In learning any new skill, having the right teacher makes all the difference. As a newbie to Flash, Macromedia's cutting edge technological tool for web developers, I was thrilled to discover Flash 5 For Dummies, a truly delightful teaching tool.
Unlike many other books on the subject, authors Gurdy Leete and Ellen Finkelstein adopt a tone that is friendly, humorous, and easy-to-understand without being condescending. For each new skill that is presented, they provide clear, step-by-step instructions. By the time I had finished Chapter 10 of the book (Getting Interactive), I was able to create my very first Flash movie which is displayed on my website at www.tomatotreedesigns.com.
Though the book seems most appropriate for the Flash beginner, many advanced skills, such as creating motion guides, mask layers, and applying actions to movie clips and buttons, are covered. If you work your way through the entire book, you will be well-equipped to create Flash movies for personal or commercial use.
Not only does this book provide you with top-notch instruction for learning Flash, but you won't have to pay an arm and a leg for it. At $19.99, the price of the book is about half the price of many other books on the same subject.
The accompanying CD contains many wonderful examples of Flash movies illustrating concepts presented in each chapter of the book. In addition to the sample movies, the accompanying CD contains a library of geometric and fun shapes that you can use in the creation of your own movies. Don't have Flash 5 yet? The CD contains a trial version of the program along with trial versions of Dreamweaver and Fireworks (also from Macromedia) as well as a tryout version of Adobe Photoshop 5.5.
I strongly recommend this book as a first read for anyone starting out in learning Flash. Buy the book. Then you, too, can be one happy dummy. : )
