Flash 5! Creative Web Animation Review

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Authors: Derek Franklin and Brooks Patton
540 Pages

At first glance, the book appears to be a replacement for the Flash 5 manual, explaining the many features of the program in detail. It features a number of full-color pages in the middle which give the URLs and screenshots of some of the more popular Flash sites, for those who are new to Flash and want to see more of what it can do.

I originally reviewed this book in May of last year. Many things have changed since its predecessor first hit the shelves, so what you're reading right now is a new review. If you already own Flash 4! Creative Web Animation and want to know what the differences are between this book and the older one, be sure and read the "What's New?" section below.

First off, the book comes with a CD that's packed with goodies. What makes this bonus package great is not only the number of Flash source files it contains (including some really cool Actionscripting), but also the number of Quicktime movies the authors have included to make your learning experience easier. If you find that this book's detailed explanations and illustrations aren't easy enough to understand, watching the included movies will make it seem as if the authors are sitting right beside you, giving you tips along the way.

The book also covers a wider variety of content than any of the other Flash books I've reviewed, which allows it to appeal to a wider audience. Beginners will appreciate the fact that it starts with the most basic bits of info, and Intermediates will appreciate the tips this book has to offer on planning your Flash projects, such as considering your target audience, the limitations of full-screen animation, frame rate, and more. In addition, Flash veterans who are looking to increase their knowledge of Actionscript will love the fact that this book covers just about every Actionscript function Flash 5 has to offer, and shows that there's usually more than one way to accomplish a certain task.

There isn't much to report here, other than the possibility that Flash newbies may become intimidated by the early introduction of dynamic text fields (this bit would probably work better in the "Advanced Interactivity" section). In addition, some of the code you'll need to type in order to test a few new features is a little lengthier than it should be. Still, it looks like the authors have pretty much ironed out the kinks the last book had. The recent version is much less chatty (and hey, they've even removed the references the last book had to skeletons, the Ten Commandments and Swiss Army Knives)!

This book is a revised edition of Flash 4! Creative Web Animation. Here's a list of what's been upgraded since the last version.

The chapter introductions have been shortened, so things get moving faster.
The book thoroughly explains Flash 5's new panel-based system, the new Pen tool is discussed in detail, and the "line and fill effects" are slightly more detailed.
There's an in-depth look at text editing and formatting, and the authors show you how incredibly easy it is to pull data from external files.
The book illustrates better integration between other Macromedia programs such as Fireworks, and the fact that you can now import PNGs and still be able to edit their text.
Since Flash 5 has WAY more Actionscript functions than Flash 4 did, this book's scripting chapter is obviously larger than the previous one. All the new functions are explained in a way that makes them easy to understand, and most explanations use charts or diagrams for extra clarification. Whereas some of the other "Flash 5" books I've recently read still use some of the older Flash 4 Actionscripting (such as Tell Target), this book shows you which functions have been upgraded, and how to use the new programming syntax.
Shared Libraries are also covered in-depth, and the entire chapter that's devoted to the Movie Explorer will show you what a powerful tool it is for managing projects.
Most importantly, much of the book has been restructured, giving it a more even flow and keeping the relevant information together.

Like its predecessor, Flash 5! Creative Web Animation is a solid book. The latest edition is even better, and a lot of the chat has been removed to help it get to the point quicker, making it very easy to read. The goodies on the CD pack an extra punch, making this book one of the best I've reviewed.

Level of skill this book appeals to:

Level of recommendation, based on other books reviewed: Beginners will like the book because it's easy to read and includes instructional videos on how to use Flash. Intermediates will like it because it's thorough and detailed, and Advanced users will appreciate that almost all Actionscript commands are listed with examples on their usage.