Flash 5 Studio with CD-ROM

Rating:
Summary: Not bad for a follow up
Review: A very decent addition to my collection of Flash books. The first chapter on Site Design Principles was worth the price of the book alone. Although not definitively project based through all chapters (some are just a few steps), I picked up a lot of valuable techniques that I use in my own career now. Foundation Actionscript should definately be read before this one. I'm having good luck with the Friends of Ed series, hopefully they'll publish a book on Swift 3D next.

Rating:
Summary: Good--but not great
Review: Don't get me wrong, this is a good book. It covers advanced preloaders, which is always nice, creating smart clips, and more advanced actionscripting which is what all serious Flash 5 designers need to know. Plus much, much more.

Since I own Foundation Flash 5, Foundation Actionscript & Dynamic Content Studio (plus 23 other web design/flash books) some of the information is rehashed from other FOED's titles.

I purchased this book with hopes of receiving light-intermediate information on video integration within Flash 5. Most specifically for Flash 5 and Quicktime/Real Player video integration (...)--which this book DID NOT cover. It does a wonderful job of covering Flash 5 and Adobe After Effects (the video program discussed)--but after buying this book, who can afford the close-to-a-thousand dollar Adobe product. I know that serious web designers must know/use Adobe products since the MAC is far superior to the PC when it comes to print & web design/image software & hardware/video software & creation, but video editing/creation can also be achieved (to a moderately satisfying degree) on a PC.

The author should have considered more than one type of video player application and video editing program. Very good applications can be created with Quicktime and Realplayer and some of us up-an-coming Flash designers/users cannot afford the heavywieght Adobe stuff.

So, with that said, if you want to learn video and sound for Flash 5 from a more inclusive and more in-depth source try FOED's other book also/instead, Rich Media Content, as the book covers Final Cut Pro, RealPlayer, Quicktime, Abode After Effects and a score of other applications/programs.

Also, the first chapter--design principles--is bland and useless if you remotely know what a non-hideous website should look like.

Otherwise, this is another good title from FOED.

Rating:
Summary: first 4 chapters are [garbage]
Review: I already know actionscript (Foundation Actionscript by the same publisher is a better book if you don't know actionscript) and by that I know how to use duplicate moive clip, arrays, manipulate movieclip properties, pull dynamic content from a server. If you don't know that stuff, try another book, this one will just frustrate you. Also the first four chapters are absolutely worthless and should have been left out. Although they are written by Flashers with alot of notoriety, the authors of those chapters should be ashamed for writing in such condescending tones. Judging by the experience level required for the rest of the book, the authors of the first four chapters probably thought they were writing for a different book (for complete novices). If you skip past that waste of paper and get to the good stuff, there is some of the best actionscript code around- although I don't think some of authors go far enough (especially the chapter on interactive 3d) probably for fear of giving away their hard earned secrets! Its a very good book, just not the same caliber that Foundation Actionscript was.

Rating:
Summary: Decent but too pricey
Review: I am fairly good at actionscript and the first 3 or four chapters were on design and variables, arrays, which I already know. Along the way they were giving other (not too great sites) a plug also. The best part is the actionscript that is already there. For one thing, I don't like to work in expert mode and this book demands it. Therefore you have to watch your syntax very carefully and it is a painstaking process. This book seems like there is only one way to actionscript in Flash (EXPERT) and I found that annoying because everything could be done in normal mode. I must admit the game is very cool and some of the code within the book is worth the money, but it leaves you lost in between. The XML for beginner section and some of the sound tips are good but be prepared to work in expert mode throughout this book which can be a real pain in the butt.

Rating:
Summary: Sloppy Work
Review: I have now a total of 5 Friends of Ed book on Flash, but I have been disappointed so much so that now I vow not to buy another one. It is simply getting too sloppy for my liking. Often, codes don't work, or work with errors, and explanations are inadequate. I bought Flash 5 Studio 2 years ago, and recently, I wanted to learn more about Flash and XML, and looked at its chapter 20. I followed the codes and in the end, found that they don't work. Then I downloaded their files on the friendsofed.com site, and still they don't work. When I read through the instructions carefully, I found that they missed out many vital points. They added new lines to an example, but did not tell you all the consequential changes needed to the old code to make it work. Very frustrating and a waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: Are you designer turned programmer, start here!
Review: Keep in mind that Friends of Ed targets these books to designers, and that the books are written by both designers and programmers!
(Programmers already know how to do this stuff, maybe just not in the flash environment.)

So if you are a designer who doesn't have a programmer working the ActionScript side of flash for you, this book would be a great desktop reference to complete a range of flash projects!

Also, While all sections are not perfectly written or perfectly coded the book is packed full of code and information for the person who is truly willing to put the time in and learn the many aspects of flash!

Rating:
Summary: Blind Buy
Review: Kudos to publishers Friends of Ed for figuring out exactly what a beginning, intermediate, or advanced user of Flash needs, and writing books that deliver the appropriate material to each level. This entry in the Studio series is aimed squarely at intermediate Flash creators--those who are out there already "doing it"--and promises to perfect their techniques and hone their skills.
Calling upon a talented group of over 20 cutting-edge "Flashers" (working Flash professionals) to helm different chapters, Flash 5 Studio covers advanced site management, content creation (like Smart Clips, cartooning, video, and sound), dynamic content (interactive movies that feed content dynamically from separate data sources--for example, news headlines), ActionScripting, and issues that are crucial to partial or full Flash Web sites (like preloaders or optimizing Flash for search engines). The motto of the book: "deeper, more serious, more fully explained."

Each chapter teaches a specific technique or concept through examples that capitalize on the particular talents of that chapter's Flasher/author. For example, Nikhil Adnani is a talented and humorous cartoonist/animator from Canada...,and his chapter walks you through practical steps for creating charminganimations (such as making a cow strut), while dispensing good advice oncharacter design, making convincing movement, and optimization. RichardMapes ... provides an introduction to ActionScript principles; if coding seems beyond you, this might just clear the fog. From there, readers can explore scripting used in 3-D effects or object-oriented games... The CD-ROM contains project FLAs and SWFs, as well as color images from selected chapters, and trial versions of software.

The advantage of learning from a book many designers and coders have had a hand in writing is that you're guaranteed a discussion that includes real-life goals and pitfalls. Also, if the style of one chapter's author doesn't quite jibe with yours, perhaps the next one's will. You're sure to come away with a deeper understanding of Flash and ActionScript, and a whole mess of new ideas to try. --Angelynn Grant

Topics covered:

Site design principles
Content creation, including working with Smart Clips, combining Flash and external 3-D applications, cartoon animation, using video in Flash, sound, transparency, masking and text, buttons, and menus
ActionScript principles and creating with ActionScript, including simple and 3-D visual effects and simple and object-oriented games
Combininginteractive Flash movies that draw data from outside sources, including usingXML
Efficiently integrating Flash into a Web site, creating a preloader, and optimizing for search engines

Rating:
Summary: Great book - TOO MUCH HIDDEN STUFF!
Review: This book is fantastic and will help get you started - but it does little to keep you on track. The steps are clear and concise, but I found myself with a pen correcting many things the authors left out. Simple things that will hinder your progress is left unnoticed. The authors are also very vague on some of the more advanced techniques.

Rating:
Summary: 3rd and best of my friends of ED books.
Review: This is the one I use the most, always some little details to learn and imrpove my stuff. I like their books and will prob'ly buy all of 'em.