Flash

5 stars if you know Flash well.
1 star if you haven't had any experience with it at all.

I was a beginner once, who couldn't figure out Flash at all. I'd like to help you build a bridge between where you may be now, as a beginner, to where you may find yourself aspiring to go.

If your only experience with Flash is to have seen the many wonderful and breathtaking Flash movies on the Internet and just had a look at the authoring tool, I strongly recommend that you leave this book until much later. It has its place in the learning curve but it isn't, in my opinion, the first book to see.

There are understandings to possess that this book doesn't cover sufficiently well enough for those whose minds work in particular ways. This is a programming book, for using the phenomenon of programming to create great design and animations. Whilst the focus is on design, you aren't using the design tools on the interface. With this book, you are using the Actionscript language and you have to have a logical mind for this activity (as well as keeping your strong creative one).

I began my steep learning curve with Flash by watching others and watching video tutorials, especially those by George Pierson. In this way, I can ask questions that are tailored for me and I get tailored responses. Books aren't always able to do so well here.

What is great about this book is the MX Actionscript reference in it and the seemingly well designed theory tutorials. I can't find a fault with the reference. The theory is quite good. In the reference, all Flash MX commands are covered. There are examples of how to use them, but the coverage may not be enough for some. Brill. Just BRILL. I can be excited but because I can follow Actionscript.

Approach this book when you are successfully making Flash movies on your own. Yes, on your own. For me, this book is an aid for when I am going to where I haven't gone to before. It helps me make judgements on ideas I get.

I just bought this book about a month ago. I have experience in C, C++, Java, and Assembly Language programming. I've been messing around with flash mx for awhile and I wanted to get into actionscript. In my opinion, if you have experience in any programming language this book will really help you get into actionscript. It has alot of tutorials that let you see the structure of how things are related. Using flash's methods(functions), creating instances, and dot notation referencing. I would say that it doesn't lead you on any long creation projects. It's alot of one or two pages and done examples. Good for beginning and bad for deep insight. The thing that I think will make this book end up being a great purchase for a first actionscript book is the complete a.s. dictionary in the back. It has a complete def. of every method and how it is used in the back of the book. That is something that will always be good as reference no matter what you are doing. If you have no experience in coding this book should still be able to help you. It's been awhile since I started coding so it's a little harder for me to judge on that note. Pretty good book though.

things needed more of:
xml tutorials, deeper web design creation

I thought this would be a reference. Well guess what, I was wrong. This is a reference in the back half, but a How-To in the front half. I'd say, skip every other ActionScript book till you buy this one. If I'd known this would have tutorials in the first half (yes the first 400 or so pages are tutorials), I wouldn't have bought some of the other ones I have. Combined with the CD content, this book is a great first book for the intermediate animator moving into scripting. And, it will stay usefull for as long as you are using Flash MX. Between this book and the O'Reilly book "ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition" by Colin Moock, you'll have all you really need. Then you can buy the specialized stuff on games or UI or whatever.

I took the advice of others and ordered this book. There is no hype on this book. I would consider it just as important as batteries for my flash. The book doesn't cover the D1 series explicitly but the information provided allows the D1 user to gain better control over off-camera flash scenarios and multi-flash situations. An excellent book for all but true professionals (who probably already know the pearls in this book).

after reading The Nikon Flash Guide i wonder why i went through college for photography for!!!!
some of the information was technical, but Hogan is a witty writer and i was able to get through it for the most part. info is super helpful

I have purchased 4 or 5 Nikon flashes, ranging from the SB-11 to the newest SB80DX because most of my pics are portraits or candid people shots. Have even done a few weddings for friends. I find myself consistently re-reading sections of Hogan's chapter, Flash Techniques before a major picture taking event. Bottom line, I consistently get the best skin tones in my pics by following the author's recommendations, e.g., use standard TTL vice multi-sensor balanced fill flash ("...Nikon's TTL system is dam good...")! No more washed out facial skin tones! Best part of the book is the first 80 or 90 pages; I haven't delved into the remaining pages dealing with specific Nikon flash models. I hope updated versions expand on flash techniques.

This book is mindblowing. The excitement never ends. You will never want to put Chris Archer's work down!

This is the only Mindwarp book that I have read so far and I think it's awsome. I'm a huge fan of a series called Animorphs by K.A. Applegate, but I think I'm gunna like this series even better. From this book I can tell that the Alpha children find out alot about themselves, that this has nothing to do with aliens and they find out how they got the powers. A boy Ethan finds his father (who his powers came from geneticaly). From this book it seems like I'm gunna be the biggest fan of this series and I'd recomend this book to any other anifan out there. I would be glad to chat with anyone about these titles.

This book was great! Even better than # 6, my was-been favorite. The only thing about this book is it's a to be continued. I hate that. In this book, a lot of info is given. The shape-shifting aliens are called "Omegas." A new species is also involved. They are called "Sweepers." And you know the mindwarp kids who I refer to as "the alien kids?" Well, they also have a name. The Alpha children. Even though I don't mind, I think it was a little unfair that once again, girls are the unimportant part of a series. The girls only had 11 chapters, while the boys had 13. (Boys rule!) Wouldn't you know that we have the unlucky number. . . Toni runs into Elena and Todd while trying to find Ethan. Ethan had been chased after by a Sweeper and escaped, only to be caught by a Topsider. Oh yes! There are no such things as aliens. The Alpha children and their parents were a government project that went right. Too right! The government didn't want them, so they created the Omegas. The Omegas turned against them. Then there was a nuclear war in the year 2094. Everything went wrong. The humans on the surface turned into freaks called Topsiders. Those that stayed underground remained mostly normal. I can't believe Todd and Elena are alive. I wonder what Todd's power is. . . . Elena had a vision, though. She said the others would come back to rescue her and Todd. Ethan meets his father, but that part was sort of sad. He died at the end of the book, while rescuing the kids. There were two new people in this book who were friends: Whistler and Jinx. I don't know what happened to Whistler, but Jinx is in the end of the book and she's going to help them go back to the present time. And as a bonus, the book gave subtle hints that Ashley likes Ethan. I just have 3 questions: When they're in their tube, do Todd and Elena communicate in thought-speech? Why are they worried about the fact that Ethan's dad is dead and the Earth is doomed when that is only a possible future? How come Ethan's dad is said to be about 40 years old while in the future when in the "past" he's also supposed to be old. Shouldn't he have been dead by then? If anyone knows the answers to some of my questions, e-mail me.

This is an excellent book, not just because its from a Canadian author. I picked the book up about a year ago but never gave it much chance. I finally decided that I wanted to learn Flash so I began to go through the book. In 5 days I finished the entire book and I learnt so much from this books style. Instead of the way alot of books are written, where you work on a project and apply a bunch of techniques to it, this book shows you all the functions and where they apply to without all the hassle of having to create a big project to learn new concepts. Excellent book for people who are new to Flash.

This book is perfect for beginners who are just starting out. You will learn Flash MX through step-by-step visual instructions. The book is excellently organized and has perfect chapters as you move on. By the end you will grasp all the great things you can do in Flash MX. It is an excellent way to jump in to ActionScript. Every lesson has a screenshot of Flash MX and show clear steps. So, get this book and see what this book can do for you.

This book is really easy to understand and easy to go about it. If you are a newbie and need some hints on "how to do", this is the book you need. Pretty simple, efficient and pack with a punch. For me, it was breeze and just to refresh things I had learned from past versions, yet I had never put it to use until now. If you are like me, and you want to know what is new on flash mx version. Be ready to breeze through, but if you are newbie. Be ready to dig in deep.

It's all good... lot's of info, examples, details, etc etc...
I do have to comment though that everything you find in this book is EASILY found and sometimes in a way more deep and detailed manner in the Macromedia Flash Help section and in www.macromedia.com Flash support section... I would not consider this an essential book even though one feels secure to have it close...

Although some constructs present in both Javascript and Actionscript (like the arguments object) that managed to go completely unmentioned in the Actionscript Reference Guide that shipped with the boxed version of Flash are discussed, the "Actionscript Fundamentals" section of this book is not a retread of Javascript basics. There's a whole chapter on events and event-handling in Flash, including a comprehensive treatment of movie clip events. The chapter on OOP in Actionscript is the *first* real discussion of object-oriented Actionscript programming that I've seen outside of a few posts to a Flash programming mailing list. The detailed coverage of the stacking order of movies and movie clip instances is priceless - Figure 13-4, "The complete Flash Player movie clip stack" is the clearest visual representation of movie and movie clip instance stacking available.

The "Language Reference" is basically the Actionscript Dictionary from the Flash 5 Actionscript Reference Guide on steroids. In fact, it would almost be worth the full price of the complete book all by itself. Code is sprinkled liberally throughout.

For anyone developing in Flash, this book is simply a must-have.

I probably come from a slightly different perspective than others here, for I consider myself to be someone who's already learned the ins-and-outs of ActionScript pretty well. I have a number of Flash related books sitting on my shelf, some helpful, others just recipe books for specific functions. But Moock's "The Definitive Guide" is the one Flash book that will sit on my desk, next to my monitor, ready to rumble.

The reason is this: Macromedia's reference materials are banal, poorly written, and just overly complex. I bought Moock's book just so I could have a decent reference manual, but after reading the first few pages of the introduction, I was hooked. Moock's tone, style, and humor is addictive. He explains seemingly complex topics in clear, down-to-earth style that puts most technical writers to shame.

This is the manual Macromedia should have written. I can only imagine how much time I could have saved from the get-go if this "bible" existed when I first started out. Whether you're an old programming pro, or a graphic designer who shivers when seeing the "Actions" palette, this is for you. You don't need pretty pictures, testimonials, or inspirational interviews with Flash gurus. This is all you'll ever need.

I strongly suggest for those of you who really want to learn how to use Flash, to buy this book. This book serves as a "beginner cookbook"! Last Fall, I took Flash 5 course by Brad Kaldahl and his book is excellent! In his introduction, he states:

"If you have never worked with Flash you will appreciate the easy to use, short, step by step projects. Rather than describing each palette and menu item and giving an explanation of what they do, you will learn by doing. From the second chapter on, you will be quickly producing exciting web content.

As an educator I designed this text because there are no book that tell you where you should start and provide a logical, easy to understand, progression for learning Flash. Both my students and I agree that the most enjoyable way to learn complex software is with short projects that show cool, fun, interesting technigues that can be used (or modified) immediately."

Authors who plan to write books on graphic design, animation or 3-D models should follow his example!

i would have to classify this book as a "beginner cookbook"

it's an awesome value, considering that it's half the price of New Rider Cookbooks(flash 5 magic, flash deconstruction, etc).

but most importantly, the tutorials are practical.. those found in new riders ones aren't so... more of pointless razzle dazzle... don't get me wrong; new rider books are usually on the mark... but this book is simply far better overall than new rider ones

but do not make the mistake of thinking that you've mastered flash after having completed this book... i realized that regardless of the different methods everyone takes in learning, there's really no short cut... having achieved certain flash results means nothing more than "monkey see monkey do"

i highly recommend Foundation Flash 5 for learning Flash; with flash vqs by katherine ulrich, you'll learn what's available to you in flash 5, but won't learn the workflow... which i think is more important... once you find yourself midway on the flash ladder, go thru new masters of flash by friends of ed.. to give you some inspirational motivation as well as to see the full potential of flash.. which i think is as difficult to master as the never-ending photoshop.

i already wrote a review on this book, but let me write a better convincing one.

despite the fact that this cookbook is 200 pages in length, one can obviously conclude that it probably took longer for him to devise this book than it would for another lazy author who just wants to make money(and those of you that possess many books know what i'm talking about!) =) so, what's my point? he clearly cares that you learn and get the best out of the book and i would have to categorize him as one of the noble people in the world who don't care about money but are passion driven and want to help people. i even emailed him encouraging him to keep on writing... where is the director book???? =P and the specific details of the book... i don't think there's a need for me to mention any... IT WORKS! why does it work.. b/c his philosophy of "collection of short hands on projects" logic is the same advocated by technology experts at IVY LEAGUE schools such as MIT(which i believe the author carefully researched as well to make sure we effectively learn... what a guy..) ok, i'm not gay..

and as per the review below stating something along the lines of "...leaves you with beginner knowledge." ignore that guy... how does one walk without learning to crawl first? and besides.. if you have some software experience, i'm sure that you can figure everything out on your own thru trial and error after having completed this book.

I'm sorry I bought this book!
Because it's so good!
And now the MX version is out,
but I already have the Flash 5 one!
Anybody wants to buy it off me,
so I can get the new issue?
;-)

Just so review readers know where I'm coming from, I'm one of those "Actionscript gurus" who speaks, teaches, researches, freelances, and writes about very advanced Actionscript topics. I usually don't even look at beginner-level books even though they send me copies, but I received a recommendation to read through "Actionscripting in Flash". For two years, I've heard the same question on newsgroups, forums, websites, email, etc.: "I don't know any programming, but I want to get into Actionscript. Can you show me how to use Flash and Actionscript?"
Usually, I have to point newbies to my list of favorite tutorials scattered throughout the web, and write them a list of concepts to learn in the proper order. The most difficult concept to relate is that Flash programming is more than traditional programming, and requires a somewhat different perspective on the significance of scripting languages in a vector-based animation environment. There's a lot of essential knowledge scattered among various sites and books.
If anyone asks me again (and they will), now I've got a simple answer... get Kerman's book and call me a few weeks later :-) I've never posted any reviews on Amazon before, but I wanted to post a professional's review to reaffirm that this is a very thoughtfully prepared text that you will appreciate within the first two chapters and on through the last page. Kerman's hard work definitely pays off in the overall quality of his explanations.

The first half of the book teaches all the important subjects in Actionscript, while the second half makes you apply what you learned in real-world projects. Either half would be worth the price of this book, IMHO, and the progression of difficulty smooths out the erratic learning curve faced by Actionscript newcomers.
Show me an author who devotes a whole chapter to DEBUGGING (not always easy in Flash) and I'll show you someone who really cares about quality. This book is a breath of fresh air to the introductory levels of Flash. -S

It has taught me Actionscript.

I finished Phillip Kerman's "Learn Flash 5 in 24 Hours" a few weeks ago, gave it raving reviews, and then started this one. At first, I didn't know it was the same author, but the foreward gave me a nice surprise.

This guy is a great teacher. Don't underestimate this review. I hold him in the same regard as Danny Goodman and his remarkable books on JavaScript. Kerman is a natural.

I have about 20 Flash 5 books, and the best ActionScript books are "ActionScripting in Flash" and the Oreilly "Definitive Guide". Get the rest of the info and tutorials on the Web. Once you've read these books, and practice every day, you'll be making great interactive Flash projects in no time. I promise.

Flashover will be welcomed by mystery readers looking for an alternative to the police procedural and a new style of non-traditional heroine. Suzanne Chazin, who is married to a New York City firefighter, allows us to get behind the scenes of a world few of us will ever see.
The strength of Flashover comes from a strong, plausible plot, where both crime and solution are grounded in the author's thorough grasp of pyrotechnics. Fire Marshal Georgia Skeehan investigates two mysterious fires that show signs of "flashover," combustion of a room and its contents by simultaneous ignition.
Skeehan believes both deaths are connected to denial of disability coverage to fighters who fought a warehouse blaze nearly thirty years ago. She meets resistance and veiled threats when she digs through past reports. Adding to her frustration, her best friend disappears and her boyfriend arrested on suspicion.
The last chapters are worth the price of admission. Chazin takes us through an adventure scene that keeps the pages turning, building a unique venue for the final conflict. The heroine seems completely cornered but uses her own skills to rescue herself. The solution plays fair: we are surprised but not deceived when we learn the identity of the villain
For many readers, the strong plot and setting will outweigh the awkward writing and incomplete characters. Most annoying are the abundant clichés ("...a ghost of its former self..." "stopped ... in her tracks...") and far-fetched, distracting analogies.
How does it feel to have blood "crystallizing" in your veins? Or your heart as tight as a twisted dishrag? Or your stomach like a box with marbles rattling around? Or see a sky the color of a faded t-shirt? What does it mean for someone to have "a firefighter's sincerity?"
The author needs to step back and let her characters reveal themselves and their thoughts. Is it Georgia who sees Federalist columns and Beaux Arts touches on Grand Central or is the author intruding? Was Georgia an art history major in college?
Ironically, the brief chapters about "Hood" and "Bear" are written with greater sensitivity. Some supporting characters -- the boyfriend and best friend -- have more recognizable, identifying features and dialogue than the main character.
Still, the plot and setting are strong enough to outweigh the book's flaws. I'd pack Flashover for flight or beach reading. With meatier character development and a tighter writing style, the series should evolve from "very good" to "truly great."

I was looking for a good summer read when a review oh Flashover, by Suzanne Chazin, caught my eye in my local newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer. The book sounded so unique and interesting I went out and bought a copy. I loved it! This is a first-rate mystery with all the elements--an intriguing plot, an authentic sense of place--New York City--and most of all, realistic and sympathetic characters. Georgia Sheehan is a fantastic heroine. She's smart, tough, and yet full of human failings that make her come right off the page! I love the relationship between Georgia and Mac Marenko. The story was so exciting, I ended up reading the book in one sitting! Now, I'm going out to buy the first book in the series--The Fourth Angel.

As a firefighter for 20+ years, I found Suzannes books to be wonderfully written and accurate. Very hard to put her books down!

Flash MX is a program where one cannot just poke around and expect results. If you have never come in contact with layers or symbols in other graphics or vector programs, Flash is perhaps very a diffucult program to get used to.

This book guides you from a person who knows nothing about flash to a beginner. Trust me, this book only touches the surface in Flash simply becuase it offers almost nothing in the subject of ActionScripting. And that is why I would only recommend this book to absolute beginners.

For instance the actionscripting chapters only detail on gotoAndPlay(), startDrag() and onClipEvent(enterFrame) handlers (or whatever you call them) If you want to learn about dynamic event handlers or functions or prototypes, look elsewhere.

Putting that aside, this book is written and structured very well. The first few chapters offer an introduction to drawing while the middle of the book is devoted to animating. The last few chapters are about actionscripting and optimizing. Philip Kerman is offering a book that allows a serious Flash programmer to start a wonderful career/hobby.

I started to get interested in Flash, not because of its vector art angle for the web, but for its ability to produce high quality web presentations for any platform: think Java as art. I'm very comfortable with CorelDraw and Illustrator, so picking up the drawing tools of Flash was second nature. However, it's the programming side of Flash that has me beat. I admit it, I'm a visual/word guy, not a logical programming nerd. But, to do Flash right you have to learn the nuts and bolts as well as the Action Scripting (Flash's programming language). I'm hear to say that one Phillip Kerman has done himself proud. He's produced the best Flash MX intro tutorial I've found. I tried lots of books from the library before I actually bought this one, thank goodness. This book will guide you through the introductory steps as well the later Action Scripting with a gentle hand. The only complaint I have is that he doesn't quite explain in sufficient detail why you're performing a certain task. For example, I stumbled over why you had to create a symbol within a symbol to achieve a rotating wheel until I pondered on it for a while. It's not obvious why, but eventually you'll find it is accessible. So, do yourself a favor if you're a Flash wannabe, get this book.

If you're a novice and trying to decide what would be the best Flash MX book to own, this would be the one. Right off the bat, he has you with your first simple animation. Then, you're hooked! Also makes a fine reference book too!

This book is well written, and the author knows what he's talking about. However, I found he repeats things and often complicates simple things. After reading the chapter about PocketPC Flash technology I found it offered no more information than the Macromedia SDK (free on their website). He does offer some additional advice on PPC game development such as color and art optimization; common sense to most Flash developers. The book attemps to explain how to program a complete game in ActionScript, but does not elaborate on the details of ActionScript (ie: mentions the use of arrays, but doesn't explain their complex charictaristics). If your looking to learn ActionScript, this is not the book. Overall, this book has the advantage of being one of the first in it's catagory.

I just finished reading "Flash the Future" from the folks over at Flash the Future. It's great, as in really good and you should go out and get it now. Some may ask "I already have Flash Enabled the book, do I need this?" The answer is (and what you'll hear from me from now on since I've read this) you really need both books if you're interested in creating rich content for multiple devices. With both books, there's not much overlap and everything gets covered in deeper and broader ways. Amazon has a special, so go for it.

After reading this book, I was VERY happy to have spent the money to pick this one up!

What struck me most, just from reading the table of contents, was the breadth of the content that is found in Flash: the Future. Not only is there information on creating Flash content for PocketPC 2002, but the book also covers Flash for Broadcast (DVD, iTV, and consoles), as well as the Nokia 9200 series. This book covers all of these topics extremely well. Just over half of the book devoted to developing content for the Pocket PC.

There are several different authors who contribute chapters in this section, and each authors' respective expertise in each different topic is evident throughout the section. For example, in each chapter you will find valuable tips and tricks that only come from such experience.

Flash: the Future is a well written and well edited title, and I strongly recommend picking it up if you are serious about Flash development.