ActionScript 3.0 in Flash CS3 Professional Essential Training

To fully take advantage of Flash CS3, it’s necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of ActionScript 3.0. From manipulating movie clips and responding to user actions with variables to writing functions and conditional operators, ActionScript 3.0 in Flash CS3 Professional Essential Training covers the vital skills necessary to master ActionScript 3.0. Instructor Todd Perkins uses numerous hands-on examples – including two game-building exercises – to explore ActionScript’s powerful features. Exercise files accompany the tutorials.

Topics Include:

Communicating with MovieClips, variables, and people
Using and writing functions
Responding to events
Understanding conditional statements
Using text and arrays
Creating a memory game
Using advanced graphics and animation tools
Loading external images and Flash movies
Creating a drag-and-drop game

Duration: 7.5 hours
On 1 CD-ROM

Rating: (out of 4 reviews)

List Price: $ 149.95

Price: $ 35.00

Best Practice: The Pros on Adobe Flash

Learn to master the full capabilities of Flash with this innovative, forward-thinking book designed to motivate as well as instruct. In an effort to breathe new life into the traditionally dull world of technical instructional books, Best Practice: The Pros on Flash showcases leading artists and designers, using their creativity and experience as a launching pad for introducing Flash topics and techniques. Each chapter features an in-depth interview with an artist who has developed unique Flash methodologies to create provocative and inspiring multimedia work. By examining their influences and concepts – and by providing step-by-step instruction on how Flash is used to realize their artistic vision – this book provides a comprehensive, personalized look at Flash and its capabilities. Each chapter features in-depth background on the artist and detailed examination of his or her work as well as step-by-step instruction on how the artist creatively used Flash. Best Practice: The Pros on Flash is well suited for anyone – from newbies to professionals – looking for a fresh perspective on this industry-standard graphics program.

Rating: (out of 1 reviews)

List Price: $ 68.95

Price: $ 4.95

Comments

5 responses to “ActionScript 3.0 in Flash CS3 Professional Essential Training”

Artist

August 11, 2010

Review by Artist for ActionScript 3.0 in Flash CS3 Professional Essential Training
Rating:
Todd Perkins takes great pains to tell you every step you need to do in order to cut and paste, every time he does it, right up to the last lesson, and every step in order to set up your curly braces, every time he uses them, right up to the last lesson, and every time you need capitalization he will tell you, every time, right up to the last lesson, but he won’t tell you why you need the classes you’re creating, or why you place certain code where it is, or any of dozens of other important items and concepts you bought this expensive item in order to learn. You follow along while he says mind numbing things like “space = space, hit enter, hit the tab key, then write function, space, now select all this area down to the closing curly brace and copy using the C on your keyboard and then paste using,” etc. as if you bought this to learn over and over how to cut and paste.
Rob T

August 11, 2010

Review by Rob T for ActionScript 3.0 in Flash CS3 Professional Essential Training
Rating:
I bought some actionscript books, but I got this CD because I thought it would be an easy intro. But I kept having to refer to my books to figure out what was happening on the CD. Here are some examples:

The author names things in a confusing way. Sometimes he’ll name an event “event” and it’s hard to know whether this is just his name for this particular event, or whether you have to use the term “event” in all such cases. (If that was confusing to read, then you understand how I felt watching the CD). In other words, it’s not always clear whether he’s naming something on the fly with whatever name he wants, or is instead invoking a required term.

He often types code before explaining what he wants to do with it, which leads to things like, “Type this function on line 16, now go up and enter this variable on line 4, now go down to line 18 and type…” And you’re just sitting there watching but not understanding what he’s doing because he’s not going to tell you the point of all these lines until he’s finished typing them.

In general the author needs to work harder at presenting the big picture, zeroing in the details, and relating them back to the big picture. Too often, this training leaves you unclear on how to take the code he’s demonstrating and apply to other situations.
E. Ryan

August 11, 2010

Review by E. Ryan for ActionScript 3.0 in Flash CS3 Professional Essential Training
Rating:
I full concur with the two negative reviews. Mind-numbingly patronizing, Todd has no idea how to explain the bigger picture, or convey succinct, efficient information for those of us with a brain cell count beyond 5 digits. I think […] hired him because he has a friendly, kindergarten teacher-esque way of speaking. Grating.

Hey guys did you know that, if you’d like to follow along with this lesson, that you will be able to find the exercise files in the directory that corresponds to this chapter, which is in the directory of “Actionscript 3.0 Essentials?” Didja? Didja didja didja?!

Oh, you want me to explain this stuff that I’m doing? Meh, I’ll just remind you about these curly braces instead. ‘Gonna hit enter twice, and then, get this, I’m going to press the up arrow. Are you paying attention, kids?! Up arrow makes cursor go up!

Read a book instead.
Chris M.

August 11, 2010

Review by Chris M. for ActionScript 3.0 in Flash CS3 Professional Essential Training
Rating:
ActionScript 3 is one of the premier languages on the web today, and learning it is a valuable asset. Todd Perkins, instructor in this video, is one of the best on […] roster. You’d do well to purchase this course as Todd will teach you the basics of the language and by the end you should have a pretty thorough primer of how things work.

I didn’t find Todd to be confusing, unlike the other reviewer here, but ActionScript is not a language that’s easy to pick up. If you haven’t dealt with object orientated programming this course will be somewhat challenging, but Todd still simplifies everything and boils it down to basics while giving you plenty of context about the bits and pieces that make up AS3.

I’d highly recommend this if you’re looking for a basic intro course into AS3, and also would recommend picking up OReilly’s Essential ActionScript 3.0 as a companion to learning this flexible language (no pun intended :P).
W Boudville

August 11, 2010

Review by W Boudville for Best Practice: The Pros on Adobe Flash
Rating:
As befits a topic of computer graphics and illustration, the book is written in high quality glossy paper, with many high resolution colour figures. These are necessary to drive home the lessons on Flash usage. Each chapter is contributed by an experienced graphics designer. Who shares tips on how best to use Flash for various purposes; typically somewhat specialised. Some authors use examples of websites that they have built, which can help your learning. In some instances, these are personal websites. Some readers undoubtedly are pondering whether to have their own, and the decontructionist examples here could aid you.

The text should not be used as an introduction to Flash. It assumes a good prior working knowledge. It doesn’t waste your time going over this.

ActionScript 3.0 in Flash CS3 Professional Essential Training