Kudos to publishers Friends of Ed for figuring out exactly what a beginning, intermediate, or advanced user of Flash needs, and writing books that deliver the appropriate material to each level. This entry in the Studio series is aimed squarely at intermediate Flash creators--those who are out there already "doing it"--and promises to perfect their techniques and hone their skills.
Calling upon a talented group of over 20 cutting-edge "Flashers" (working Flash professionals) to helm different chapters, Flash 5 Studio covers advanced site management, content creation (like Smart Clips, cartooning, video, and sound), dynamic content (interactive movies that feed content dynamically from separate data sources--for example, news headlines), ActionScripting, and issues that are crucial to partial or full Flash Web sites (like preloaders or optimizing Flash for search engines). The motto of the book: "deeper, more serious, more fully explained."
Each chapter teaches a specific technique or concept through examples that capitalize on the particular talents of that chapter's Flasher/author. For example, Nikhil Adnani is a talented and humorous cartoonist/animator from Canada (his Web site is www.groovechamber.com), and his chapter walks you through practical steps for creating charming animations (such as making a cow strut), while dispensing good advice on character design, making convincing movement, and optimization. Richard Mapes from www.Moonfruit.com provides an introduction to ActionScript principles; if coding seems beyond you, this might just clear the fog. From there, readers can explore scripting used in 3-D effects or object-oriented games. (This chapter, along with a table of contents, can be found at www.friendsofed.com if you'd like to check it out first.) The CD-ROM contains project FLAs and SWFs, as well as color images from selected chapters, and trial versions of software.
The advantage of learning from a book many designers and coders have had a hand in writing is that you're guaranteed a discussion that includes real-life goals and pitfalls. Also, if the style of one chapter's author doesn't quite jibe with yours, perhaps the next one's will. You're sure to come away with a deeper understanding of Flash and ActionScript, and a whole mess of new ideas to try. --Angelynn Grant
Topics covered:
- Site design principles
- Content creation, including working with Smart Clips, combining Flash and external 3-D applications, cartoon animation, using video in Flash, sound, transparency, masking and text, buttons, and menus
- ActionScript principles and creating with ActionScript, including simple and 3-D visual effects and simple and object-oriented games
- Combining interactive Flash movies that draw data from outside sources, including using XML
- Efficiently integrating Flash into a Web site, creating a preloader, and optimizing for search engines
Book Description
Macromedia Flash has set new standards in web motion graphics. Version 5, due for release in late Summer 2000, will be the next and best version out there, pushing Flash’s capabilities even further and demanding a new level of expertise from Flash artists. Data from NPD, the parent company of Media Metrix, reports that over 90% of the Web population, or over 220 million users, can now view Macromedia Flash content. As the Flash audience grows, so it expects higher standards of web design – dynamic content, sound and video, interactivity – as the norm. Every Flash developer has to be ready to meet that challenge or risk being yesterday’s news.
See all Editorial Reviews
