FLASH: A word about tutorials

[Timothy Palmer-Benson]

Hello:

I am a new comer to the Flash scene. My background is journalism...not

programming. I am 54 years old and more used to writing about Mideast wars.

I was taught never to use the word escalate because escalators go up and

down. I am quick with an editor's pencil when I read "a lone gunman" or

"heavily armed troops". So, when it comes to reading web based tutorials

about Flash I am invariably "flummoxed!"


I am finding Flash exceedingly difficult to learn and the tutorials equally

difficult. I own the program and am even flying to California to take Lynda

Wyman's course. This is after failing to find adequate tuition on the web. I

have yet to find a web based tutorial that really takes you by the hand. Too

much apriori knowledge is assumed. Rarely is an explanation given as to what

to do if one can't complete a step. I have yet to see anyone deal with

editing of one's mistakes. There is undo, but that's it. Flash changes

screens, seemingly without explanation. Very seldom do I see an explanation

in a web based tutorial that one can expect certain things to be displayed

at each production step and why. At the moment, I am plowing through Darrel

Plant's book. I am on the Drawing chapter at the moment and so far, so good.


I think that in order for a web based tutorial to be successful, a writer

must explain every detail, every sidebar and every eventuality along the

way. Too often, I have become stuck, midstream in a tutorial, because it

lacks one key explanation as to why something is not displayed. This leads

me to call Macromedia Paid Tech support to find the answer. In some

instances the tech has pointed out a mistake in the tutorial! (Flashzone).


I would guess that I now have 20 hours into Flash and I still have not

produced anything that I can use. I can manage Corel Draw, Photopaint,

Photoshop, Xara, and even Dreamweaver (which is pretty good), but Flash is

horrible, though I realize it is a very well written program, compact and

very powerful.


All this is by way of saying that if anyone wants to take me on as a guinea

pig for their tutorial, let me know. I will surely dispel you of any apriori

thinking!


Tim

_________________________________________

Timothy Palmer-Benson

PB Publishing - Scenes of Vermont

http://www.scenesofvermont.com




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