Flash MX Bible (Paperback)

~ (Author), Snow Dowd (Author) "Jumping straight into Flash MX, we take a look at some of the new features that can be found in the latest release from Macromedia,..." (more)
Key Phrases: loader symbol, miniml fonts, fade component, Main Timeline, Macromedia Flash, Internet Explorer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

&huge and indispensable guide&definitely a must-have& -- Practical Web Projects, August 2003

“…huge and indispensable guide…definitely a must-have…(Practical Web Projects, August 2003)

Product Description

The totally revised, enhanced and expanded update to the smash bestseller.

• Covers the very latest release of Macromedia Flash.
• Includes enhanced coverage of using Flash with other powerful Web applications and exclusive expert tutorials from the world's top Flash gurus.
• The most comprehensive Flash book on the market.
• Documents Flash's integration and implementation of new technologies

ABOUT THE CD-ROM
The accompanying CD-ROM is packed with trial software, add-ons, plug-ins, shareware, templates, and scores of exclusive sample files from the book.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1300 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (July 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764536567
• ISBN-13: 978-0764536564
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #587,540 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding! Solid cutting edge Flash MX instruction, August 14, 2002

By	"debbie_mcdonald" (Anchorage, Alaska United States) - See all my reviews

If you only buy one Flash MX book -- this is definitely the one to get. There is nothing out there that offers as much information as this book does. At 1272 pages, whether you're at a beginning, intermediate or advanced level -- you will not walk away from this book without taking your skill to the next level and beyond. It is easy to understand, offers indepth, step-by-step, "how to", information on Flash MX development & design. So if you need to understand how to develop a project, are looking to integrate video/audio into flash, interested in animation, actionscripting, or communicating directly to server-side scripts -- you'll learn how to do it here.

Robert Reinhardt is a cutting edge developer & instructor in Flash community, I was fortunate enough to be able to take one of his classes and he is good. In addition to his expertise, he has included 30 guest experts -- each offering step-by-step instruction in their area of expertise. Easy to follow, backed by a live web-forum, includes secrets, cutting edge tips & tricks, as well as a CD chocked full of examples, add-ons, plug-ins, shareware, and templates. There is seriously nothing out there that will offer you this scope and level of information. You will not be disappointed!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent way to learn Flash MX, May 1, 2003

By	jaredc (Galloway, OH United States) - See all my reviews

First, this book does NOT cover EVERYTHING you will eventually want to know about Flash- notably the deeper areas of ActionScript. But there is another (excellent) Bible for that.

Why this book is great:
I read the first 720 pages like a workbook. Read a little, do a little. It is very good for that and helped me learn. I was not new to Flash and thought I could probably skip the first several chapters. As I started to *skim* them, I got more engrossed, slowed down and read carefully. I am so glad I didn't skip them. Even the most basic topics are covered so well you're bound to learn something new. If internalized, the advice this book gives on techniques and features, will make you a better Flash MX author.

Great for beginners and intermediate. When you get to advanced, get the ActionScript Bible to compliment it and you should be unstoppable!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for beginner/intermediate; some extraneous topics, January 22, 2003

By	IronChefMorimoto (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

I've been using Flash since Flash 3 or 4 (I can't remember)...and what I've learned has been all self-taught. My work has included Flash-to-SMIL presentations, Flash-to-Director CD-ROM applications, etc.

So...why buy this book? I feel that I'm an intermediate -- I know how to do a lot of things in Flash, but I'm not an "expert" or "certified" level Flash user. I think this book is great for beginners and intermediate users of Flash, as it's very detailed in its explanations of Flash tools/techniques. It also presents the subject matter in a relatively comprehensive, well-organized format.

Caveats to all of this include...

- some chapters barely touch on the samples in the CD-ROM
- some chapters are a bit extraneous

That last one is important -- there's a whole chapter on cartoon animation. While some of the principles in the chapter are essential for animators in general, I think a whole chapter devoted to cartoon animation is a bit much -- a topic for another book. Other "extraneous" chapters are OK, as they're more informative -- the project management chapter is a great example.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because of these few things, but I can still highly recommend it.