Reviews for Flash CS3 Professional for Windows and Macintosh:Visual QuickStart Guide

1. Close to Useles

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, December 12rd, 2008

   Having read many a computer book in my time I know what works and what doesn't. This most certainly does not.
   
   This goes down the unfortunately familar route of being a dull and pointless description of every button, every menu item, and every combo box item on every dialog in the program, bit by bit. This is essentially just a reference book - all of the information is available much more quickly by simply pressing F1.
   
   If you are new to Flash then what you need is a set of small projects - making a simple animation, making a banner ad, making a portfolio loaded from XML, a simple game etc etc. By having small projects like these one learns how the tools are used together to create a sensible real-life Flash project. Instead we have a clinical set of instructions on how to use the pen tool for example.
   
   If you have every used any image maniplation software before, you probably don't need chapters of information on fill tools, bezier curves etc. You need to know how Flash works as a whole - how to use these tools in real life projects along with the unique features that Flash offers, such as ActionScript.
   
   To anyone considering buying this book I would strongly recommend against it. Use the built in F1 help - this book offers very little over that.

2. comprehensive and laborious

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 2008

   Clearly this book was written by a computer specialist, not an educator. Everything's here, sure, but the tone is so impersonal and patronising that I really find it a chore to open it. For any topic, you first have to scan through reams and reams of basic instructions, re-hashing stuff that you are supposed to have covered chapters ago... every time! And I'm new to the program... imagine if I was just brushing up!
   
   Great if you need reminding how to launch the program every time you learn something new.
   
   So 5 stars for being accurate... minus 2 stars for being as inspiring as a phone directory.

3. A great guide to really understand Flash in some depth

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, September 12th, 2008

   I have to agree with Steve's review, you may not be up and creating projects as fast with this guide as some others but you really understand what's going on and why by the time that you are. Excellent if you have the patience and well worth it.
   
   Once you start developing your own projects this in-depth knowledge really helps to speed things up.

4. Great logical guide to understanding Flash CS3!

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, December 12th, 2007

   Although slow to start with (as it starts by explaining all the nuances with how to draw etc) it is well worth sticking with it as it has a very logical build up of Flash functionality and makes understanding how Flash builds animations etc a lot easier than I have seen in other guides. I have to admit I am more of a try by example learner but sticking with this book has enabled me very quickly to understand Flash, expand my knowledge a great deal and I can now understand why it does what it does, making building animation a whole lot easier and more straight forward.
   
   Needless to say I've already ordered the advanced Visual Quick Start Guide! If you want to understand Flash CS3 then this book'll do that for you, well you need to read it but you know what I mean!