Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Advanced for Windows and Macintosh: Visual Quickpro Guide

We used this book as a textbook for a second flash course in our multimedia program and overall I would have to say that this book is an excellent introduction to some more advanced techniques in flash mx 2004. I especially like the short tutorial approach that these books use - quick and handy. My only beef is that there isn't anything solid on components or xml, so that is why I say it is an introduction to more advanced topics. Topics like creating your own pull-down menus using tweening and actionscript (not components), attaching sounds, and stuff that requires using export for actionscript. If you are not sure what I am talking about then this is probably the book for you! Otherwise maybe consider something like "Flash MX 2004 actionscript" by Macromedia press.

Chun and Garraffo did an excellent job in creating a book that could be used in and out of a classroom setting. It is also a great reference tool if you need to brush up on something you once learned. Having come from a marketing background, this book is very easy to understand and can truly teach someone how to develop an entire Flash site.

Out of 4 books that I purchased to learn Flash, this is certainly the one with the most attractive format -- the formatting of screen shots and text in the "Visual QuickPro" range is superb. I wish all books were as readable as this one. These books read well chapter-by-chapter, but are also very useful as a reference. The balance and quality of Windows and Mac screen shots is also very good.My minor criticisms are:- Obviously, the book isn't as comprehensive as the Flash MX ActionScript Bible by Robert Reinhardt. So as a reference, I like having this other book handy as well;- The book doesn't always mention whether features are only available in Flash Player 7. For example, there is no mention that the ContextMenu class which is nicely described in chapter 4 requires Flash Player 7 to work.Overall, this book offers excellent value for money.

Absolute beginners to the world of Flash MX 2004 have many choices, but the selection thins out once you advance beyond the basics. Doorstop-sized reference books for ActionScript are often of limited help, because they tell you what a particular line of code will do, but they don't reveal the situations in which the code is useful. Authors Chun and Garraffo have extracted the elements of ActionScript that are most important to the intermediate Flash developer, and explained them in the context of specific objectives.This book covers the essentials of interactivity, nested timelines, and advanced animation that are probably on your to-do list if you are a advanced beginner-intermediate Flash developer. Many of these principles are less than intuitive at first, and the authors have done a superb job of breaking down each task into a series of repeatable steps.The examples given in the book are detailed enough to illustrate each point, but short enough to digest within a few minutes. (I am often exasperated by computer books that require the reader to wade through a lengthy tutorial in order to locate a single technique.)At more than 600 pages, this book will also satisfy those readers who believe that a computer book MUST be a doorstop in order to be worth buying. There is a lot of content here, and the instruction assembled by Chun and Garraffo is well worth the price of the book.