Teach Yourself VISUALLY Flash 5 (Paperback)

~ Sherry Willard Kinkoph (Author) "Flash is an innovative program that enables users to create all kinds of animation effects and interactive features for the Web..." (more)
Key Phrases: motion tween effect, authoring file, more helpful definitions, Flash Player, Eile Edit, Flash Timeline (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The only full-color book on Flash, the Web standard for vector graphics and animation, Teach Yourself Flash® 5 VISUALLY® shows visual learners how to add pizzazz to Web sites. Hundred of oversized screenshots with concise captions show you how to create pulsing musical tracks, monster sound effects, gorgeous animations, innovative interfaces, and more.

From the Publisher

Flash is the Web standard for vector graphics and animation. Web designers use Flash to create beautiful, resizable, extremely compact navigation interfaces, technical illustrations, long-form animations, and other dazzling effects for their sites.

TEACH YOURSELF VISUALLY is part of the Visual family of books, with over 10,000,000 copies in print!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: Visual; 1 edition (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764535404
• ISBN-13: 978-0764535406
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,642,432 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Assume Anything!, January 3, 2001

By	Christopher Carneal (los angeles) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I think of myself as a motion graphics designer grounded in Photoshop and After Effects work with minimal knowledge of Flash but a burning desire to master the program. I own Flash Web Design by Hillman Curtis, Foundation Flash 5, New Masters of Flash and this book. I've flipped through every Flash book published as of December, 2000 and purchased only those that struck a chord in me. I read this book after completing the Hillman Curtis book and this visual explanation put everything together in my mind. Its a fantastic building block to follow... and you can understand everything without being in front of your computer because the color illustrations are perfectly detailed.

Don't expect much ActionScript info, but you will be introduced to its possibilities. I read this book in a day and set it down feeling secure that I finally "get" Flash and, in fact, created my first Flash web site with this as the only source reference (no user's manual). I enthusiastically endorse this book for what it taught me and its great price value.

I used to look at these visually oriented books as over-patronizing coloring books-for-idiots. I am certainly an idiot.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading to hit the ground running!!!!, February 8, 2001

By	Brian (Atco, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

First of all, I am a Certified Web Designer, Certified Technical Trainer, and I do Web Design for a living as a consultant. if you really want to have an all in one book, wait till April 10th, 2001 and buy Flash 5 H.O.T. by Garo Green. He cowrote Dreamweaver 3 H.O.T. with Lynda Weinman. They know how to teach you quickly, clearly and in a very fun, enjoyable way! The kind of training books you can't put down! YOU WILL NOT REGRET BUYING THAT BOOK! I was allowed an advanced copy from a trade show. It will be the best book out for all levels - beginners and experts. If you can't wait, get this book and play with Flash 5 until it does come out! I also highly recommend checking out the training materials available at Lynda.com. You cannot go wrong with them. OK.....This book is strictly for those who know nothing about Flash or have read and been confused or got lost in other more complicated books!!! This is not for the intermediate or expert. Duh! It is obvious, but there is always one idiot that complains a book does not have enough for advanced users! This book, like all Teach Yourself Visually books gets you into the program, learning and using it in no time. It is a quick, colorful read. You do not need to be in front of the computer to learn either, though it is better to be hands on! This book will give you a great start while preventing you from getting frustrated and losing your enthusiasm! If you need to learn this for work or for career, you will need to get another, more advanced book later to build your skills. You can blow through this book in a day or two tops, then go back and use it again to reinforce what you learned or go over what you forgot, all within minutes!!! Best of luck

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Flash in small bites" good for beginners., June 17, 2001

By	Mical Fowler (High Point, NC United States) - See all my reviews

Small Bites: This book is one of a series of Teach Yourself Visually books, each with the tag line "Read less, learn more." Its audience seems to be those who suffer from Fear of Flash, or are spooked at the idea of the Internet or multimedia in general. Information is doled out in bite-sized chunks, as tool operations, panels and processes are patiently explained (sometimes in excruciating detail). It doesn't try to be a reference book, or a must-read for animation gurus...it is designed to be a painless introduction. If you want to learn intricate ActionScripts and interactivity, you'll need to look elsewhere.

Like the other books in the series, the top of each page is elaborately illustrated with slick (if often soul-less) 3-D renderings.Some of these illustrations are helpful, and others are gratuitous and overly cute, obvious space fillers designed to plug holes in the format. Each page bottom is reserved for screen shots and step-by-step instructions.

Upside:

Information is presented in logical order, and Flash terms and definitions are explained well. The 13 chapters will take most beginners around an hour or more to complete. The Animation Terms Appendix is too short, but what there is of it is good.

Downside: The book would be a better aid for the beginners it's aimed at if the publishers offered some downloadable online files. Nothing beats dissecting files when you're a Flash novice. And, with no mention of Photoshop, Fireworks, ImageReady, Dreamweaver, or the Mac OS anywhere in the book, it's as if the author thinks Flash exists in a vacuum in a Windows-only world. Even browsers, the delivery vehicle for most Flash animations, are given very little ink. It may be that auxiliary programs, alternate OS keyboard commands, and core concepts are tough to wedge into this format. In that case, an author should ask if the format is the tool or the master.

Bottom Line: All in all, this book is a good choice for beginners who want to learn Flash basics with minimum stress. You won't master the program with the book, but you will get a solid foundation in the tools and processes. But you may not get a firm grasp of Flash's core concepts...the chunk-by-chunk approach is better at showing the trees than the forest. Consequently, some beginners who finish this book may end up feeling like a kid who has finished the classroom portion of Driver's Education, but has little behind-the-wheel experience.