Macromedia Flash MX: Training from the Source [Paperback]

Chrissy Rey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201794829 | ISBN-13: 978-0201794823 | Publication Date: June 28, 2002

With the introduction of Flash MX, the folks at Macromedia have transformed a pretty cool designer's tool for Web-based interaction into a full-fledged, professional-level application for developing sophisticated online content. Serious tools, however, typically require some serious instruction-and Flash MX is no exception. Luckily for you, there's Macromedia Flash: Training from the Source.

Using hands-on, project-based tutorials that you can tackle at your own pace, this invaluable reference provides the instruction you need to start designing professional-looking Web sites. Veteran author and Flash master Chrissy Rey takes you step-by-step through the development of a complex Flash project, grounding you in the basics before moving on to more complex topics like ActionScripting and the use of video. In the process, she covers both the old and the new, including the revamped user interface, the text and graphic tools that make their debut in MX, and the brand-new Properties inspector. With Flash MX on your computer and Macromedia Flash: Training from the Source at your side, you're ready to take on the world of interactive online content.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

With the introduction of Flash MX, the folks at Macromedia have transformed a pretty cool designer's tool for Web-based interaction into a full-fledged, professional-level application for developing sophisticated online content. Serious tools, however, typically require some serious instruction-and Flash MX is no exception. Luckily for you, there's Macromedia Flash: Training from the Source.

Using hands-on, project-based tutorials that you can tackle at your own pace, this invaluable reference provides the instruction you need to start designing professional-looking Web sites. Veteran author and Flash master Chrissy Rey takes you step-by-step through the development ofa complex Flash project, grounding you in the basics before moving on to more complex topics like ActionScripting and the use of video. In the process, she covers both the old and the new, including the revamped user interface, the text and graphic tools that make their debut in MX, and the brand-new Properties inspector. With Flash MX on your computer and Macromedia Flash: Training from the Source at your side, you're ready to take on the world of interactive online content.

About the Author

Chrissy Rey is the founder and Webmaster of FlashLite (www.flashlite.net). She is Vice President of Education at digitalorganism (www.digitalorganism.com) in Baltimore, MD, where she teaches and uses Flash, Generator and Dreamweaver. Chrissy has also been a contributing author and technical editor for several books about Flash including the previous edition of this book, Macromedia Flash 5: Training from the Source.

Product Details

• Paperback: 472 pages
• Publisher: Macromedia Press (June 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201794829
• ISBN-13: 978-0201794823
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,705,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Way Training Should Be, July 10, 2002

By 

Crispee (Westminster, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX: Training from the Source (Paperback)

I looked at about 15 Flash MX books at the bookstore before deciding on this one (although I admit I couldn't find Foundation Flash MX which is supposed to be good as well.) This book is the only one I found which doesn't fall into the usual categories of application books: 1) Extended manuals which regurgitate what the program does but don't really teach you well, 2) Designer techniques which are for people who already know the program.

This one really takes you by the hand and helps you through designing an actual flash website so you are applying basics skills to a real-world project step by step.

Everything is really clear and well illustrated. The writing is fresh and clean and non-technical. It goes into every bit of the program that you need to do 95% of what most people use Flash for. It is setup like a training course not a reference manual and there is a throughline from beginning to end. Very well laid out with precise description of what you will learn per lesson.

The CD has all the files you will need included on it and plus there is a companion website.

Bottom line -- if you like diving in and exploring on your own this may be a bit limiting, but if you are a complete newcomer to Flash and would rather work on real examples not random feature explanations -- BUY THIS BOOK NOW.

Well worth the price (especially here on Amazon) unlike alot of application books out there. I can't wait to get the ActionScript volume as well.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Falls just short..., August 16, 2002

By 

Darwin's Bulldog (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX: Training from the Source (Paperback)

In some matters I have to agree with the previous reviewers; there is quite a bit of technique covered in this book, and it is valuable as a tutorial that gets you working with the extensive feature set of Flash MX.

But I don't think they had actually done many of the tutorials; the chapters that deal with sending and receiving data from a server suffer because the companion web site, which is supposed to support these lessons, does not work.

In theory, that website will have a PHP server ready to respond to the lesson materials. Instead, there is one static file that simulates a simple data query (it returns the complete data set), but the lesson queries which require passing parameters to the data engine simply fail. At first I thought it was a problem with errors in the code I typed in as I followed the tutorial, but in fact the 'completed' lessons on the CD fail identically.

So... I would have given 5 stars but the book doesn't really keep it's promise to the reader to provide the ability to complete the lessons. I have tried to contact the author and the publisher (PeachPit Press, not Macromedia) but have had no reponses. Perhaps it only deserves 3 stars...

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for beginners!, November 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Macromedia Flash MX: Training from the Source (Paperback)

I was just getting started with Flash when I was assigned this book in a class. It is not a reference, as the back cover might suggest, but it is a very useful tool for learning Flash. I like the step by step approach. Some of the explanations are very long, but after getting a better feel for the program, I found that I could just skip the explanations and follow the steps. If I ever got confused or lost, or wanted to get some more background on what I was doing, I just read the explanation. The explanations seem to be written with a beginner in mind, and I do not think I would recommend this book for someone who already knows a lot of Flash. Everything I made from the book worked perfectly, though I did notice a few discrepancies between some of the pictures and the actual program. The discrepancies were not show-stoppers, and I had no trouble figuring out what the author was trying to convey, even though the program looked a little different from the pictures. I liked that I was able to create a complete web site using this book. I have picked up a few more advanced Flash books since reading this one, and I feel that knowing the basics because of this book has helped me find my way in those books. If you already know Flash pretty well, this book is probably not for you, but if you are a beginner like me, this book is the way to go!