What started as a simple animation tool has evolved into a full-fledged Web development environment. Which means that if you’re like many of today’s Flash developers, you may know little about actually creating animations and effects with the program. Here to solve that dilemma is a hands-on guide from one of today’s leading Flash experts. By showing you how to create 10 projects based on real-world Web solutions, author Jen deHaan provides a thorough grounding in all of Flash’s effects and animation fundamentals. Each chapter represents a single project with simple step-by-step instructions for re-creating the cool Web elements pictured in these pages: an animated character, a Flash interface that uses transitions to "page" through different areas of a site, an animated gallery, a dynamic menu that animates using the Tween classes, a simple game, button effects, Timeline animations, scripted effects, text effects, and more! Ten real-world projects reveal the magic behind the most useful Flash-produced animations and effects, and a companion CD includes lesson files and sample software.

Good Overview of Basic Flash
The book might not be perfect but gives a very clear overview of Flash MX 2004 and its animation techniques. I find it very useful for teaching with, as it supplements my class structure. It doesn’t over complicate the description and helps a beginner to understand Flash.
It doesn’t focus only on one aspect of the program but highlights the major elements.

Examples are not clear.
I attempted to read through this book but quickly got lost. The examples were incomplete and the accompanying text referred to practically useless examples.I found this book to be quite confusing.

I would not recommend this book to any level of reader. A beginner (like me) would be confused and an advanced programmer would already be aware of the techniques. You are better off with online tutorials or other books (e.g. the Visual Quickstart series or perhaps the Flash Hacks book.)

Good reference for animation and effects in Flash MX 2004
In her book, Animation and Effects with Macromedia Flash MX 2004, Jen DeHaan covered the animation effects techniques in Flash MX 2004.
Jen started her book with a fast introduction to Flash MX 2004, and then she moved on to the animation techniques in Flash, motion tweening, shape tweening and frame by frame animation.

Also, she did not miss to mention the animation using action script. And in the end of the book, she included useful appendixes about publishing SWF, time line effects and keyboard shortcuts.

However, this book is a good reference for intermediate designers and developers that want to get a solid background on the animation in Flash MX 2004.

Animation and Effects
I read earlier reviews and agree that there is little to be gained from this book that isn’t documented in the base tutorials.

it has good tutorials
I just finished the last chapter and I am happy with what I learned now. I got through each chapter tutorial and I didn’t find all those errors that they see, only maybe a small thing or two. I came here cause I was really happy with this book, very surprised to see those comments. I see some things that are confusing in Flash, but I got all the chapters to work well and seem to understand it too.

it shows you how to do animations with timeline and with code and you learn a lot. It does show you all the steps and how to do cool things in tutorials which is not too easy but Flash isn’t easy. I really look forward to doing my own things now beacuse of the tutorials.

This book is a mess!
If you already have a basic understanding of Flash and just want some exercises to work though to refresh your skills and get some unexpected practise in spotting and correcting errors, this is not a bad book.

It’s inconsistent, incomplete, and error filled. If ever a book needed an online errata, this one does, but there isn’t one. This book needed an editor, BAD!

It’s ten chapters filled with errors and a tiny bit of decent Flash stuff peppered in to keep it from being totally worthless.

The menu line on the book’s web site is cute though. (...)
I’d suggest looking elsewhere for Flash instruction, maybe one of the Macromedia books, someone probably proofed theirs and there’s probably errata as needed.

Unfinished Business
I preordered this book before it was released. For me it is useful, informative and worth its price. It has helped me to build on and consolidate previous basic flash skills.

However, it is disappointing that the accompanying web site FLanimation.com looks like it has been abandoned (as at Jan05) - especially since the book refers to it for checking out extra tutorials etc there. Unbelieveably they are listed as COMING SOON!!! After two months I am still waiting.
Also I don’t want to waste time checking over a tutorial to finally conclude that the action script example was not my fault, but that the text was poorly written. I hope that any corrections in exercises will be listed on the website very soon.

This book is not near the excellence of ADOBE’s ’Classroom in a Book’ series. But then again, very very very few computer books are. The ADOBE textbooks are the benchmark. (No ADOBE doesn’t write books for MACROMEDIA products.)

Overall I am happy that I purchased this book.

Needs much better Action Scripting Examples
I found the sections on Action Scripting to be seriously lacking in easy to follow examples. The accompaning CD had completed exercises that are useless to beginners (not enough step by step examples). I have some familarity with coding as a Macromedia Director User and could not get some the exercises to work (example:Excercise 1 Chapter 7). I got very little from this book and would not recommend it to anyone. Needs better step by step examples.