If you’re picking up Flash for the first time with the latest MX release and want a solid tutorial, this Foundation book is for you. It assumes that you want deep, lasting knowledge that will allow you to build up your Flash skills from a solid base. The book centers on a linear tutorial that covers the core features of Flash MX. Each chapter blends theory and practice, with plentiful practical examples, and a case study that runs throughout the whole book to reinforce the learning in an integrated, real-world context. The book promises deep learning that will stick in your mind.

If you’re picking up Flash for the first time with the latest MX release and want a solid tutorial, this foundation book is for you. It assumes that you want deep, lasting knowledge that will allow you to build up your Flash skills from a solid base. The book centers on a linear tutorial that covers the core features of Flash MX. Each chapter blends theory and practice, with plentiful practical examples, and a case study that runs throughout the whole book to reinforce the learning in an integrated, real-world context. The book promises deep learning that will stick in your mind. Book Info Centers on a linear tutorial that covers the core features of Flash MX. Each chapter blends theory and practice, with plentiful practical examples, and a case study that runs throughout the whole book to reinforce the learning in an integrated, real-world context

From the Publisher If you’ve read *Foundation Flash 5*, you should buy our *Flash MX Upgrade Essentials* book instead of this one."This book caters for web designers for who are adopting Flash for the first time with Flash MX. It’s based on the highly-successful and much-acclaimed Foundation Flash 5, and uses the same heavy-duty, sequential, detailed and thorough tutorial method, but it’s fully updated to cover the new and enhanced features in MX. If you’re coming to Flash completely from scratch, this book will give you the broad and solid foundation for exploring MX’s higher-end features. About the Author Kris Besley is a dedicated Flasher and freelance developer/author. Sham Bhangal is a renowned Flash author, with a list of acclaimed titles to his credit. Amanda Farr is a long-time Flash user and evangelist, and was the founder and webmaster for one of the most popular Flash resource sites.

If you’ve never used Flash before, this is the book for you. It uses a series of structured exercises to give you the broad, solid foundation knowledge you need to start your exploration of Flash from scratch. Foundation Flash MX uses a proven sequential, detailed, and accessible tutorial style to ensure that you’ll retain your learning and be able to draw on it throughout your Flash career. Macromedia Flash MX is an exciting product, providing rich creative opportunities for Flash designers and developers at all levels of ability and experience. No single book can hope to provide adequate coverage of all aspects of Flash MX, which is why this book focuses relentlessly on the core skills that you need to get you started: understanding the interface; familiarizing yourself with the creative tools and their capabilities; grasping the relationships between the different components that make up a Flash movie; getting insight into how to put all the pieces together and hook them up with ActionScript. All these aspects (and much more) are covered in detailed tutorials and exercises, reinforced with a case study that runs throughout the book to apply everything in a real-world context. If you’re looking for a book that’ll give you a rock solid grounding in Flash MX, then this is the title for you. Table of Contents 1. Flash Movie Essentials 2. The Flash MX Tools Panel 3. Flash Symbols and Libraries 4. Managing Content 5. Enhancing Your Appearance 6. Motion Tweening 7. Shape Tweening 8. Masks and Masking 9. Actions and Interactions 10. Intelligent Actions 11. Multimedia: Sound and Video 12. Optimizing 13. Publishing 14. Intermediate ActionScript, Part 1 15. Intermediate ActionScript, Part 2 16. High-Level Site Design

If you’re picking up Flash for the first time with the latest MX release and want a solid tutorial, this foundation book is for you. It assumes that you want deep, lasting knowledge that will allow you to build up your Flash skills from a solid base. The book centers on a linear tutorial that covers the core features of Flash MX. Each chapter blends theory and practice, with plentiful practical examples, and a case study that runs throughout the whole book to reinforce the learning in an integrated, real-world context. The book promises deep learning that will stick in your mind. Book Info Centers on a linear tutorial that covers the core features of Flash MX. Each chapter blends theory and practice, with plentiful practical examples, and a case study that runs throughout the whole book to reinforce the learning in an integrated, real-world context.

From the Publisher If you’ve read *Foundation Flash 5*, you should buy our *Flash MX Upgrade Essentials* book instead of this one. This book caters for web designers for who are adopting Flash for the first time with Flash MX. It’s based on the highly-successful and much-acclaimed Foundation Flash 5, and uses the same heavy-duty, sequential, detailed and thorough tutorial method, but it’s fully updated to cover the new and enhanced features in MX. If you’re coming to Flash completely from scratch, this book will give you the broad and solid foundation for exploring MX’s higher-end features. About the Author Kris Besley is a dedicated Flasher and freelance developer/author. Sham Bhangal is a renowned Flash author, with a list of acclaimed titles to his credit. Amanda Farr is a long-time Flash user and evangelist, and was the founder and webmaster for one of the most popular Flash resource sites

Great Tutorial Book
This book is relatively inexpensive (as compared to other similar books) because the files are for download (as opposed to including a CD).

If you are trying to learn Flash this book, in my opinion, is the best tutorial because it doesn’t just give you an exercise that you learn a technique by wrote memory...this book explains the feature how it works...so you end up understanding the basics of Flash. Once doing the tutorials in this book, the reader will probably be able to do, or figure out how to do, many things not included in the book, simply because they will understand how Flash works.

Takes a bit of effort to go through, but real solid...
This book is a VERY GOOD BOOK for those needing solid grounding in Macromedia Flash MX. It’s so good that buying this one book replaces all the other books on the shelf to get solid grounding with how to use Flash. The language is easy to understand, without jargon that clogs your brain and tire you out before they get to the point.

If you’re like me, you probably suffer from attention deficit disorder that is the trademark of the digital generation. Things come at you so fast, technologies popping up at you at speed of thought, and before you know it a new version of the software that promises miracles is out.

You will learn all you need to build a website in Flash MX and have a new career waiting for you, if you’re any talented in aesthetic design, but there is a catch; If and only if you are patient enough to sit through the entire thing. It took me months to get to Chapter 11, and that’s not even the end yet. The first 6 chapters went through easily, but then I always have stamina problems going through really thick, technical books. I probably have about 6 more chapters to go, and although it has taken me this long and will take a bit more of my time, I found some Flash MX books a waste of my money.

I have about 10 books on Flash MX in various forms, and this one is by far the best investment. Most books out there are robbing you in broad daylight, giving you a shaky foundation with so much jargon that it confuses you. Don’t bother with the other beginner’s books and buy this one instead. It will give you real skills, a real case study, and even some real-world Flash MX web development extras.

Great book for the classroom.
I used this book as a classroom manual and was exceptionally pleased with it. The pace was exactly right. The project approach helped the students master a bit at a time. The only complaint was that the Case Study could be confusing at times, but the book is basically error free. I would recommend this book to the person who needs a step-by-step, tutorial-oriented approach done right. Thanks to Friends of Ed for a job well done.

Humble Beginnings
The reasons that the other reviewers found as cause for complaint about this book are the very qualities that I needed: Bite-sized lessons and lots of explanation. These are the things that were missing in my other Flash MX tutorial book (Flash MX Training from the source) that got me really stumped!

I don’t mind this humble approach at all. I didn’t expect Foundation Flash MX to take me to the details of Action Script or other technical stuff or turn me into a guru like some of your guys. (In my dreams!) That would be work enough for other books and very propitious events like the next ice Age. Just like in baseball, I just needed to swing my bat, hit the ball right, get on the first base and be ready for the next run. Exactly what Foundation Flash MX does for me.

I recommend this book to those who are learning on their own and can’t seem to come to grips with the software.

To much example, not enough reference
The foundation books feel like my sons preschool class. Very fluffy, project oriented reading, but useless as a reference. Just get to the point and show me how to do it! There’s a balance between example and reference that make tutorial books valuable, this book and other "Foundation" or "Friends of Ed" books I’ve bought or looked at weigh in too heavy on the example side and the "how do I do this" part is mucked up in the mire of examples.

If you have NO flash experience what so ever, then this might (might) be for you, but if you’ve decided to finally get to learning the details of flash and start getting something out of it, then perhaps the Flash MX Bible would be a better choice, that was my choice and I’m much happier with it. My choice for ActionScript is Macromedias’ Advanced Flash MX Actionscripting. It’s not really advanced, but it is very clear and gets to the point.

Friends of ED has done it again!
I’m the kind of learner that can’t stand reading dictionaries, I get bored instantly without trying things out myself. However, the learn in ’24 hours’ type of tutorial book doesn’t go into enough detail for me to completely understand the material. This book combines the two; Foundation Flash MX gives you an in-depth look at the basic concepts with the latest version of Flash while walking you through some great tutorials. And as an added bonus a lot of the reading makes you laugh at times.

After having completed this book I feel that I can create entire websites in Flash, in fact the book walks you through your own website from start to finish with it’s incredibley helpful ’case study’.

The momentum never stops, I’m already into the Foundation Actionscript For Flash MX and can’t wait to keep getting better!