to start understanding and using Flash with this book. It is organized very well, the language is concise and clear, and one can follow all the examples without having to go over the author's instructions again and again as with so many other books of this kind. In that sense, this book is a confidence builder and should be read by all who are starting with Flash.

I knew a few basics from the files that come with flash, and was able to do very few basic things. I read through this book, and I now have a solid background in all the flash basics. I like the layout too. Great book, excellent for beginners.

I got really frustrated with the book. Long chapters with little substance. Very hard to find what you are looking for.Unnecessary repetition is annoying. Definitely not a book for me.