Macromedia Flash MX

After looking at a friend's Flash-filled website, I knew I had to learn Flash for myself. This was a great book to get started. First, all the examples actually work. Second, I was able to understand why things worked as I followed along. The author is really good at breaking down complexity into simple, clear examples, then re-combining the examples into something complex that is simple to do and understand. Flash MX is such a versatile tool that I was perplexed learning it from scratch without a book that could unravel the complexity. This one does it in quick, simple steps. As a beginner I thought I was starting out slow, learning to use one tool at a time, but suddenly I was working with layers, timelines, tweens and motion guides making smooth animations flow across the screen, and it all made sense. Actually, I felt the sort of let-down you feel when someone explains a magic trick to you: "Aww, you mean it's that easy?!" Halfway into the book I was animating graphics from my digital camera and recording and using sound effects. I usually have a hard time following "cook book" how-to manuals because I want to know why and how things work, not just what sequence of buttons to push. The author breaks down all the technical pieces into short, sweet paragraphs leading into each exercise, so I knew what was happening technically with each step. There is all the information necessary for publishing Flash animations to the Web and experimenting to find that critical compromise between bandwidth and detail. The book goes easily through tools like the bandwidth profiler and preloaders, to tailor smooth animation at modem speeds. There is lots of detail on using ActionScript to make some very professional looking effects. I found this book useful both because it has all the detail to make every exercise work right the first time - there are few manuals I can say that about! - and because it is really easy to read, with just enough information about the nitty-gritty inner workings of web animation to make learning Flash a comfortable experience. I would recommend this book without question for beginners, and to anyone who uses the basics of Flash and wants to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the tools that are available, that they haven't yet used, because each module stands on its own, so you can skip the familiar parts and pick up where you need to start learning.

I felt like such a latecomer to the "Flash party." Its ubiquitous use on the internet makes it an important technology to understand for web site design, and "A Beginner's Guide" makes it much easier to learn than I'd imagined it would be. The best tutorials give you the right information at the right pace, all neatly organized. This book meets that challenge and brings Flash down to an accessible level. Kudos to an author who got it right.

I was recently tasked with creating an online product tour for our company. I have a lot of HTML and CSS experience but I wanted to do something a bit fancier, and after talking to some people I decided to check out Flash. So far "Flash MX Beginners Guide" seems like a great primer to this software, and it should be a good reference book as I continue to work. The author doesn't make a lot of assumptions about me so I'm not always wondering what a term means. Very well written. If you're looking for a good first book on Flash, I recommend this one.

I am trying to learn Flash because I have heard all of the hype. I have built some pretty basic web pages in the past, but I am interested in creating more exciting content. However, when I got the software, I was basically lost. I just couldn't get a handle on all of the concepts. This book has been a great help. Everything is super clear, and the author organized the book in a very logical manner. I am really pleased with this book. Better yet, you can download all of the working files that the author created for the book.

This is an excellent book. I am a new user, but I have wanted to learn about Flash for a long time. With this book, I was up and running in a couple of hours. I understand all of the basic concepts, and I am learning about ActionScript. The author is really clear, no confusing explanations.