More than most other creative programs, Flash requires learning a vast amount of information in order to use. As a beginning- and intermediate-level instructor of Flash, I am constantly searching for new ways of organizing and presenting this information that are quick, simple, and effective. Flash CS3: The Missing Manual is written for beginners, especially creative beginners, and approaches the learning of Flash differently from other books I have seen by organizing its Parts and Chapters more by overlying concepts, rather than the specific technologies and techniques used in the program. The authors realize -- correctly, I think -- that people learning Flash tend to want to accomplish something with it, and instead of organizing this book around concepts like Motion/Shape Tweening or MovieClips, which mean little or nothing to a beginner, they have given us chapters like "Animating Your Drawings" and "Interacting with Your Audience."
Besides its intelligent organization, Flash CS3: TMM contains all of the features I expect of a good-quality educational book: clear and concise language, screenshots (both Mac and Windows), tips and tricks, workarounds to common problems, and example source files (accessible from a Web site, rather than an enclosed CD-ROM). Perhaps the biggest strength of this book is the discussion of the "intangibles" behind any successful Flash project: planning, storyboarding, research, and critical thinking. The authors periodically take a step back from the hands-on, computer-program-using tutorials to ask us to stop and think about what we are trying to accomplish with our animation (or whatever we are working on). While not directly related to the learning of Flash, these insights are crucial to learning how to create quality Flash projects.
In terms of learning how to create quality Flash, the book could be greatly improved by not urging of the use of Scenes and teaching the placement of ActionScript code directly on objects (Buttons and MovieClips). Both practices have been discouraged for years by the Flash Industry and run contrary to the official Adobe Flash Best Practices (http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/flash8_bestpractices.html). These methods may be the quickest and easiest ways to get things done in the short run, but ultimately set people up for confusion and trouble later on as they progress in learning Flash. Better to take the time teaching the "proper" methods from the outset.
If you adhere to Adobe Flash Best Practices, you should be able to benefit from reading Flash CS3: The Missing Manual. Most of all, its unique organization of information and its discussion of the conceptual and planning foundation required before starting any Flash project. Its "Menu by Menu" appendix alone -- which defines each and every menu item in Flash and reveals their Mac and Windows keyboard shortcuts -- is priceless to any beginning or intermediate Flash user.
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