Customer Reviews
good referance 
2008-12-16
i would never have finished my final in digital art without this book. I chose to often thumb through other books (how to cheat in flash) but i often came to this book with specific answers, the answers were easy to find and very detailed. I would recommend this to others
A Great Resource! 
2008-08-25
I borrowed Flash CS3 The Missing Manual from the LA Flash club hoping that it would teach me Flash in a new and more effective way than I was used to. I have read several other Missing Manual tutorial books and have never been disappointed, so I was excited to see if the Flash Missing Manual would meet my high expectations.
The book does a good job of laying out the lessons in a way that is both logical and functional. For example one of the first topics covered is "Creating Simple Drawings", a natural lead in to the next chapter "Animating Your Drawings". While this might seem like the obvious thing to do I have encountered several other books whose lessons seem almost independent of each other and require new files to be created with every lesson. The Missing Manual builds up on each lesson leaving me with a sense of accomplishment and a series of steps that is easy to follow. In the back of the book there is also a very useful "Menu by Menu" layout of almost every Menu and command available to you. This serves as a great quick reference guide when you don't need all the extra information contained in the lessons themselves.
My only gripe with the book is the black and white images and code used throughout the book. While it is not a deal breaker, color code and images would have helped in some instances where I had to take extra time to look and figure out exactly what was going on.
Overall this is one of the best resources that I have found for learning flash, and even when I am finished reading through it it will serve as a great quick reference guide in a pinch.
Missing Manual Missed Actionscript # 
2008-06-16
I bought this book because I liked Dreamweaver CS3 the Missing Manual and thought this would be similar in terms of the way the topic was thoughtfully covered.
The first section on learning the application with regards to drawing and animation were fine. Organizing the storyboard, utilizing the various tools etc. were good and I was able to essentially create what I needed.
Now comes the real problem with this book. CS3 incorporates actionscript 3 as well as 1 and 2. Actionscript 1.0 and 2.0 are going to be around for awhile but as the world turns and so do they days of our lives - actionscript 3.0 is going to gain traction since there are things you can't do in the earlier versions and 3 is going to be more compatible with newer apps like Flex. We'll be moving toward version 3 more and more.
Chapter 9 deals with interactivity and scripting. Unfortunately they don't remind you that you should have openned your document as a actionscript 1.0-2.0 document and all of the scripting that's being done after chapter 9 is in 2.0 only.
The very beginning of the book does have you open a new doc as actionscript 2, but they don't mention that they'll be scripting ONLY in that version later on. If you skip around, you'll miss that point entirely and waste a lot of time following directions that won't function.
If you're going to use Flash CS3 and take advantage of all of its features, you'll have to script in 3.0 anyways. At least it makes more sense to head in that direction. This book seems to have had a good start, but almost seemed rushed to complete based on the authors choice to omit the basics of actionscript 3.
A better book is "Flash CS3 Professional Visual Quickstart Guide". All scripting is done in Actionscript 3.0 and they tell you so much as I mentioned that, that version is going to become standard and 1 and 2 will eventually be out.
If you need more information on actionscript you'll need another book. If you want to create buttons in Flash you'll have to use actionscript so you'll need another book which there are a lot of.
The best one that bridges the gap for a beginner is "Learning Actionscript 3.0" Blue cover - Shupe, Rosser.
Great book and I use it exclusively along with the Visual Quickstart Flash CS3 book to clear the confussion.
Great for Beginners 2008-04-18
This book is geared towards those who have never used Flash. If you are familiar with any other version of Flash, this manual will just tell you what you already know. This manual doesn't go into AS3 or anything complicated. As a 5-year Flash veteran. this manual wasn't really what I needed, but great for an intro-level designer!!!
OK beginners guide - lacks real Actionscript 3.0 
2008-03-27
The biggest upgrade in CS3 is the incorporation of Actionscript 3. It is beyond me why this book focus so heavily on Actionscript 2.
This is a good guide for beginning to learn Flash, but beginners should also learn to use the latest most flexible tools available. There's basic material on the timeline, drawing, creating symbols etc. These are all things Flash developers need to know.
There's not a lot of advanced stuff here. A tiny bit on video and audio and nothing on using XML with flash. Again, a good beginner's book as long as that beginner isn't going to be doing too much Actionscript programming.
A Disappointment 2007-12-16
Flash CS3 is the premier tool for creating web animations and interactive web sites, can be intimidating to learn. This entertaining reference tutorial provides a reader-friendly animation primer and a guided tour of all the program's tools and capabilities. Beginners will learn to use the software in no time, and experienced users will quickly take their skills to the next level. The book gives Flash users of all levels hands-on instructions to help them master: Special effects Morphing Adding audio and video Introducing interactivity And much more With Flash CS3: The Missing Manual you'll be able to turn an idea into a Flash animation, tutorial, or movie. This book will help you create online tutorials, training materials and full-blown presentations. It also teaches design principles throughout and helps you avoid elements that can distract or annoy an audience. This is the first new release of Flash since Adobe bought Macromedia, which means that it's the first version that will integrate easily with other Adobe products. It's a whole new ballgame when it comes to Flash, and Flash CS3: The Missing Manual offers you complete and objective coverage. It's the perfect companion to this powerful software.
Great first book on Flash 2007-11-25
Let's face it - no single book is going to tell you everything you might ever need to know about Flash but I'd say this is pretty much a perfect first book for anybody trying to get to grips with this software package.
It's written in a very clear, accessible style - not at all the dry-as-dust style that blights so many of these technical books - but it's surprisingly comprehensive.
I only started using Flash within the last month but this book got me off to a flying start.
If you want to get into the inner workings of ActionScript 3.0 then you'll need a separate book for that. For everything else, this is the place to start.
Highly recommended.
the missing artist 2007-11-05
there are better products that this one and i am really diassapointed that i spent the money to buy it. the content was written from a point of view like dummies for flash. more dissapointing were the graphics used within the lessons. my third grade son can create better art, and it distracts from the points that are being made to the point that you can't take it seriously. i bought the flash and dreamweaver versions of "missing manuals" and i wish i could get my money back. spend yours somewhere else.
chris davis
A Well Put Together Lesson Manual 2007-10-18
Flash is getting more complex with every new version, both for better and worse. The extra capability is amazing, but the learning curve continues to increase. Fortunately with good instruction you can use Flash at various levels, from beginning designer to complex programmer.
This Missing Manual is very well put together with detailed lessons complimented with well put commentary as to the applicability of the principles being taught. Each lesson guides you through creative steps to help cement the features and capabilities. Though not a full color publication, the abundant screen shots and figures are usefully inserted rather than simply as filler.
Though not a reference publication, this missing manual is well organized such that you can jump in on areas that you find interesting or need help with; reading from start to finish is not required. The book is obviously written with the beginner in mind but can be useful for an intermediate like me that hasn't taken the time to learn the differences in the new version.
Great easy to follow book 2007-10-07
Flash CS3: The Missing Manual
I just got this book and in less than 24 hours Im using Flash in a beginners level, its easy to follow and the learning curve is really good. I firmly believe that when Im done with this book ill be doing mere complex stuff for animations and web.
