Book Description
Explore the depth and flexibility of Macromedia Flash 8 with Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Flash 8 in 24 Hours. Fundamental topics are presented one-by-one in a series of 24 one-hour lessons that will help you master the basics of Flash. Author
Phillip Kerman, an internationally-known Macromedia trainer and multimedia expert, offers you a clearly-written, well-organized introduction to Macromedia Flash 8 without becoming too overwhelming. You will cover such subjects as:
- Drawing and Painting Original Art
- Using Motion Tween to Animate
- Animatng Using Movie Clips
- Using Actions to Create Non-Linear Movies
- Optimizing a Flash Site
- Publishing a Creation
Not only will you master the basics of Macromedia Flash 8 with Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Flash 8 in 24 Hours, you will also be better prepared to learn more advanced topics in the future.
Customer Reviews:
Good Info but..........2007-05-12
It takes FOREVER to get to the point and many times there is repitition over the instruction. Sometimes in the same paragraph! A good book that gives information yes, but it could easily have been cut to a third the size.
Not worth it a nickel.......2007-04-18
I bought this book last month due to some good feedbacks. But when I read, it seems the book is too much unnecessary words just to make it look thick but the actual content is thin. I would recommend to learn from the help section of the flash program itself. It's much more clear and right to the point not like this book. From there then google up and you will find a lot of more better tutorials than this book and best of all, it's free!
Great book for beginner........2007-03-18
Hi all, first of all, I just want to thank all the people who had written the comments on this book. It had helped me a lot in making a decision in buying this book. Thanks.
As for the book, I just got it. I am in Hour 2 and so far, it has helped me soooo much. I am new to Flash and I think this will be a great book for all the people who are new like me. I gave it a 4 stars rather than 5 since I haven't finished the book yet and can't comment on the whole book. But base on the first 2 hrs, I think once I am done with the book, my rating would be a 5 star.
flash for dummy!.......2007-03-17
u cannot finish this on 24 hours. I have Flash background but I finished "chapter 5" in 13 hours, which was supposed to finish in 5 hours. Sooooooo many text and difficult for ESL students. Not step by step and not too many graphic. No CD or resource files to do tutorials.
I recommend flash 8 24 hours........2007-03-09
I recommend Flash 8 24hours...I believe it will take more than 24 hours to get through the book. But it is a good buy and I found it helpful in understanding flash.
Book Description
Available for both the Mac and Windows, Macromedia's Dreamweaver 8 is a professional web design and development program used by millions of Internet professionals to build high-quality static and dynamic database-driven web sites. It offers drag-and-drop simplicity, streamlined HTML coding tools, and powerful database integration features. But Dreamweaver 8 is missing one vital component: a printed manual.
Enter Dreamweaver 8: The Missing Manual, the completely revised fourth edition of this bestselling book by experienced web site trainer, Macromedia Certified instructor, and Dreamweaver Advisory Council member David McFarland. This book enables both first-time and experienced web designers to create visually stunning and highly interactive web sites.
With crystal-clear writing and much welcome humor, this new edition offers features such as:
- Live examples: With McFarland's step-by-step annotated tutorials, you'll learn how to construct a state-of-the-art commercial web site, complete with working forms, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and dynamic databases.
- Tricks of the trade: The book is bursting with undocumented workarounds and shortcuts for easing the process of building, maintaining, and updating professional web sites.
- Design guidance: You'll learn to create virtually every modern web feature, including forms, animations, cascading menus, and more--and you'll find out which browsers you need to provide special coding or do extra testing with.
No matter what your level of expertise is, you'll also learn how to manage your entire web site-whether you've just launched or if it's been around for awhile and takes up thousands of pages. Beginners with no web design experience will appreciate the step-by-step guide to designing, organizing, building, and deploying a web site; long-time Dreamweaver users will appreciate the advanced, real-world techniques for controlling the appearance of their web pages with CSS.
With more than 500 illustrations, a handcrafted index, and the clarity of thought that has made bestsellers of every Missing Manual to date, this is the ultimate atlas for the complex and powerful Dreamweaver 8.
Customer Reviews:
Helping me start my own business.......2007-09-16
This manual has helped me catch up on the entire web design movement with Cascading Style Sheets that I need to brush up on. As an owner of my own graphic design business, I needed to refresh my skills on Dreamweaver 8 and this manual with its easy-to-follow tutorials and sense of humor sprinkled throughout certainly helped me do that. David Sawyer McFarland helps you each step of the way. Definitely recommended.
Dreamweaver-Missing Manual.......2007-09-04
This book works through every aspect of the Dreamweaver program, but is still a bit difficult to understand unless you are an experienced website creator.
This is THE Dreamweaver book.......2007-08-20
I went through every book review, then checked out all the books at the local Book Superstore and ended up getting this, although I wondered why it only had 4.5 stars.
It is the perfect book for DW8 and fully deserves 5 full stars! I had been using DW4 for five years and it is nice that this book is both understandable and not over simplified.
Thank god for this book........2007-07-21
I've never taken the time to review anything on the web before and have always been amazed by the numbers of people who do. That being said, I had to tell people how much I love this book. The last site I designed was a tiny static site back in 2001 using golive and I recently committed to building two database sites. I went though many, many books + tutorials and none are as good as this one. [...].
Definitely a Keeper.......2007-07-10
I very seldom take the time to write reviews, and usually do so to warn people away from an awful book. This is the exception; I loved this book.
To give some perspective to my review, I am a professional programmer but a complete "newbie" to web design and development. I've taken on the task of creating and maintaining a web site for a local summer swim team. I needed help and I needed it quickly.
My first stop was "Macromeda Dreamweaver 8" by Short and Green. This is a good book for beginners to get their feet wet with Dreamweaver 8. However, after doing all the exercises, I did not get the feeling that I actually could design a nice web page and knew for sure that I couldn't create a form with a working submit button.
Then I bought this book, "Dreamweaver 8 The Missing Manual". The first few chapters cover the basic building blocks of using text, images and links. The next section deals with how to design a web page; first using tables and then using CSS. Other sections of the book deal with forms and how to set up Dreamweaver to manage your remote site and a testing site. (I find it much easier to let Dreamweaver figure out what files are out of date rather than use a stand-alone FTP program.) The last section of the book deals with dynamic web pages and was the answer to my quest for a functioning "submit" button on my web forms. This section is what sealed the 5-star rating for me. The book's tutorials use the ASP server model, but you can download equivalent tutorials for PHP/MySQL from the author's web site. I found all the tutorials to work (and I did almost every single one), but do check the author's errata page.
For you programmers out there who are getting into the web, this book mostly stays with the Dreamweaver wizards and does not delve into code view (probably a good thing for the non-programmers). If you are into coding and PHP, a good next step is "PHP for Dreamweaver 8", by David Powers. The Powers book covers a lot of the same dynamic web ground as "The Missing Manual", but is not afraid to dive into code view.
All in all, I was very happy with "Dreamweaver 8 The Missing Manual". It's a big book packed with information, but easy to read. Based on what I've learned, I was able to create a decently attractive web site, some very useful forms and private areas for team administrators and coaches.
Book Description
Do you like to learn by doing? Do manuals leave you bored and craving real-world examples? Do you want to concrete training that goes beyond theory and reference materials? If so, this book is for you.
These hands-on exercises teach you to start creating Flash animations and interactive files with little effort. You’ll learn to create vector animations using a wide variety of drawing tools and Timeline effects, and add interactivity and dynamic content to your projects by using ActionScript 2, Components, and the Behaviors panel. You’ll also learn how to import bitmaps, sounds, and video to make your Flash projects more engaging, and find extensive coverage of the new Flash 8 features: the improved text tool, new text rendering engine, new graphic filters, and more.
Complete with insider tips, illustrated with detailed graphics, and accompanied by a CD loaded with classroom-proven exercises and QuickTime movies, this book ensures you’ll master key features of Flash 8 in no time.
Customer Reviews:
thorough, clear and comprehesive introduction to flash.......2007-09-23
I used this book for a class I took. I found it very useful. The hands on training in the form of color tutorials was very useful for learning flash. This book is only an introduction to flash as is shown by the fact that you only learn how to use preexisting Actionscript rather than program your own code. Also, the new version of flash (CS3) uses a different version of Action Script so what you learn here will not be useful. Still, this book is more than adequate even for the new version of flash. Although it is expensive you get what you pay for in this case.
Not for a Flash newbie or an H O T books fan.......2007-08-23
If you are a fan of the hands-on-training (H O T) books series (as I am) you might tend to be disappointed in this particular one. Indeed it is the least effective of all of the hands-on-training series books I have used.
A novice to Flash, I had used the H O T series books with great effectiveness, in particular the entire Dreamweaver H O T series from DW3 on up. I therefore figured that H O T was the way to go to bootstrap myself into Flash. This did not prove to be the case. Unlike other beginner's level H O T books this one seems to be uncomfortable with issues such as its level of approach and depth. It hangs somewhere between giving you the constant feeling that it is being dumbed down for you on one hand and that Flash is really too complicated to be taught to you on the other. The publisher's own Beginner AND Intermediate level rating is an accurate tip off.
As a teacher I know that if I go into a classroom (even on a topic I know stone cold) still unsure of how I am going to approach a topic, there is a good chance of an ineffective classroom experience. This author undoubted knows Flash; he simply doesn't know how to teach it well in this format.
Instead of using the Gonzalez book I dropped back to the Flash 5 Hands-on Training by Kymberlee Weil book of the same series. The book was just great, everything the Gonzalez book was not. It was classic H O T learn by doing, step by step, instruction. At two chapters a day, in a little more than a week I was up-to-speed despite having to spend the extra time bridging the differences between a Flash 5 book and the Flash 8 Professional application.
So if you are buying this book based on past positive experiences with the H O T series, beware!
Yes! A 'must have' book for the beginner and intermediate user........2007-08-23
By using this book, a know-nothin' beginner can be up and running with Flash 8 in a weekend. No kidding. I never even opened the program before receiving this book, and after a weekend I was designing some pretty decent stuff. I have extensive experience with Photoshop and Illustrator, but even without these as a background I feel that anyone can create something useful after only 8 hours with this book.
The step-by-step instructions are precise and quite explanatory. That's not to say that exercises go on forever, they're just thoroughly explained. For example: four pages are devoted to the sometimes frustrating concept of Merge and Object Drawing Models. A newbie may find this concept confusing unless they have had it shown to them. (Example: A student next to me was getting furious over the fact that his overlapping ellipses kept eating away the shapes behind them. That is until I showed him page 50.) Simple to some, but without some formal training it would just seem frustrating.
The disc includes some decent exercise files and the typical instructional videos that we have come to expect at the point in the game. Not that they are bad in any way, just not much different than other I have seen. I personally enjoy the videos when it comes to a complex topic.
Another notable that was important to me was the big section at the end on importing content from Photoshop, Illustrator and Fireworks. Nice and easy once you know how to do it properly.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn Flash 8. It will give you the basics and functionality of the program. If you are not very experimental and don't have the time to push the limits on your own, there may be another book out there for 'tricks, tips, cheats' to help you go wild with it. This book is not the 'tricks, tips, cheats' kind of book that will show the 'hidden secrets' so many others claim. But, it is complete in the fact that it will show you how to perform the basics of each function. And for some areas, a little beyond the basic functionality.
Not that it should matter, but you will deal with the single concept of the snowboarder for almost every exercise in the book. Not every exercise is the same file or image, but almost all of them are snowboarding-related. You'll see why when you get to the motion and video portion of the book.
Great Book for Helping Someone Learn Flash.......2007-07-19
I got this book for a course that I was taking on Flash. It is a great book and I am happy the teacher recommended it.
The chapters are arranged in easy to follow exercises that teach all the basics of Flash. I really liked this style of teaching because it forces you to open up Flash and do the exercises. Much more useful than a book that you just sit and read.
The author of the book is also very good about telling you multiple ways of doing something. In the course of the exercises there are little colored boxes that will talk about how you could have done the above action this way or this way or this way. The fact that these tips are usually separate is nice if you don't care and want to skip the additional information.
So far I am about 3/4 the way through the course and the book and have been very happy with it. A great book; especially for a newbie that doesn't have any programming background.
Beginner Flash Programmers MUST Have This Book.......2007-06-27
I was building a website, and wanted to add a Flash slideshow to it, but had no idea how to do that. I used the Flash tutorials that came with the program, but they were somewhat lacking in detail. I ordered this book from Amazon, and two days later it was at my door. I used the book from page 1, performed all of the easy to understand exercises, watched the included videos, and by the end of the month I was able to finish programming my website and publish it on the internet. This book made understanding Flash a breeze; I couldn't have completed my website to my satisfaction without it. [...].
Book Description
Well before Ajax and Microsoft's Windows Presentation Foundation hit the scene, Macromedia offered the first method for building web pages with the responsiveness and functionality of desktop programs with its Flash-based "Rich Internet Applications". Now, new owner Adobe is taking Flash and its powerful capabilities beyond the Web and making it a full-fledged development environment.
Rather than focus on theory, the ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook concentrates on the practical application of ActionScript, with more than 300 solutions you can use to solve a wide range of common coding dilemmas. You'll find recipes that show you how to:
- Detect the user's Flash Player version or their operating system
- Build custom classes
- Format dates and currency types
- Work with strings
- Build user interface components
- Work with audio and video
- Make remote procedure calls using Flash Remoting and web services
- Load, send, and search XML data
- And much, much more ...
Each code recipe presents the Problem, Solution, and Discussion of how you can use it in other ways or personalize it for your own needs, and why it works. You can quickly locate the recipe that most closely matches your situation and get the solution without reading the whole book to understand the underlying code. Solutions progress from short recipes for small problems to more complex scripts for thornier riddles, and the discussions offer a deeper analysis for resolving similar issues in the future, along with possible design choices and ramifications. You'll even learn how to link modular ActionScript pieces together to create rock-solid solutions for Flex 2 and Flash applications.
When you're not sure how ActionScript 3.0 works or how to approach a specific programming dilemma, you can simply pick up the book, flip to the relevant recipe(s), and quickly find the solution you're looking for.
Adobe Developer Library is a co-publishing partnership between O'Reilly Media and Adobe Systems, Inc. and is designed to produce the number one information resources for developers who use Adobe technologies. Created in 2006, the Adobe Developer Library is the official source for comprehensive learning solutions to help developers create expressive and interactive web applications that can reach virtually anyone on any platform. With top-notch books and innovative online resources covering the latest in rich Internet application development, the Adobe Developer Library offers expert training and in-depth resources, straight from the source.
Customer Reviews:
The title should be FLEX ActionScript 3.0.......2007-09-26
I bought this book because I wanted to learn how to use AS3 over AS2. This book claims to be a ActionScript 3.0 which it is, but ONLY if you have the Flex Application.
I don't have Adobe Flex but I would like to learn ActionScript 3.0 - this is too advanced for me and the applications aren't what I thought they would be.
This book may be good for advanced users of ActionScript but for someone like me who was just getting used to ActionScript 2.0 and wants to learn how AS3 works- it's the worst book you can buy.
As much as I like O'Reilly books, I feel this book is misleading.
Novice to Advanced users may think otherwise.
A Poor Sequel to Actionscript Cookbook.......2007-09-17
Here's an example of why this book deserves just one star (if that!):
Cre{2}l matches creel but not crel or creel
This example was taken from the section on regular expressions. There are other inaccuracies on that page. Overall, this book is riddled with inadequate, poor explanations that appear to typify the worse of IT personnel - bad communications skills. Anyone who gives this book high marks has not read the book entirely and is relying only on reputation.
Here's another example:
var example:RegExp = /(\d)abc(\d*)/;
var result:Array = example.exec( "7abc" );
// Displays: 3
trace( result.length );
// Displays: 7abc
trace( result[0] );
// Displays: 7
trace( result[1] );
// Displays:
trace( result[2] );
Notice that the last display is missing. Really sloppy work. Not convinced? Try it at your own peril.
Skip this book.
Disappointing.......2007-09-13
I have many O'Reilly books and I sorry to say this is my first diappointment. Many of the recipies are simply slight extensions of obvious constructs that are essentially just part of the Actionscipt language rather than interesting examples of how to put Actionscript to work or clever work-arounds as can be found in, for instance, the Perl Cookbook. To take one example, the multi-dimensional array recipe pretty much rehashes the Flash documentation - an array declared at 'compile time' - rather than expanding on it and showing the less trivial example of, for instance, a dynamicaly declared array.
What is normally useful about the Cookbooks is that they are an excellent way to learn a new language for people who prefer to learn by example, deconstructing code rather than trawling through an enumeration of the elements of a language in a manual-type book. Most of the examples in this are sadly not complex enough to work this way - they're too close to a one-concept-at-a-time manual - to show you how different elements of the language can acually work together to tackle full real-world programming tasks.
Great book on Actionscript..........2007-09-05
I've been learning Flex 2 and wanted to know a bit more about Actionscript and this book delivered! Plenty of good examples that have given me a MUCH better understanding of Actionscript. I never really learned much about Flash and so never wrote one line of Actionscript until I started to learn Flex (if you haven't heard about Flex yet go to Adobe.com and read up about it, it's pretty cool) and the books I had would show about 1/2 Actionscript and 1/2 mxml. So after getting a good understanding in mxml and basic Actionscript I wanted to learn more and this book was a big help. If you're even remotely interested in learning Actionscript this is the book to get!
The end of a tunnel.......2007-08-04
I consider myself as an early adopter of anything in interactive communication. I founded my company Falcomedia in 1989 with only one goal: to produce interactive multimedia communication. By then only possible on Mac's with programs like Hypercard, Supercard (in color) or Macromind's Director (called Videoworks by then). I definately see AS3 as the end of a tunnel and the start of really great things to come. It's possible now, no workarounds, pure OOP and this book is basic.
Read als Keith Peter's Actionsript 3.0 Animation and let your visions flow. I can't see anything stopping us from bringing good UI, quality design, functionalty, efficient production and scalability to the next generation of the web.
Peter Bohny, Falcomedia Systems AG, Switzerland
Book Description
Pre-med, medical students, nursing students, and healthcare trainees will find this set of flash cards an ideal study aid when they are preparing for tests. Each card pictures a human body part and labels it with medical name, location, and function. The cards show bones, muscles, and organs. A total of 264 four-inch by six-inch cards display all major body parts, and are color-coded according to their general location on the human body. The cards are boxed with a full-color, anatomically accurate human body poster that unfolds to 11 3/4" x 16 1/2".
Customer Reviews:
Incorrect information.......2007-09-10
I got this hoping that It would help me study for my exam. I spent most of the time correcting the flash cards and HOPING that they were right. Don't buy this item, I found so, so many mistakes it was ridiculous and really rude.
Great Study Aide.......2007-05-18
These flash cards are a great. They are very organized so I can easily find the body part I need to look up.
Anatomy Products.......2007-03-31
I have been very impressed by the quality of information and how user friendly these flash cards have been. I woulld recommend them to all who are interested in the study of anatomy.
Best Study Series Ever!.......2007-01-03
I used Barron's Anatomy Flash Cards for my college A&P class, it was very effective! I made an "A" on all of my lab practicals and an "A" in the class, the flash cards were a great help! Absolutly Recommend!
Love it.......2006-11-10
These flashcards are very helpful and easy to use. I like the clarity and color of the pictures. Would recommend.
Book Description
In September 2003, Macromedia released Flash MX 2004, and with it, ActionScript 2.0, a dramatically improved version of Flash's programming language. ActionScript 2.0 introduces a formal object-oriented programming syntax and methodology for creating Flash applications. From a developer's perspective, the new OOP-based techniques in ActionScript 2.0 make applications more natural to plan and conceptualize, more stable, more reusable across projects, easier to maintain, change, and expand upon, and much more. In short, they enhance the entire development process. In Essential ActionScript 2.0, bestselling author Colin Moock--one of the most universally respected developers in the Flash community--covers everything you'll need to know about the new ActionScript language and its methodologies for producing movies, animation, and applications on the web. Moock guides readers through this important new territory with his trademark easy-to-understand style and expertise. Moock's goal throughout the book is not just to get you to use object-oriented programming in your daily Flash work: he wants you to reap the benefits of OOP; he wants you to understand ActionScript 2.0 completely. And without question, Moock is the author who can make this happen. Essential ActionScript 2.0 begins with a tour of the language, including the fundamentals of object-oriented concepts, syntax, and usage. Those who are new to OOP will learn the basics and how to apply their understanding. Those who are familiar with OOP will leverage their prior experience to learn about Flash-based OOP. The next part of the book shows how to structure entire applications with ActionScript 2.0, teaching you best practices and techniques to build scalable, extensible, stable apps. Next, you'll explore a variety of approaches to various programming situations by applying object-oriented programming strategies, known as design patterns, to Flash. Experienced Flash developers and programmers coming from other languages will enjoy the sheer depth of Moocks's coverage and expertise in Essential ActionScript 2.0. Novice programmers will appreciate the frequent, low-jargon explanations that are often glossed over by advanced programming books. As usual, Moock guarantees quality and accuracy by working closely with Macromedia Flash engineers, including Rebecca Sun, lead developer of ActionScript 2.0. Whether you're ready to make the move to ActionScript 2.0 now or simply assessing it for the future, you'll find everything you need to know within this book. Essential ActionScript 2.0 is the one book every ActionScript coder must own.
Customer Reviews:
Good book, but..........2007-06-19
As my headline suggested, the book is good. It provides lot of information about OOP using ActionScript. However, I wish its layout was done somewhat better, more intuitive.
Lots of important information should have been highlighted. More specifically, it is hard to find certain crucial concepts, because they look no different from ordinary texts.
Those are just some of my thoughts.
Top-Tier Computer Science Course in a Book.......2007-05-14
I took a Java course at the University of Texas @ Austin, which has a well regarded CS program, and I walked out of it knowing what classes, subclasses, and instances were, but no idea how to practically use them. After reading Moock's book, I not only better understand the theory behind object-oriented programming, but how to use it following best practices. I wish I hadn't taken the Java course, because in 500 pages Moock takes you through 3 semesters worth of material.
Of course, Essential ActionScript 3.0 is coming out soon, so you might want to wait for it, but make sure you buy at least one of them.
Excellent book for in-depth actionscript 2.0 and OOP programming alike.......2007-05-03
As an occasional actionscript programmer, I try to stay to keep myself updated with the language as it evolves, as it has become the standard tools for my digital/artistic works.
A year ago I dove into "ActionScript for Flash MX : the Definitive Guide" - I must admit I didn't understand some parts of it at first read - and got my poor programming skills to improve themselves at least a few notches up.
I was a bit discouraged at all this Flash evolutions, thinking I'd be left behind (not to mention Flex 2 and Actionscript 3 right now), when I almost reluctantly bought this book.
Well, it actually got me excited. Not only I feel way better in Actionscript programming now, seeing and understanding the improvements of the language (I still use the Definitive Guide for its handy and complete language reference while I code), but it also actually taught the principles of Object Oriented Programming.
It does use some plain metaphors at first like all OOP stuff for dummies I've read here and there, but the author has a way of putting things in a relevent way that makes you actually understand what is what, what goes where, and why. It's clear.
It's easy, going along his explanations and tutorials, and he also shows you thoroughly the possibilities and limitations of every concepts in the (relative to the Flash environment) he ever talks about, yet remaining accessible even to non-savvy programmers.
A must have, like all his books I guess.
Excellent Action Script Book.......2007-03-14
My purchase of this book really helps mne a lot. It added up more knowledge and technique on my present expertise with Flash. Highly recommended for all Flash Action Scripters.
hard to understand for beginners.......2007-03-09
I am a beginner, I should understand that. But i wanted to buy it still thinking it would have been good. Its probably great for advance people but i found it personaly very difficult to understand as i am just a low beginner.
Book Description
ActionScript is the native scripting language of Flash. ActionScript knowledge is essential within the world of Flash design and development, as Flash remains a leading tool for cutting-edge interactive design and development. ActionScript is what gives Flash its power, but with that power comes a certain level of complexity, which can be intimidating. This beginners book, significantly updated since the last edition, covers all of the basics of ActionScript using the latest version of Flash, Flash 8. The skills acquired by working through this book will enable you to move on to more advanced friends of ED books such as Foundation PHP 5 for Flash, Foundation ActionScript Animation or Foundation XML for Flash. This book contains all you need to understand and make use of ActionScript, and to have some fun while learning. The Foundation series teaching style is ideal if youre a non-programmer who wants to learn Flash programming quickly and thoroughly. The authors teach the basics, and provide you an all-around proficiency in ActionScript, as well as Flash components within Flash 8. Youll gain the practical skills to build ActionScript based Flash projects, including making initial design decisions, structuring code, and testing. An ongoing case study means that by the end of the book, youll have constructed a cutting-edge Flash site to showcase your newly learned skills. Summary of Contents:
- Chapter 1 Interactive Flash
- Chapter 2 Making Plans
- Chapter 3 Movies That Remember
- Chapter 4 Movies That Decide for Themselves
- Chapter 5 More Power, Less Script
- Chapter 6 Movies That Remember How to Do Things
- Chapter 7 Objects and Classes
- Chapter 8 Objects on the Stage
- Chapter 9 Reusable Code and Realistic Movement
- Chapter 10 Games and Sprites
- Chapter 11 Drawing API
- Chapter 12 Adding Sound to Flash
- Chapter 13 Loading Dynamic Data with XML
- Chapter 14 Finishing the Futuremedia Case Study
- Chapter 15 Advanced ActionScript: Components and Classes
Customer Reviews:
A Great ActionScript Book By Designers For Designers.......2007-07-24
This is a great book for the designer interested in getting deeper into Flash through ActionScript 2.0. Primarily centered around web-based projects, with the occasional game project, Sham et al. lead the reader through basic programming fundamentals from a designer perspective. The reader is assumed to be mildly frightened by looking at code, but still interested in learing it. I can sympathize that many designers could be in this boat.
The language of the book is very non-technical and it's presented in a light-hearted manner to ease you into some difficult concepts. The authors do a great job of tricking you into getting excited about programming. So if you're a web designer who has always been impressed by what programmers can do, but were a little uncomfortable trying to just jump in on your own, this is THE book for you.
I have two warnings and one critique.
The first warning is that this is a Flash 8 book - hence ActionScript 2.0. The second warning is that almost all the projects in the book are web-based instead of game-based. Now it's Flash, so it kind of comes with the territory, and there is a full chapter devoted to making a game. However, the perfect book for me would be this exact same book, but centered almost completely around game-based projects. If you're strictly looking for that, this book isn't for you. I don't care as much, and there's still a lot to learn, so I don't regret purchasing the book.
My critique is regarding the book-long project where you make a website that uses ActionScript (the Futuremedia site). It's a case study where you can apply some of what you've learned to a "real" project. My problem with it is that you don't seem to learn a whole lot about ActionScripting by going through it. The authors (or whichever individual wrote the project) seem to be really proud of this project - proud in the sense that they like themselves for it - and you can tell by going throug it. Plus, its more content-oriented. There's much more to learn from everything else, so I'm just skipping the project and skimming over it whenever it's time to work on it a little (which isn't a whole lot anyway).
Overall, it's a great book so far (I'm about 1/3 done) and I'd recommend it to anyone who's new to programming and wants to learn it through ActionScript 2.0. Sham has an awesome ability to explain programming to a designer.
Well structured, No boring Jargon and Everything you need in one book........2007-05-13
I am new to actionscript, have watched a few Total Training dvd's, but they don't really go into indepth actionscript. Unless you buy all the dvd's which are expensive.
This book was great. And has given my mind more of an understanding, especially of the process, of programming.
I'm more a graphic designer, who is getting into web design, so if I can go from first page through to the end in 3 weeks and juggle a screaming 2yr old at the same time.....well then anyone can.( I am a stay at home dad!....by the way)
Good to keep for reference. Buy it.
Excellent Beginner ActionScript Guide.......2007-03-19
I was completely foreign to ActionScript before picking up this book. I had previously read one book on understanding the basic flash interface (i.e. using the drawing/tweening tools), but this was my first crack at ActionScript. Getting through this book was very easy. Each chapter is setup in a way that explains a specific topic, runs you through a few examples using what you just learned, and then continues on with an ongoing website project that you develop throughout the book.
Strengths: Writing is clear and concise, and doesn't feel like a programmer wrote the book. The context is a nice mix of theory and hands on practice to keep you interested while your learning some of the more complex topics. The teaching method looks to provide you with skills that you can apply and expand upon quickly, as opposed to just learning some commands and then throwing you out into the wild. The book projects are very well constructed and explained.
Weaknesses: Some of the later chapters advance quickly. I blew through the first 350 pages, but after that had to significantly slow down to fully understand each topic. I also noticed that one or two of the online downloads are missing files for the book project. These are not neccesary if you are writing everything from scratch (correctly), but it did sometimes get in the way of comparing my solutions to the books.
Overall I have been extremely satisfied with this book, and will most likely buy another Foundation guide.
Great Book for Beginner on up ...........2006-12-06
I am a current animation student in California and Flash is one of the tools we are using. While I have developed some proficiency animating in Flash, the scripting tends to turn my brain to mush after a while.
I picked up Foundation Flash 8 to learn some of the basics and have been using Foundation Actionscript for Flash 8 to gradually explore scripting. I am not a programmer but got through the first few chapters easy enough. The second half of the book is somewhat tougher but but filled with interesting chapters -especially the game chapter (chapter 10).
I haven't quite cleared the hurdle of the later chapters, find them more challenging, but I keep the book on my desk to pick at stuff. It is well written and comprehensive. From my perspective as a non-programming 'art head' I'd say it covers beginner to advanced level topics by the end of the book; that's pretty cool because many books seem to be simple rehashings of the product manuals designed to part you from $40-$50 while giving you no new info.
A diamond amongst coal........2006-12-02
As an old UNIX hack I have read quite a few programming manuals, from the original C (Kerninghan & Richie - when it was new!), to the present. Very few, if any, (including the O'Reilly series), have come close to being so informative, easy to read, and enjoyable as the 'ActionScript for Flash 8' book. I consider myself a poor programmer partly because I never found 'print Hello World!' that interesting. In any event, this book has taken me from rank Actionscript beginner to (dare I say it...) semi-advanced! Basically, cannot recommend it highly enough! For me, I enjoy the graphical nature of Actionscript and I am glad I finally found the right book to take me there. I think beginners and experienced Object-Oriented types will get a lot or something from it. Thanks Friends of ED!
Book Description
This book will assist journalists and Flash developers who are working together to bring video, audio, still photos, and animated graphics together into one complete Web-based package.
This book is not just another Flash book because it focuses on the need of journalists to tell an accurate story and provide accurate graphics. This book will illustrate how to animate graphics such as maps, illustrations, and diagrams using Flash. It will show journalists how to integrate high-quality photos and audio interviews into a complete news package for the Web.
Each lesson in the book is followed by a learning summary so that journalists can review the skills they have acquired along the way. In addition, the book's six case studies will allow readers to study the characteristics of news packages created with Flash by journalists and Web developers at The Washington Post, MSNBC.com, and Canadian and European news organizations.
* Perfect for photojournalists who want to create or produce online slide shows with audio.
* A list of keyboard shortcuts for Flash will be included as an appendix.
* Lessons, not reference. This accessible approach for learning Flash MX 2004 illustrates its concepts with concrete examples that make sense.
* Full Color!
Customer Reviews:
85% of perfect.......2006-05-17
Very clearly explained for people who have no experience in flash. However, it didn't get me all the way to where I wanted to be. I wanted to produce an audio slide show that featured a) faded transitions, b) synchronization to the audio track, c) seamless loading on the user's end, and d) dynamically loaded content for ease of re-use. Although the book teaches a, b, c and d individually, it never puts them all together; the "final project" doesn't incorporate syncronization or seamless loading, and the audio-sync slide show it teaches doesn't have dynamic content or faded transitions. However, I feel well equipped to pick up a more thorough flash book to take me the rest of the way, and I'm glad I started with this one (a more general starter book would likely have covered topics of no use to me, like advanced animation et cetera).
An excellent book. Focused and complete........2005-09-18
This book is excellent. It has a mission and it executes it well. Its mission is to teach people to use Flash to communicate their ideas through images, words, and if necessary, sound. The book is structured with an introduction to communicating effectively followed by 10 progressive lessons for using Flash to accomplish the stated mission. The 3rd part of the book presents 6 case studies, real live examples of Flash in action. These case studies discuss the issue at hand, the approach that the designers, producers, and developers took to solve their problem, plus a technical tip that we all encounter when building Flash applications. An Appendix is included with additional information, such as preloaders, swf management, and video. The companion website takes this book from 5 stars to 10 stars. This is one of the best technical books I have ever read. It never looses sight of its mission. It marries technical technique to a functional objective.
Finally a book to learn how to do a multimedia piece right!.......2005-06-04
Finally a flash book that does not just show you how to make a ball bounce across a stage!
This is the book I recommend to aspiring multimedia journalists.
If you are a journalist who wants to go toward the online realm this is the book to buy, read and learn from -- I have always sent folks to Mindy McAdams' web site in the past -- now this new book she has done is even better.
Seth M. Gitner
Multimedia Editor
(...)
Book Description
Students preparing for the Advanced Placement U.S. History exam will welcome this set of flash cards, which offers them the flexibility to study history in ways not available from textbooks and study guides. 500 cards encompass the entire AP course, reviewing all key topics. Cards are numbered and labeled so that students can arrange them within a chronological time frame or according to any of seven categories. The cards run chronologically from the Colonial era of the early 1600s to the present day. The seven categories are: Arts and Sciences, Domestic Policies, Presidential Matters, Wars and Foreign Relations, Economy and Business, Legal Issues, and Society and Culture. Questions and answers on flash cards cover every significant aspect of U.S. history from Abolitionism and Articles of Confederation to the Yalta Conference and Zachary Taylor. Here is an efficient and productive way to brush up on facts for the Advanced Placement exam, and an ideal supplement to classroom textbooks.
Customer Reviews:
Not entirely enough.......2007-07-14
overall, these cards are good but no great. they cant replace a prep book. they do a great job in reviewing the major ideas and concepts, but the lesser ones that the ap test might pick the cards arent much help there. and also, i didnt really like the format of teh cards. the bullets on the back aren't really bullets. they're like mini-paragraphs preceded by a dot.
Helpful, but overwhelming.......2007-06-27
it's avery nice comprehensive set, probally the best out here, but they can be hard to use for studying.
AP United States History Flash Cards.......2006-07-20
These flashcards are a must for study material! They are very precise and hold a library of information. I'm certain they will assist my son in studying for his exams to earn a successful letter grade.
Amazing.......2006-03-14
This is literally the best review of US History. I felt yesterday that I knew no US History and I had my final exam at third. That night as well as before third I had gotten through the cards three times and knew the answer to every question on the exam. There is nothing better. If you want a 5 get these cards immediately. Great for a quick rview before the exam and a great value. These cards saved my life.
Book Description
Forget school math class, Flash math is about fun. It's what you do in your spare time - messing around with little ideas until the design takes over and you end up with something beautiful, bizarre, or just downright brilliant. It's a book of iterative experiments, generative design; a book of inspiration, beautiful enough to leave on the coffee table, but addictive enough to keep by your computer and sneak out while no one's looking so you can go back to that Flash movie that you were tinkering with 'til 3 o'clock this morning. In "New Masters of Flash" the designers told us about themselves and deconstructed their finest effects. This time we've gathered the best in one book and simply asked them to go away and do what they do best: play. We give you the code and explain the essence, then you take your inspiration and run with it.
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2007-05-26
Though it's in ActionScript 2.0, this book is very good if you're into creating visualizations via programming (not only ActionScript). It shows the creative and logical process behind the code (I think that's much more important that the code itself). And it's also a beautiful book to add to your collection :-)
And you can also download all the .fla used in the examples.
Math and Flash combine to provide interesting animations.......2006-10-30
This book is stunning visually and is just overflowing with inspiration. This is a book intended to show us what the Flash community has been able to come up in terms of creation and allows us to tinker around with the code. If you like to take a basic principle and see it evolve given enough time and interest, then this is the book for you. If you enjoy seeing "how" things function rather than "why" they work, you have the opportunity to tinker and toy with the variables to see exactly "how" it changes the overall look of the final piece. To get the most from this book the reader is expected to understand the basics of ActionScript as well as the techniques common in most projects. This is not intended to deter the beginner, as you will surely learn much.
The book is laid out pretty straightforward. There are 15 chapters with each one dedicated to a certain individual who goes through each of his creations and iterations.Suggested reading by the people at "Friends of Ed" is to grab the source files, run them, and then read the chapters. Some of the source files are adequately commented so in some, the book isn't even needed. That is not to say, however, that this book is not necessary to understand what's going on. The book gives you quick insight to the authors' mindset and thinking, and each chapter begins with an overview of where they are from, what they do, how they have come to do this, and interests.
There are actually two parts to the book. The second part consists of the last three chapters and has what you'd consider an "application" or an "engine" for viewing the creations and being able to manipulate them directly. The first part of the book is dedicated to finding a variable, which for the most part is explained in the book, changing it to your liking, viewing the results, and reviewing the code. At the end of the book there is a Tangents page which provides 54 links to explore.
In case you are wondering where the math fits in, it's scattered throughout the book. However, sometimes, we are not presented with the reasons for using "128" for variable "p" to multiply by var "b" which has the value of "14". You may often be left scratching your head and asking why, but that isn't the point. Sine and Cosine are presented quite clearly in the first chapter and there is a terrific example from Gabriel Mulzer, but if you are looking to the find the mysteries behind using atan2 to get an angle, then this book will not answer that question. It is up to you to play the part of explorer to find those answers. You are presented with a wealth of methods that people use, inspiration for them, and experiments that the reader is encouraged to break. You are given a chance to use these methods to have fun and use them as springboards to access that creativity that lurks in each and every one of us.
In conclusion, if you enjoy going through code with a fine toothed comb and if you want to pick up valuable techniques for doing certain things with Flash, as well as be dazzled by some of the innovators of our time, get the book. It is the perfect culmination of what Flash ActionScripting can do. I would show the table of contents at this point, but all of the chapters are named after the innovators themselves, and would provide little insight to the contents.
actionscript and Math.......2006-08-21
I appreciate the book and it helps to understand how to create nice animations by using maths.
I think it needs more Classes writing and not only timeline.
People, it's called flash math CREATIVITY.......2005-10-13
The Flash Math books are great. But not if you want an O'Reilly cookbook of answers to your design problems. It's all about inspiration. Being able to look at something and say "wow, that's so beautiful" and either need to make it yourself just on principal, or see that maybe one day you can use the idea yourself on all those practical things you're so worried about. If you get all juiced up creatively from the things you see around you, this is a perfect book. It's 4 instead of 5 because it doesn't come with a CD. But you can go to the website for the book and see things in action.
That probably appealed to the left brain folks.
For the right brain ones among you. No, this will not teach math. No it won't explain much in the math department at all. It does give the code, it allows you to experiment with what Flash will do, it might renew your interest in Flash. Kind of like watching one of the a-lister Flash kids talk at a Flash Forward conference, it might do that more than looking at a Hockney photo collage (both work for me). If you don't work that way, buy it and give it to one of your left brain Flash friends.
It will be great fun for them, they will get to feel like they remember their math and are much better at it now. And it will make pretty things.
Some Assembly Required.......2005-10-07
The book is great. I find the negative reviews puzzling because this book is like a $30 kit for a working spaceship, but you have to weld the wings on yourself. Big deal. What's wanting in so many Flash books are examples of the astonishing things you can do with Flash. This book shows what can be done, then hands you the code on a platter. I guess if you're more the designer type and you want to do great stuff using the math functions in Flash, you, um, er -- need to learn some math. But don't complain that every author hasn't lined up to correct your particular brand of ignorance. Read a book.
Books:
- Self-Working Table Magic: 97 Foolproof Tricks with Everyday Objects
- Shop America: Midcentury Storefront Design 1938-1950
- Simplify Your Life: Get Organized and Stay That Way
- Stone: Designing Kitchens, Baths and Interiors with Natural Stone
- Successful Restaurant Design
- The Abrams Guide to Period Styles for Interiors
- The Art of Exterior Painting: A Step-By-Step Guide to Choosing Colors and Painting Your Home
- The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction
- The Complete Keller: The French Laundry Cookbook & Bouchon
- The Essential Guide to Mold Making & Slip Casting (A Lark Ceramics Book)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- What to Expect When You're Expecting, Third Edition
- Ray Charles A Man and His Soul
- Sensory and Consumer Research in Food Product Design and Development
- Pro .NET 2.0 Windows Forms and Custom Controls in C#
- Twice-Upon-A-Time: Born and Adopted
- The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
- Learn Timeslips for Windows in a Day
- Stress and Distress Among the Unemployed: Hard Times and Vulnerable People
- Dead Frenzy
Flash
| Web Design
| Web Development
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Sams Teach Yourself Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 in 24 Hours (Sams Teach Yourself)
Dreamweaver 8: The Missing Manual
Macromedia Flash 8 @work: Projects and Techniques to Get the Job Done (@Work)
Macromedia Flash 8 Bible
Foundation ActionScript for Flash 8 (Foundation)
