Learning higher levels of Flash (was Re: FLASH: Re:flasher-digest V1 #3733)

[Bobbi Ragon]

Well, I never really was one to learn completely on my own, but I just spent

the past six weeks or so spending a lot of my free time learning Flash from

a few books I describe below. Then I set up some semi-advanced clips: one is

a drag-and-drop music quiz (text, not sound); the others are just fade-ins

and fade-outs on various jpgs, with some moving text (still tricky to know

when to overlap fading effects, though). These are at

http://www.rgbnotes.com and http://www.amnesty-volunteer.org/usa/group536/.

So I am about at your level, or perhaps you're more advanced than me in your

use of Flash.


Sounds like you won't need the first book I mention here, but I'll include

it here just in case:


I just learned Flash from the book 'Flash 4 for Windows and Macintosh:

Visual Quickstart Guide', by Katherine Ulrich. The Visual Quickstart Guides

are outstanding - only about $20.00 each, and they have lots of practice

exercises (like a workbook format, basically). You can find out more about

them from the Peachpit Press site at http://www.peachpit.com.


You should *definitely* get the Flash 4 Bible. Read all of it, if you can,

and go through the tutorials such as the ones for Tell Target and the

drag-and-drop function. (Hint: if you work with the example files and

practice exercises in the VQS book and the Flash Bible, you'll do quite well

in any tests employers may require of you! - not relevant for your

situation, since you have your own company, but the info may be helpful to

others)


The Flash 4 Bible is great for its list of various Flash technical forums

and Websites that include Flash tutorials. However, I've found only a few

good Flash tutorial sites so far. One of the best is the Extreme Flash site

at www.extremeflash.com, so far as I know, but even that doesn't have a

whole lot. I guess I just need to look harder, or maybe there just isn't a

lot available.


By the way, a seminar presenter at a recent technical conference mentioned

that he does some of his work in Adobe Illustrator (is it 9 that's the

latest version? It's supposed to be excellent) and imports it into Flash.

For example, he applies the 3-D Transform effect to various images and text

in Illustrator and then imports the artwork into Flash. But of course you

need to keep file size considerations in mind, so he also recommended using

mildly 3-D Flash effects such as gradient fills for radial shapes, etc.,

whenever possible. Anyway, I realized when he applied the 3-D Transform

effects to his not-very-complex outlines in Illustrator that you can create

some cool stuff with a combination of Illustrator and Flash. (I think he

also mentioned Swift 3-D to use after all the work is completed in Flash, to

optimize file sizes.)


----


* Incidentally, this strategy - of studying on my own, though it was boring

at times) - worked out for me even better than I thought it would. I just

took a series of online timed tests from brainbench.com, which offers

certification in various software subjects. This seems to be a

well-respected testing company because some high-caliber consulting

companies around here (Washington, DC metro area) have required applicants

to complete brainbench.com tests. Not to brag (well, maybe a bit), but this

was a tough (advanced!) test - all six hourlong tests that I completed were.

Flash was my best: scored higher than 95 percent of all previous

test-takers. (Diagnosed weak area: sounds, but I knew that already. Oh

well.)


So, that's just to help demonstrate that you can learn Flash well in a month

or two. Definitely won't take the year timeframe you mentioned.




on 9/5/00 10:48 PM, Rocky Buckley at

rockybucbellatlantic [dot] net

 wrote:


> Hi folks,

> 

> Sorry to be such a rookie here, but I figure if I can get help anywhere, it

> would be from among this illustrious crew. I'm a Flash neophyte, basically

> purchased Flash 4, went through the Macromedia FLASH 4! book as closely as

> possible, worked through the exercises, and have been able to create some

> decent animations and a frames-based website with some minor interactivity

> (buttons that target a frame window, that pop and change on rollover).

> Still, I look at some of the things you folks have created and it makes the

> head spin with envy!

> 

> My lofty goal is to become outstanding in Flash as quickly as possible, but

> I'm not quite sure what the best roadmap to get there is. I have my own

> company, usually work alone from home, and am unclear on what the best

> strategy is to systematically learn the higher levels of what Flash can do.

> 

> I'd appreciate any input you guys can give me, preferably from those of you

> who really zoned in on Flash and became successful at it within, say, a

> 1-year time frame or so (if that's possible).

> 

> Thanks a lot!

> 

> Rocky Buckley

> Brick, New Jersey

> 



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NudeGuru.com is proud to sponsor the Flasher list

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        IT'S  THE  ART  OF  MONEY,  HONEY!

 Tips and Advice from some of the most popular Flash

 artists + industry power-brokers on how to hold onto

 your rights, negotiate contracts and get full value

 for your work.http://www.nudeguru.com from Franke James

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email

helpchinwag [dot] com