Stages of Learning Flash Help

[kitki83]

Well I want to know what is the best curriculum I can give myself in learning Flash.

I got access to 1 month of Lynda.com, 1 training DVD of Flash CS3 Professional Essential Training and 1 dvd of Actioscript Essential, and 1 book all donated by Lynda.com.

I want to know from people who use the program on daily basis what is important to learn, what order should I learn things, or is there something I should be concern about.

I have all the resources to learn Flash, but I want some guidance on what order I should digest all of this.

 

[angelneo]

I think the best way to learn is to give yourself a project. Start small, if you encounter any problems, start consulting the books, net, forums etc, it may be time consuming initially but it will get better once you are familiar with it.

Work with stuff like creating a simple flash website, flash animations (maybe a presentation you need to do for another project). Then work your way to using actionscript.

I can't really pinpoint any particular area/facts for you to take note as it depends on how deep you want to go into and what do you use it for and there are far too many stuff to be aware of.

 

[digitalpencil]

There isn't really any order in which you should approach learning Flash but i guess you should probably start getting to grips with the overall interface, tools, timeline, components, actionscript and eventually data-driven solutions.

As angelneo said though, your best bet is to start small with a personal project and get to grips with each tool as it naturally presents itself.. Lynda's a great resource but for a more relaxed learning experience gotoandlearn.com is a great site with video tutorials on more practical topics and has a solid community similiar to MR running on GTAL forums with lots of experienced users willing to lend a hand when you run into any problems.

 

[snickelfritz]

Learning Flash is mostly about learning AS3.(as opposed to AS2, which IMO you should not waste your time learning)
"Learning ActionScript 3.0" is an excellent book on the subject.
Very comprehensive, but not inaccessible for newcomers.
http://www.learningactionscript3.com/

Read Lee Brimlow's blog and free tutorials; they are among the best on the net IMO.
Also, download the "snippet panel". Install it and learn how to use it; this gem will save you an enormous amount of time.
http://www.gotoandlearn.com/
http://theflashblog.com/?p=336

Download and install TweenMax. (run, don't walk; you will need this class)
This will greatly simplify many aspects of scripted animation, and the performance is significantly better than the Adobe Tween class.
http://blog.greensock.com/tweenmaxas3/

 

[kitki83]

Thank you everyone, this will help me learn the material in form I can handle instead of trying to digest everything all at once.

Also thanks for the links, I thought AS2 was still the main thing but good to know AS3 is now prominent.

 

[digitalpencil]

Thank you everyone, this will help me learn the material in form I can handle instead of trying to digest everything all at once.

Also thanks for the links, I thought AS2 was still the main thing but good to know AS3 is now prominent.

AS3 is an incredibly powerful language and a huge improvement on AS2, AS2 is however still 'the main thing' and most literature on the subject relates to this language but this is rapidly changing and as snickelfritz said, it's best to learn AS3 now as you'd be wasting your time with the former.

 

[daze]

Good advice there.