Flash 5 Advanced for Windows and Macintosh: Visual Quickpro Guide [With CDROM and CD (Audio)]

This book is simply a wonderful inpiration not just because it provides a wealth of information without drawn out-dumbed down diatribe, but because it also literally inspires designers to immediately get to work with the new concepts presented throughout the material.This book is not for the lighthearted flash beginner who needs their hands held through each step. It provides clear and quick instructions for working web developers that have actual projects to do and deadlines to work with. Keep in mind, the cover says, "Flash 5 ADVANCED." This means that the book is for those who know how to use flash but want to tweak their web site's visual attraction and begin thinking about creating an enviornment for dynamic content and easy data manipulation and maintenance.Nevertheless, this book is not a comprehensive reference for flash 5 programmers. It is merely a tool to get your site looking and behaving more professionally off the bat...and is more of a catalyst to your professional advancement with flash 5 rather than a complete foundation from which your skill stands. It opens the doors of possibility...but once you get to the other side, it's all up to you!Buy this book. If you flash, you should own it. I also suggest the "friends of ed" series...ie: "Foundation Actionscript" & "Flash 5 Studio." The new Flash 5 Bible just came out too...although I haven't read it yet, I will buy it because the bible books are usually brilliant reference tools. Speaking of which, if you don't know javascript, you need to, so but the Javascript Bible while you're at it. If you are serious about being a flash programmer for a living...these books are all invaluable and truly rewarding investments into your future.

If you know how to use the very basic tools in flash, like drawing, animating, and tweening, then get this book! This book teaches you more than most other books do about the advanced features in flash. If you are totally new to flash, then i would recommend reading "Macromedia Flash For Windows and Macintosh 5 Visual Quickstart Guide" The author of this book does leave out some detail while explaining different tutorials, but it's usually very simple things, because he assumes you have a basic knowledge of Flash. Overall, this is one of the best flash books out there. When you're done reading this book, I would recommend reading "Foundation Actionscript" for an even deeper knowledge of the powerful Actionscript language in Flash.

The topics may jump around, but I have not found a better book to explain the ins and outs of Flash actionscript. I may not know it all, but with this book, I feel confident that I can find the answers. I have also purchased "Flash5 Magic" and "Flash ActionScript f/x & Design" but this book blows them away for concise and indepth explainations. Beginners beware. These topics go pretty deep. But that's where the fun is.

This is an excellent book. It covers several difficult concepts in a very clear and consice manner. The topics I found most useful were: Detemining angles with atan2(), working with Math methods, using external .txt/html files and a host of others. I would (and have) recommend this book to anyway who has completed the standard "here is how you use the tools... this is called the paint bucket" sort of books and wants to get serious about their actionscripting. I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing this book before tackling "Flash 5 Magic - Actionscript".

For anyone with a good grasp of the basics of flash, this book is an indispensable stepping stone. Beginning with the concepts of building complexity and working with video and 3d, it goes on to dive into ActionScripting. From communicating with other programs to manipulating data, this book leads you throught in the clear and insightful methods common to the visual quickstart series. Unlike many flash books, this is not just a display of other artists' work but rather a well organized and structured learning tool.