Macromedia Flash MX: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides (Osborne)) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0072222662 ISBN 13: 9780072222661

Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media, 2002

Synopsis

This is a comprehensive introduction to Macromedia Flash, combined with special beginner's-level coverage of ActionScript, Flash's native programming language.

About this title

Review:

Some people have a talent for being able to make new material easy to understand. With over 60 books under his belt, Brian Underdahl is definitely one of them. In Macromedia Flash MX: A Beginner’s Guide, he writes in a friendly yet concise style that makes learning Flash MX, including the rudiments of ActionScript, as easy as putting one foot in front of the other.

The book covers the basic concepts behind Flash--learning the work environment; drawing; creating animations; using motion guides, masks, symbols, imported graphics, and sound; publishing movies; and using ActionScript. If you’ve been resistant to learning the latter up until now, this book may be just the one that gets you started programming your movies with interactivity.

The book moves you along by keeping you thinking, doing, and recapping what you’ve just learned. There are lots of mini-projects for hands-on learning. In fact, by page 22, you’ve gotten your feet wet with a simple animation. Each of the book’s 14 chapters begins with a set of goals and ends with a "Mastery Check" with which you can test your comprehension. And there are pop quizzes on almost every page. Although they may seem elementary, these tests help you learn with confidence and know when it’s safe to skip ahead.

"Ask the Expert" sidebars seem to anticipate readers’ questions. For example, "I opened the Insert menu, and I see there is also a Blank Keyframe command. Why would I choose this command rather than the Keyframe command?" The strict answer would be "When you want to insert a frame that doesn’t copy the contents of the previous keyframe." But Underdahl’s answer goes one step further and lets you know that, most likely, you won’t want to choose a blank keyframe because you’ll probably want to manipulate the previous keyframe’s contents in order to animate them.

In other words, this beginner’s guide doesn’t just define features and tools; it lets you know why you might need them and how they may be useful to you. A good teacher shows what’s possible--and Brian Underdahl is a very good teacher. --Angelynn Grant

From the Back Cover:

Macromedia Flash is the hottest tool on the Web because its quick-loading and motion-rich files dovetail perfectly with the Internet's mission--to provide visual information over which the viewer has navigational control. Capitalize on Flash motion by tweening animated sequence, then add sophisticated behaviors with ActionScript, the native programming language of Flash. Import, edit, and synchronize sound, and work with all types of graphic files--including bitmap. Optimize your movies, then publish to the Web and to alternative formats. From simple animations you can create in minutes, to morphing text and highly animated movies, this resourceful guide will help you get the most from this awesome motion graphics application.

This Beginner's Guide is Designed for Easy Learning: Modules--Each concept is divided into logical modules (chapters), ideal for individualized learning Goals--Each module opens with the specific skills you'll have by the end of the module Ask the Experts--Q&A sections throughout are filled with extra information and interesting commentary 1-Minute Drills--Quick self-assessment sections to check your progress Annotated Syntax--Example code annotated with commentary that points to the particular technique illustrated Projects--Exercises contained in each module show how to apply what you are learning Mastery Checks--End-of-module reviews that test your knowledge using short-answer, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and simple coding questions

About this edition

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0072222662
• ISBN 13: 9780072222661
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 402