The Avid Handbook: Techniques for the Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress, Third Edition Review

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The Avid Handbook: Techniques for the Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress, Third Edition ReviewThis is a great book for the beginner or intermediate Avid user. It may fill in pertinent details for those that are stumbling around and trying to understand concepts about technical issues with the Avid and video.
While this book is a good companion and reference book it IS poorly organized and could improve the general layout. No summaries, few headings and sometimes cursory information on points which need exta-clarification.It presents a large amount of information without a clean and thoughtful approach to breaking that information up and making it digestible.
The handbook, however, is the only book which presents a large amount of information on subjects which concern an Avid editor.
I recommend buying it. I learned some things I didn't know and the beginning/intermediate user could benefit from the information on interface and technical issuesThe Avid Handbook: Techniques for the Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress, Third Edition OverviewThe Avid Media Composer, Avid Xpress and Avid Symphony are the most widely used nonlinear editing systems by professionals in the film and video industries. Based on his experience teaching countless seminars around the world on the Avid Media Composer, Avid Symphony and Avid Xpress, Steve Bayes has written the most comprehensive manual for nonlinear digital editing on these Avid editing systems. This handbook is now revised throughout to reflect recent upgrades to these systems and the third edition covers Symphony 2.1, Media Composer 9.1 and Avid Xpress 3.1, as well as earlier versions.Written for the reader who already has a basic knowledge of the editing systems, this book moves beyond an introduction to the professional Avid editing systems and focuses on strategies, techniques, and troubleshooting. The Avid Handbook covers the basics of working with effects, rendering, and graphics and discusses the more abstract issues of workflow and organization of different types of editing projects. The book discusses frequently made mistakes, common technical problems,and how they can be avoided. In addition, there is an in depth explanation of Symphony color correction, 24 p and other new features and efficiencies in the latest software versions from Avid. The Avid Handbook discusses techniques for Windows NT users, including the most complete description of the offline to online workflow using Avid systems. Includes techniques for using Windows NT with Avid systemsRevised throughout to reflect system upgradesA guide to strategies, common problems, and techniques while editing nonlinear digital video or film

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ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition Review

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ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition ReviewI bought Colin Moock's previous book (on flash 5) the day it was released because as an investor of many other sub-standard flash books, I knew the one from O'Reilly (the book's publisher) would be the most valuable. Without fail, "Actionscript: A Definitive Guide" blew me away. Not only was his book extremely informative, but his writing style was conversational, concise, and accessible. Though I had experience with actionscript, my background wasn't in programming, so it was nice to have an "in" to the advanced features of actionscript with Moock's example scripts and corresponding explanations. After a few months of employing the ideas and concepts found easily in Moock's first book...I felt like I finally had a firm grip on Flash 5...
Then Flash MX was released. Immediately I bought it and quickly transitioned myself into the new work enviornment (love it). Then I read up on all the new features...and thought to myself...I wish Colin would write a book for Flash MX's actionscript...it is way more powerful...and more complicated...
He did. It took longer than my patience would have liked...but the wait was well worth it...and the book explains its own delay...IT IS HUGE. Almost twice the size of the first edition...and that's because almost every chapter is edited, has new important explanations and the same easy-to-understand commentaries and examples. Indeed there are entirely NEW chapters...that specifically discuss new immensely more powerful Flash MX actionscript features. Also, all the appendices are new and updated (I frequently use them).
If you own Flash MX and you want to be a serious flash developer with serious marketable skills, BUY THIS BOOK above all--it is a REAL REFERENCE tool--something you will keep on your desk next to your mouse. Nothing is left out except some add-in features (like comm server and UI components) which you can get plenty of info on at macromedia's website. You can also frequent colin's website (moock.org) where he posts hundreds of additional tips, book errata info, and flash downloads.
I garentee "Actionscript for Flash MX" will become the best investment you made outside of the Flash MX application itself...at least until flash 7 is released! If you learn the concepts in this book, you will be able to create anything you or your client can imagine. In the end, that could mean lots of money or lots of fun...or both! Enjoy!
And by the way...buy it at Amazon...it's almost 20 bucks cheaper than the bookstores.ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition Overview
Updated to cover Flash MX, the newest version of Macromedia Flash, ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition is the one book no serious Flash developer should be without.

ActionScript is Macromedia's programming language for Flash MX, the popular authoring tool for creating rich internet applications and animations for the Web.With Macromedia's new focus on application development, ActionScript now includes a direct drawing API, loading of external MP3 and JPG files, improved sound control, an extensive set of text formatting tools, complete support for component development using movie clip subclasses, local data storage, accessibility features, and much more.And ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide is the most complete, up-to-date reference available for the latest version of this language.

Author Colin Moock, one of the most universally respected developers in the Flash community, has added hundreds of new code examples to show new Flash MX techniques in the real world:how to draw circles, save data to disk, convert arrays to onscreen tables, create reusable components, and preload variables, XML, and sounds.The book's language reference alone has nearly doubled from the first edition, with more than 250 new classes, objects, methods, and properties.You'll find exhaustive coverage of dozens of undocumented, under-documented, and mis-documented features.

Along with the new material, Colin Moock has meticulously revised the entire text to conform to Flash MX best-coding practices.In particular, objected-oriented programming and the new event model get special attention in light of changes to Flash MX ActionScript.From sending data between two movies to creating getter/setter properties, the new edition of this book demystifies the often-confusing new features of Flash MX, giving developers easy access to its powerful new capabilities.

ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide is structured so non-programmers can learn how to use ActionScript and programmers can take their skills to new heights.If you are in the market to really learn about the hows and whys of ActionScript, then this is the book for you.


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Professional Adobe Flex 2 (Programmer to Programmer) Review

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Professional Adobe Flex 2 (Programmer to Programmer) ReviewI just spent 3hr. at Barnes and Noble reading this book.
This book has what is lacking in O'Reilly's Programming Flex 2.
There is much more info on Flex 2.0.1. It give you a competent example on creating a YouTube viewer w/ Cairngorm. That is something I've wanted to know but most blog post are convoluted about the subject. The examples on flex-ajax bridge are nice and give also a practical app.
Their is detailed info on component life cycle, building modular app, component extension and dynamic app build. No to mention great ways to use the command line and/or Flex Builder. It allows you to have vision not just direction. You see the examples and think, "That gives me an idea".
OH, LOTS OF ACTIONSCRIPT USE!!!! for all of you low-level lovers.
RESULT
This books is a all around good book. It balances reference and examples well. It has pictures to see what you are making. The flow is just right not to fast not to slow. They didn't glaze over on any subject that was written. Everything is detailed
Buy it and if you need anything else just go to the flex documentation
Professional Adobe Flex 2 (Programmer to Programmer) OverviewWrox's Professional Flex 2 is one of the first guides to Adobe's (Macromedia's) new web application development platform. Flex experts Simon Barber, Rich Tretola and John Bennett share their experience with Flex 2, and teach readers how to leverage the platform to build rich internet applications. Professional Flex 2 relies heavy on practical examples, making this a hands-on guide that will get readers up and running with Flex 2 quickly.
Topics include:
Building applications with Flex Builder
Flex programming model
Using Actionscript 3.0
Developing applications in MXML
Creating UIs with Flex controls and containers
Data access and interconnectivity
Creating custom flex components
Charting
Testing, debugging and deploying Flex applications
and more


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Macromedia Flash Animation and Cartooning: A Creative Guide Review

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Macromedia Flash Animation and Cartooning: A Creative Guide ReviewI bought a lot of books about Flash animation to better improve my skills in the subject. I got this one along with a few others. This book taught me nothing that I didn't already know. This stuff I already knew wasn't from other books, it was from common sense. Sure, I guess if you are completely new the program this book may be useful somewhat, but not much at all.
This book had some pretty awful ideas. Something about drawing each frame onto paper then scanning it in. It kept referring to capture cards to capture video. Wait, I thought we were making the video?
The fact that this book was in black and white didn't help at all. What few good pictures it had, they really needed to be in color to understand what was going on.
For $40, you'd expect a good book and a CD-ROM with all the examples in FLA source format. Nope. You get a pretty bad book with no cd at all. Be smart, don't buy this book. I'd recomend THE FLASH ANIMATOR since it was written by a true professional who has made a landmark on the internet (Sandro Corsaro).Macromedia Flash Animation and Cartooning: A Creative Guide OverviewFlash has become the hottest tool on the Web. The world's most prominent Web animators use Flash to create dynamic content for the Internet, as evidenced by the following examples: South Park, Joe Cartoon, RadiSkull, Tim Burton's Stain Boy, and 7th Portal Flash graphics and animations are easily scalable, which ensures the highest level of quality regardless of screen size. Flash can also be used to create standalone movies, games, and CD-ROMs. As a tool, Flash is supplemented by its integration with all of Macromedia's products.

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Coldfusion MX Developer's Handbook Review

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Coldfusion MX Developer's Handbook ReviewFive years ago I was called upon to learn Cold Fusion over a weekend before starting a new assignment. I picked up Ben Forta's original Cold Fusion book and read three or four chapters on the way home on the train, picking up the bulk of what I needed to know to do my work in a few short hours. I've done a lot of work with Cold Fusion since then, and used that book to pick up many of the finer points of the craft, including the CFPOP and CFMAIL tags which I used to build a web-based e-mail service.
The web has changed a lot since 1998, and so has Cold Fusion. That book served me well, but with all the technological advances since its publication, I needed a new book that offered coverage of all the new features in Cold Fusion, from support for Flash and XML to invocation of web services and next-generation Cold Fusion components.
Cold Fusion MX Developer's Handbook fits the bill. It provides robust coverage of Cold Fusion's basic long-standing features, but also goes into more detail about maturing technologies like WDDX and Flash Remoting and their place in Cold Fusion applications. Many of the original tags had evolved significantly since I last made use of them, and this book offers thorough explanations of their new features. When it comes to new technologies like WML and Web Services, the book includes explanations not only of Cold Fusion's support for these technologies but also overviews describing their capabilities in general terms. (WAP/WML, for example, doesn't have specialized Cold Fusion support, but the chapter on "Working with WAP and WML Clients" not only explains the intricacies of a WML application but also how to use standard Cold Fusion tags to determine whether a client is WML-capable based on request headers and set the Content-Type appropriately for the response.)
I've definitely found the right book to help me "catch-up" on Cold Fusion, but the book would still be great for neophytes seeking to learn Cold Fusion from the ground up, as well as experienced Cold Fusion developers who need a reference to the product's many new features.Coldfusion MX Developer's Handbook OverviewColdFusion is an extremely powerful web-development tool. Despite its short initial learning curve, attributed to its accessible HTML-like, tag-based syntax, it provides sophisticated content-management solutions for large-scale enterprises. This has never been truer than it is now, since the release of ColdFusion MX. To take advantage of this power, you must step outside the box to learn skills as diverse as application design and Web Services development--topics addressed only briefly, if at all, in standard ColdFusion tutorials and reference books.
ColdFusion MX Developer's Handbook teaches you what you need to broaden your ColdFusion skills and become a fully capable enterprise developer. Inside, 13 ColdFusion experts provide highly detailed, advanced instruction that will save you countless headaches and let you squeeze every last drop of functionality from the newest release. You'll master database integration techniques involving advanced SQL queries, stored procedures, and database upsizing. You'll take advantage of MX's improved integration with other technologies, incorporating Flash using Flash Remoting, and capitalizing on full XML support to create Web Services. In your custom coding, you'll build and deploy Java and C++ extensions and wirelessly extend ColdFusion's reach with components that talk to WAP and WML clients.
All this comes wrapped in practical, hard-to-find advice for managing your content and applications and optimizing performance. Large applications with heavy traffic need speed and efficiency, and you get that with performance turning, load balancing, and caching. If you're working in a clustered environment, you need to understand state management. No matter what your situation, you'll benefit from in-depth coverage of application security, debugging, and coding methodology using Fusebox.
Every chapter is packed with the technical knowledge to give you what you need to create serious solutions. You might find that one particular chapter alone is worth the cost of the book because of the time and frustration it will save you. Most readers, however, will use various parts of this book at different times, depending on the constantly changing challenges faced by enterprise programmers. The mission of this book is to provide the extra skills you need to be a successful ColdFusion developer in today's demanding and expanding environment.

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Flex 4 in Action: Revised Edition of Flex 3 in Action Review

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Flex 4 in Action: Revised Edition of Flex 3 in Action ReviewOne of the main features of Flex 4 is the new Spark component architecture, with its new layouts and skinning features. The book has only cursory discussion about Spark layouts, and almost nothing on skinning.
Skinning is the whole point! The new system is advertised to be the most flexible yet, giving the most power to designers, but I've found more information on it in blog posts and videos on Adobe.com.
I bought this book based on the high reviews, and that it was specifically about Flex 4. But I learned a lot more about Flex from Chafic Kazoun and Joey Lott's "Programming Flex 2" by O'Reilly.
The other material seems rushed as well; if I didn't already know Flex I think I'd be very confused.
Avoid this book if you're looking for an explanation of how Spark works.Flex 4 in Action: Revised Edition of Flex 3 in Action Overview
Flex 4 in Action is an easy-to-follow, hands-on Flex 4 tutorial. Revised and updated from the previous edition on Flex 3, this book is chock-full of examples, goes beyond feature coverage, and helps readers put Flex to work in real day-to-day tasks. This book helps Flex developers make their Flex applications stand out from the crowd. How comprehensive is Flex 4 in Action?

Interesting themes, styles, and skins? It's in there.
Working with databases? You got it.
Interactive forms and validation? You bet.
Charting techniques to help you visualize data? Bam!

Many Flex books are overwhelming to new users-focusing on the complexities of the language and super-specialized subjects in the Flex ecosystem. Flex 4 in Action filters out the noise and dives into the core topics users need every day. Using numerous easy-to-understand examples, Flex 4 in Action provides a strong foundation that readers can build on as the complexity of their projects increases.


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ActionScript 3.0: Visual QuickStart Guide Review

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ActionScript 3.0: Visual QuickStart Guide ReviewI've been an intermediate Flash guy for years. The simplicity of ActionScript 1 and 2 made them easy to grasp for all the basics, but the limitations were also abundantly clear.
When ActionScript 3 debuted, I was excited that it had finally become a "real" programming language. But despite being a programmer since before there was an Internet, I found much of ActionScript 3 to be confusing, and honestly, intimidating.
I tried doing it on my own, and I tried other books. But they were either too focused on the language itself and lacked context for the sorts of real-world tasks one does in Flash, or they didn't go deeply enough. ActionScript 3.0 Visual Quickstart Guide finally struck the right balance -- at least for me, and my learning style.
As a programmer, I didn't need to be spoon-fed the basics of variables and control structures. But as a UI guy, I also needed practical, real-world examples like working with dynamic text, interfacing with the outside world, and loading assets.
Quite literally within minutes, I was able to use the straightforward, clear examples and explanations to whip-out Flash movies with ActionScript 3.0 handling the heavy lifting, and finally achieve some things I'd be struggling for months to learn through searching for code examples found online.
Two things are clear from reading the book, however:
1. While the book does cover the basics, people completely new to programming are probably going to be more lost than anything. This is a small book, and the content is relatively brief. If you want your hand held from a standing non-programmer start all the way to ActionScript expert, this probably is not your book. You should understand what programming is, and basic concepts (like variables and control) before you start. This book will help you connect that knowledge to ActionScript 3.
2. You're not going to become the world ActionScript 3 expert by reading this book. You'll get a superb foundation that will give the typical Flash designer/programmer everything they need, and a range of core knowledge that you can augment with some of the "deeper" books, web searches, or just plain reading the Flash manual. But I suspect that most readers, like me, will come out of this book with the stuff you really need for most real-world Flash work.
In summary, the book is well planned out, well written, and the examples -- every single one I tried -- worked as written, free of the typos, errors and omissions that seem to plague other ActionScript 3 books (based on reading reviews here at Amazon.com, anyway).
While your mileage may well vary, for me, for my learning style, and for someone of my experience level, this book was perfect, and finally (FINALLY!) the ActionScript 3 guide I was looking for.ActionScript 3.0: Visual QuickStart Guide OverviewActionScript is the programming language integral to the Adobe Technology Platform. It began as a simple scripting language for creating interactivity and animation in Flash, but is now used to create full-featured Web applications, not only in Flash but in Flex. ActionScript 3, introduced with Flex 2, is now a full-fledged object-oriented programming language, and the need for teaching materials, for both newcomers and veterans, is great. This task-based tutorial is for students with no programming experience as well as those programmers who have learned earlier versions of the programming language and now need to learn the new version. The book walks a reader through all the fundamentals, then moves on to creating interactivity, working with data, looping and decision making, programming visualizations, and working with multimedia. It's a complete end-to-end tutorial.

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Essential ActionScript 3.0 (Essential) Review

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Essential ActionScript 3.0 (Essential) ReviewThis review is more of a 'heads-up' for any beginners considering this book. There are many reviews here telling about the book's contents, so I am going to talk about the level of the book instead.
I think it is important to state that this book is in NO WAY aimed or intended for beginners. None of the books in this series are, for that matter. Being fair, and I think this information is important for people even though a bit off topic: O'Reilly RARELY makes beginner level books. What they do make is insanely useful technical books which will tell you more than you probably ever wanted to know about a subject. But they are done, IMHO, very well. Still, when looking at books to buy I think it is important to keep this in mind, particularly if you are a beginner in any topic. Especially because most programming books are rather spendy.
When I bought Moock's first book, I had been using AS for a couple years (starting from Flash 4) and was still a beginner. However, I could manage my way through the very limited scripting options. When Flash 5 opened up the AS language to a full-blown environment, I was excited to get his book. Once it arrived, I was completely overwhelmed and immediately put it away. For about a year. During that time, I found other materials and boned up on my AS, THEN revisited the book. I found it much more useful.
When AS 2 came out, I thought the same thing. Ah-ha! I already know AS, so his book will get me up to speed. Wrong. The stuff which was pretty much lifted from the previous AS 1 book made sense, but I could not grasp what he was saying about the updates and new features in AS 2. Again, I put the book away for a year, found other resources to familiarize myself with, and revisited the book. I was surprised at the wealth of information I learned, but I learned it AFTER reading numerous other sources.
Leading to this book, I completely expect the same. I am buying it because I KNOW it will be a tome well worth the price based on my looking through it at local book sellers. No one, at least that I have read, has the depth of understanding of AS Moock does. He, IMHO, really understands the what and how. And he will tell you EVERYTHING about it. He does not, sadly, possess the 'layman language' to make this a beginner book. It barely makes sense to those well immersed in the topic. BUT, once you get to the level that you can absorb what he is saying, you catapult your Flash skills and usage.
For beginners, definitely start elsewhere. Books by Phillip Kerman or Joey Lott are marvelous entry level books. Both authors have a superior knowledge of Flash AS, but the also possess the ability to talk about it conversationally. A huge help in anyone's learning of a new subject. Flash AS is a huge uphill battle, but one which rewards richly for those who travel the path. I would just hate to have someone not try because they do not understand a book reportedly aimed at developers with 'no prior programming knowledge.'Essential ActionScript 3.0 (Essential) OverviewActionScript 3.0 is a huge upgrade to Flash's programming language. The enhancements to ActionScript's performance, feature set, ease of use, cleanliness, and sophistication are considerable. Essential ActionScript 3.0 focuses on the core language and object-oriented programming, along with the Flash Player API. Essential ActionScript has become the #1 resource for the Flash and ActionScript development community, and the reason is the author, Colin Moock. Many people even refer to it simply as "The Colin Moock book."And for good reason: No one is better at turning ActionScript inside out, learning its nuances and capabilities, and then explaining everything in such an accessible way. Colin Moock is not just a talented programmer and technologist; he's also a gifted teacher.Essential ActionScript 3.0 is a radically overhauled update to Essential ActionScript 2.0. True to its roots, the book once again focuses on the core language and object-oriented programming, but also adds a deep look at the centerpiece of Flash Player's new API: display programming. Enjoy hundreds of brand new pages covering exciting new language features, such as the DOM-based event architecture, E4X, and namespaces--all brimming with real-world sample code.The ActionScript 3.0 revolution is here, and Essential ActionScript 3.0's steady hand is waiting to guide you through it.

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The ActionScript 3.0 Quick Reference Guide: For Developers and Designers Using Flash: For Developers and Designers Using Flash CS4 Professional (Adobe Developer Library) Review

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The ActionScript 3.0 Quick Reference Guide: For Developers and Designers Using Flash: For Developers and Designers Using Flash CS4 Professional (Adobe Developer Library) ReviewI was browsing at Borders at Park Ave and 57th, where they had exactly one copy of this. I'd heard of this book but hadn't seen it yet--it was announced over the summer but O'Reilly kept delaying publication so the book could be current with Flash CS4. I looked up a few items in the ToC and index, and went straight to the checkout queue. I had to have this book right away! even if Amazon could sell it to me cheaper!
Okay, why is the book good? I've spent more time with it now. I'll give you my three biggest reasons:
1) It's readable. It really is. It's friendly and accessible. Did you ever enjoy those juvenile histories and biographies and How-and-Why science books that started out with something like, "Hi! This is a fun book, and we're going to take you on a fun journey, step-by-step. This is a great subject to be interested in! Aren't you happy? Well, we are!!!"?
Well, did you like books like that? I did, and I've always resented scholarly and technical books that didn't introduce themselves along those lines. So many of them are written like resentful documentation: "Go away. We hate you. This is only for ugly, squirrelly, socially backward people like US."
This book is overtly addressed to users of ActionScript 1.0 and 2.0, and those already using 3.0; to artists, designers, and developers of all stripes. It's all-inclusive. Like Rich Shupe's Learning ActionScript 3.0, it has a friendly, hand-holding attitude that goes through the length of the book.
2) A personal obsession: this book has a good section on how to write XML loaders that use HTML. This is a very poorly documented area of Flash. The ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook had a little bit on it, but the explanation was hard to follow and the code was buggy.
3) Another personal interest: SWF loaders and unloaders. This is the first book I've seen that tells you how to unload both the thing loaded and the "event listener" that keeps sitting there, using up processor time and space.
The book is also current with the less traditional Flash-related technologies, such as FlashDevelop and Flex.The ActionScript 3.0 Quick Reference Guide: For Developers and Designers Using Flash: For Developers and Designers Using Flash CS4 Professional (Adobe Developer Library) Overview
"No matter what your background, the pages that follow will provide you with some excellent knowledge, insight, and even a little bit of wisdom in the realm of Flash and ActionScript. Happy learning!" -- Branden Hall, from the Foreword Written by Flash insiders with extensive knowledge of the technology, this guide is designed specifically to help Flash designers and developers make the leap from ActionScript 2.0 to the new object-oriented ActionScript 3.0 quickly and painlessly. Formatted so you can find any topic easily, ActionScript 3.0 Quick Reference Guide explains:

Object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts, such as packages and classes
ActionScript 3.0 features and player enhancements that improve performance
Workflow differences between ActionScript 2.0 and ActionScript 3.0 including tools, code editing, component sets, and image and font rendering
Where did it go? A guide to help you find familiar features in ActionScript 3.0, such as global functions, operators, properties, and statements
How do I? Step-by-step solutions for performing tasks with ActionScript 3.0, including input, sound, video, display, events, text, and more

Also included are overviews of Flash and ActionScript features and workflows. ActionScript 3.0 is a huge upgrade to Flash's programming language -- and this guide helps you upgrade your skills to match it.


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