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Macromedia Flash 8 Advanced for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide (Visual Quickpro Guide)
Books: Computers: Macromedia Flash 8: Item 7
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Macromedia Flash 8 Advanced for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide (Visual Quickpro Guide)by Russell Chun and H. Paul Robertson
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: Good for general Flash skills, May 17, 2006 Reviewer:Nathan Walton (Bloomington, IN) - This is a PeachPit Press "Visual QuickPro Guide"--similar to their "Visual QuickStart" training book series, but aimed at more experienced users. The series uses a task-based training approach, teaching skills through short step-by-step exercises. This approach has some major drawbacks for me, although this particular book seems to have dealt with some issues fairly well. My first complaint is that task-based training tends to focus too much on quick, "surface" results without really giving an understanding of what is happening and why it works. This makes it difficult to apply skills effectively in future situations, or to know when they ought to be applied. A task-based organization also makes it difficult to use a book as a reference, since information is dispersed throughout the exercises. I was pleasantly surprised with Macromedia Flash 8 Advanced in many ways. First, I found that the chapters had a good mix of theoretical instruction and practical exercises. Almost every exercise was accompanied by an explanation of topics: what might be new to Flash 8, how the techniques might be important in a larger context, and an overview of how they work. There were a lot of explanatory sidebars and tips that offered very useful, relevant information. I was also pleased with the indexing, and I was able to find information on several topics as I worked. Most of the step-by-step instructions were very general, giving a basic process without getting sidetracked into specific projects. Overall, I found that this book does just what it claims to do: it gives good, quick explanations of some advanced Flash topics and skills, such as external communications, sound and video, and dynamic content, as well as complex handling of things like movieClips, text, and buttons. It does not offer much in-depth discussion on any topic, and it does not focus on any area of Flash development specifically, but it takes a very broad approach to expanding Flash skills. I should particularly mention that I wouldn't recommend the book to someone trying to learn actionscript, since the actionscript in the book lacks the depth or focus that can be found elsewhere (O'Reilly's Actionscript for Flash MX), and information is dispersed throughout the book. It also does not really cover Flash components. I would recommend it to Flash users who want to expand their general skills and (especially) keep current with some of the growing capabilities of Flash. The book also includes a CD with working files for the exercises and a trial version of Flash 8.
Book Description
As a professional Flash developer, nobody knows more about Flash 8 than you or at least they better not! To make sure they don't, you need this task-based guide. By applying the popular Visual QuickStart format--easy, step-by-step instructions and loads of visual aids--to more complex topics, this guide offers the quickest, easiest way to get up to speed on the advanced Flash features that can make or break a project. You'll find straight-ahead, concise explanations of all the animation, navigation, and interactivity techniques you'll need to master to create dynamic Web sites with Flash. You'll also find complete coverage of all that's new in Flash 8. By emphasizing methodology and problem solving over features inventories and long, techie discussions, this guide teaches Flash the way you use it--dynamically, interactively, and to get a job done!
About The Author
Russell Chun is a medical illustrator, writer, and teacher. He’s the author of this book’s previous editions, including Macromedia Flash MX 2004 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide. He develops instructional media for Benjamin Cummings, an educational science publisher. He has written numerous magazine articles on Flash, and he teaches Flash at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley.
Paul Robertson develops web applications and writes and teaches workshops on Flash and web development for Indiana University. He is a Macromedia Certified Flash Developer and holds a Master's degree in Instructional Systems Technology.
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