Graphics, Animation, and Interactivity with Flash 4.0 [With Cross-Platform]

The growing popularity of Flash 4 faces a scarcity of good books. Not only is there no advanced book available, but the beginner level ones seem to look like the manual at best. There are two intermediate level books: "Flash Web Design" and "Flash 4 Magic". These two books are very good, but they mostly present design concepts and step-by-step examples and not a so much needed conceptual explanation of a tool which is not intuitive at all. Here is where this book by James Mohler comes in. It is repetitive in the beginning, some sections suffer from verbose, and its historical perspective on multimedia is poor. Its first chapters will make any intermediate level user feel bored. But then this is where its weaknesses stop. Conceptual explanations, beautifully insights in the way Flash works (so much needed in such a non intuitive tool), and intermediate and advanced features make this book shine and stand alone. Its explanation of the interaction of Flash with JavaScript is unique. Its treatment of ActionScripts and FS command can not be found in any other book (in spite of being the major strenght of Flash 4 -- which leaves the new Adobe competiting product well behind!). By all means you will not be disappointed with this book, especially if you are serious about Flash. It will give you a level of understanding which will distinguish you from your peers. As a reader here commented, "a real advanced book is going to.. [deal with] database integration with other programs like Cold Fusion". I am planning to write such an advanced Flash 4 book using my senior expertise in ColdFusion, Java, and databases. Yet I will need to tell everyone that there is a book which deals with the all basic concepts and the way one should work with this tool, that there is a book which lays out the groundwork for more advanced treatments. And, no doubt, I will be very happy that this unique and clear book exists.

I have been using flash for quite sometime now and I find this as the best book of all books on the subject. As an advanced Flash developer, I read through the first 100 pages without doing any of the tutorials. I was pleased that the author gave tips on development approach on a project as well as pointing out things in Flash I never knew before.The later chapters explained in detail about Sound and optimization, which are critical for a successful project. And finally, the discussion on the Action scripts were extremely welcomed by this reader. The examples were clear, and the tutorials were easy and not so time consuming.This is not a book just on Flash, but about development in general. I will be teaching Flash one day, and this will be a required book.

Come out of reading this book and you will seriously know what you're doing with Flash. I don't reccomend a straight-out beginner start with this book. I reccomend, if you want to become really good at Flash, you follow the path I took, which is: a) Read the flash help files (the whole thing) b) Buy this book, read it. c) Buy Flash 4 Magic, read it.After that, you will be fully versed in the ways of Flash!

I rate James Mohler's book as excellent. It is easy to read and the examples are clear, very supportive of the text and points being made. It provides a lucid perspective of how Flash fits into the entire Web page development scenario. The book is concise and to-the-point; for a book of only approximately 300 pages, it does an outstanding job of introducing and explaining not only Flash 4 but key concepts related to the use of Flash on the Web. The book is worth your time. After reading this book, a reader will have achieved an inclusive understanding of how everything fits together, supporting the effective application of this interesting and useful technology. This is not another "tutorial" on drawing; Mohler touches on all the key aspects related to the incorporation of Flash and its application. He does it with an aplomb that appeals to both the novice and the more sophisticated or experienced reader.

If you are wanting a book that covers most aspects of developing Flash applications, this is it! It not only provides information specific to Flash, but covers topics relevant to multimedia development in general. Jamie's book is one of the few Flash references on the market that address the use of FS (FlashScript) commands. Don't expect to learn all of the material in the book without viewing and experimenting with the accompanying programs on the supplimental CD. The only thing that might be nice to include in the next edition, is a chapter on integrating Flash into Director Movies.