Special Edition Using Macromedia Flash MX [Paperback]

Michael Hurwicz (Author), Laura McCabe (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0789727625 | ISBN-13: 978-0789727626 | Publication Date: August 25, 2002

Special Edition Using Macromedia Flash MX provides readers with a comprehensive reference. It covers everyday basic skills quickly and concisely to allow more time to be spent detailing more advanced topics. It is organized by topic, rather than linearly, so that readers can jump in and learn only what they need to complete the task at hand. The authors have loaded the book up with real-world tasks, tips, and techniques as well as answers to questions that they've been hearing for years as trainers. Topics covered include using the Library more effectively, ActionScript Debugging, and creating dynamic Flash applications. Coverage also includes:

Using 3D graphics

Importing and using bitmaps and video

Creating complex frame-by-frame animations

Adding and synchronizing sound to your Flash animations

Advanced Scripting and integration

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Special Edition Using Macromedia Flash MX provides readers with a comprehensive reference. It covers everyday basic skills quickly and concisely to allow more time to be spent detailing more advanced topics. It is organized by topic, rather than linearly, so that readers can jump in and learn only what they need to complete the task at hand. The authors have loaded the book up with real-world tasks, tips, and techniques as well as answers to questions that they've been hearing for years as trainers. Topics covered include using the Library more effectively, ActionScript Debugging, and creating dynamic Flash applications. Coverage also includes:

Using 3D graphics

Importing and using bitmaps and video

Creating complex frame-by-frame animations

Adding and synchronizing sound to your Flash animations

Advanced Scripting and integration

About the Author

Michael Hurwicz is the Flash Guy at Late Night Design, located at the intersection of art, design, and technology. He has been writing about technical topics for the computer trade press since 1985. Michael is president of Irthlingz, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental education and entertainment. You can e-mail Michael at [e-mail] as well as visit his Web site at http://www.latenightdesign.com, http://www.hurwicz.com, and http://www.irthlingz.com.

Laura McCabe is a freelance designer and developer currently living in Baltimore, Maryland. Her eclectic interests have led her through an undergraduate degree in psychology, graduate studies in art and design, and, ultimately, to Flash. In six years of Internet experience, she's honed her skills in design, development, information architecture, and Web production while working with clients such as AARP. Her Flash designs have been featured at the collaborative site Poems That Go, and her personal playground is http://www.stolenglance.com. In her spare time, she is a photographer, writer, trainer, editor, sporadic sea kayaker, and recovering book junkie.

Product Details

• Paperback: 744 pages
• Publisher: Que (August 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789727625
• ISBN-13: 978-0789727626
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,653,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for intermediate user or *motivated* beginner, September 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Special Edition Using Macromedia Flash MX (Paperback)

A great book for me! I'm an intermediate user -- been using Flash 5 for about a year and wanting to learn the new features in Flash MX and get into more advanced techniques. This book is especially in-depth on ActionScript, from the basics on up -- it's got about 200 pages on design, and about 500 on ActionScript. Great sections on the drawing API, the Math object, event-based scripting -- all of ActionScript, really. Helped me understand classes and inheritance, too!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to follow, July 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Special Edition Using Macromedia Flash MX (Paperback)

As a new Flash MX user, but an experienced programmer and graphic designer, I found this book difficult to follow. There is a lot of Flash terminology that is used by never explained. Also, the authors jump into small details of Flash capabilities without providing an overview of them first. For example, the Movie Clip is described as the most important and commonly used type of object in Flash. But the authors never tell you what a movie clip is, what its basic features are, the variety of ways in which they can be used, and how they related to other objects in Flash. They immediately jump into the details of the movie clip class methods. Unless you already have an intermediate level of Flash experience, this book leaves you saying "What are they talking about?" a lot.

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent, but..., June 20, 2005

By 

Richard Harris (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Special Edition Using Macromedia Flash MX (Paperback)

I have started to read this book (Ch. 5) and from what I have seen so far, the book is alright but it has no examples or exercises!!! I think that practical experiences is especially important when learning any computer related skill whether be programming, graphics, or whatever. In my opinion, reading an entire computer book is worthless unless you get some actual practice and not having any hands on material in this book really hurts its quality.