Macromedia Flash MX: The Complete Reference [Paperback]

Brian Underdahl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 2002 | Series: Complete Reference Series

Flash can create stunning navigation interfaces, technical illustrations, long-form animation and other dazzling effects. This guide gives coverage of Flash X's new features and functionality. The CD includes a trial version of Flash X.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Brian Underdahl’s Complete Reference for Macromedia Flash MX serves as a solid cornerstone for the library of new Flash designers. Covering every aspect of building interactive Flash projects from a beginner’s perspective, this handy tome is an ideal reference guide for the interactive designer starting his Flash journey.

Underdahl wastes little time getting the reader up and animating with Flash MX and things start to really happen in the "Adding Animation" section of his book. He opens with a short description of Flash’s approach to animation, then quickly launches into a short set of tutorials. Before the end, you’ll be moving, rotating, scaling and tweening objects all over the screen. The largest part of this seven-part volume is all about efficiency. Tool-by-tool descriptions fill up the first chapter in this section, but the author falls short here by not including the keyboard shortcuts for each tool when they’re described. His descriptions and examples, though, are clear, and most are matched with screenshots demonstrating the tool at hand.

Graphics and sound are thoroughly covered, especially importing and optimizing sounds, and using them efficiently within a Flash movie. This is critical, since the misuse of sound files can inflate the size of a Flash movie, as well as impact performance. ActionScript, the underlying programming engine that drives Flash interactivity, is presented clearly in a non-programmer manner. Flash is a unique application that bridges the gap between an animation tool and a programming environment, and lucky is the artist who can plant his feet on both shores. The enclosed CD contains project files and art elements for every chapter, as well as demo versions of Canvas 8 and the Windows versions of ToonBoom Studio and Swift 3D. The CD does not, however, have a searchable PDF version of the book with color pictures. This omission is exacerbated by the lack of color pages, making any discussion of color palettes or color schemes (chapter 6) somewhat theoretical.

Complaints aside, this "Complete Reference" for Flash MX serves as a solid reference book, and should be seriously considered for any novice Flash designer looking for an encyclopedic tome on Flash MX. --Mike Caputo

From the Back Cover

The Most Comprehensive Resource Available on Flash!

It's almost impossible to spend any time online and not encounter the brilliance of Macromedia Flash. Whether it's in showcasing graphics or text, animation or movies, sound or interactivity, Flash is among a small handful of elite applications that have fueled the spectacular emergence of the Web. Macromedia Flash MX: The Complete Reference contains seven distinct sections and nearly 30 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--and see for yourself why Flash is among the most successful and popular Web applications.

• Ease the drawing process by selecting job-appropriate tools, using layers, and grouping objects
• Dissect existing movies to learn how they have been constructed
• Import a variety of graphic files--bitmap or vector--then optimize and reduce file size
• Increase the efficiency of movie-making by reusing assets through libraries
• Enhance and enliven your Flash presentations by adding sound
• Master sophisticated interactive techniques like interactive buttons and nested movie clips
• Accomplish all your animation goals with tweening or ActionScripting
• CD-ROM includes trial versions of Swift 3D, Toon Boom Studio, and Canvas 8--plus code samples and .fla files

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Product Details

• Paperback: 808 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill Osborne Media; Bk&CD-Rom edition (March 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072134860
• ISBN-13: 978-0072134872
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,934,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is a stain on the launch of Flash MX, April 11, 2002

By 

Roy Sansom (Detroit MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

Osborn, who published this sad book, should be ashamed of themselves. It's almost as if they're trying to give Flash MX a bad name. Interesting that their 'Complete Reference' series doesn't have a volume on Flash 5. Weird eh? It's almost as if that's what they contracted the author to write in the first place? And then at the last minute they just stuck MX on the cover instead of 5?

I've been a Flash designer for 3 years and was looking forward to the MX release. I ordered this book at the same time as the software and could hardly believe it when I sat down with them. The book seems to be at least 2 years out of date and referring to a different product altogether. It says MX on the cover but simply ignores the new release.

Flash MX is a sophisticated new product and each one of the new features could benefit from some deep, exploratory coverage. This book covers none of them. It's a shallow walk-through of generic Flash functionality that could have been written about Flash 5 or even 4 for that matter. ActionScript, for example, which is the engine at the heart of Flash has been powerfully improved and elaborated in the MX release, and yet it hardly gets a mention at all in over 800 pages.

This book will tell you next to nothing about Flash MX.

Avoid it.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Macromedia Flash MX: The Complete Reference, Tops, April 4, 2002

By 

Macy Tate (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

I am a professional web designer, and I have been using Flash since version 4. In version 5, the program made some great strides, but MX is the bomb. I bought this book because I always need a comprehensive reference for the desk, and I am happy to say that this book fits the bill. It could be bigger, but sometimes, books can be too big, which is also a problem. The author is very thoughtful and organized, and his explanations are crystal.

If I had to make some recommendations, I'd say that the next version should have more high-end information. There needs to be more information on dynamic application design and components. I am a big fan of the bonus chapter on Toon Boom Studio, but the Canvas 8 coverage can go. No serious web designers use Canvas.

Why 5-stars? Well, the author gets an A for effort, a B for thorough coverage, an A for clear explanations, and an A for knowing his stuff.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference on Macromedia Flash MX, March 22, 2002

By 

Robert Petland (Des Moines, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

When I bought this book, I was looking for an excellent reference, which would help me navigate Flash MX. I have been working with the book for a couple of days, and I am confident that I made the right decision. The author's explanations are clear and concise, and he explains everything, paying special attention to the important details. The Part on ActionScript is thorough and includes great information on the new components in Flash MX. In short, if you are interested in a soup-to-nuts book that walks you through the program's features, this is the book for you.