Review of Macromedia Studio MX 2004 Bible (Paperback)

The small non-profit company I work for needed a website, and I drew the short straw for designing and maintaining it.We bought the Studio MX suite, and I hoped this book would cover everything I needed to design a simple, yet cool website.

The thing is it DOES cover EVERYTHING I needed, but it is SO overwhelming in all the details, I was pulling my hair out and wondering what I'd gotten myself into.

You really have have some experience with website design before attempting this book.I had no idea what to do, and couldn't filter out what applied to me and what didn't; I needed a little more hand-holding than this book offered.Now that I've been through the H.O.T. and Naked series of help books (which others complain of being too basic), I'm much more comfortable with this book.I'll definitely be using it as a reference as I add dynamic content to the simple website I've built.

Overall, this book is an excellent resource for intermediate or advanced users.Beginners should shop around for other books before buying this one.

Product Description
Packed with hands-on instruction, and expert tutorials from the crème de la crème of the Macromedia development community, Macromedia Studio MX 2004 Bible is everything web developers need to build cutting-edge applications with Macromedia's product line. Covering of all the Studio MX 2004 applications - Dreamweaver MX 2004, Fireworks MX 2004, Flash MX 2004, ColdFusion 6.1, and FreeHand MX, Macromedia web development expert Joyce Evans guides readers through the use of each product, but more importantly, how they can be used together to build next-generation, data-driven web applications. Topics covered include:

• Building data-enabled sites with Dreamweaver 2004
• Creating Flash MX 2004 animations
• Working with ActionScript
• Creating web graphics and animations with Fireworks MX 2004
• Building interactive ColdFusion Applications
• Integrating Flash and ColdFusion
• Drawing vector art with Freehand MX

The Companion CD-Rom incl udes trial versions of the software as well as extensions, sample databases, images and applications.

From the Back Cover
"Joyce Evans' ability to teach readers how to use the tools in Studio MX 2004 together, as an end-to-end solution for building great sites, makes this book a must-have for every Web developer using Macromedia tools."
--;Andrew Spedzia, Web Developer, arttask.com

If Macromedia Studio MX 2004 can do it, you can do it too...

Macromedia Studio MX 2004 offers a revolutionary set of integrated tools for Web developers. This book gives you control of its power. You'll benefit from the expertise of volunteers, beta testers, and advisory board members who share the inside track on Dreamweaver MX 2004, Fireworks MX 2004, Flash MX 2004, FreeHand MX, and ColdFusion MX 6.1 versions. Whether you're building your first Web site or seeking advanced guidance on the newest tools, you'll find the information, instructions, and tutorials that let you create cutting-edge sites.

Inside, you'll find complete coverage of Macromedia Studio MX 2004

• Learn to use the Studio MX 2004 tools together to create dynamic sites
• Add ColdFusion MX 6.1 capabilities from within Dreamweaver MX 2004--;without writing a single line of code
• Develop superb animations with the new Flash MX 2004 capabilities
• Design Web pages with Dreamweaver MX 2004 using tables or CSS style sheets, pop-up menus, and third-party extensions
• Learn to optimize images in Fireworks for smaller file sizes, then slice and export them as a fully functioning Web page

Bonus CD-ROM

• Demo versions of Image Doctor, Wild Flix Pro, and Xenofex 2
• Trial versions of Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, Fireworks MX 2004, Flash MX 2004, and ColdFusion Server MX
• Bonus chapters, tutorials, code listings, and more

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Review of Macromedia Studio MX Bible (Paperback)

Samuel Johnson remarked once that learning in Scotland was like bread in a siege town.Everyone got some but none got enough to make a meal.His quip could equally apply to this book.It touches on everything, but doesn't cover anything in sufficient depth.In fact I would tend to view the book as really centered around bringing Fireworks and Freehand into play (contra Illustrator and Photoshop). Freehand and Fireworks get 200 pages each, while Flash gets 90 pages. Dreamweaver gets just under 300 pages, and the surface of many features is revealed. However, there isn't a lot of depth throughout and elaborate examples are avoided.The rest of the book is focused on Cold Fusion (which was not of interest to me).

My personal recommendation is to look at specific books for specific components. Compendium type books, often suggest more than they can deliver.

Product Description
* Provides everything Web designers need to build cutting-edge applications with Macromedia's new tool suite, which includes Dreamweaver MX, Flash MX, ColdFusion MX, Fireworks MX, and Freehand
* Covers building data-enabled sites with Dreamweaver MX, creating Flash MX animations, working with ActionScript, creating Web graphics and animations with Fireworks MX, building interactive ColdFusion MX applications, integrating Flash and ColdFusion, and drawing vector art with Freehand
* Major changes in the Macromedia MX tool suite mean even veteran developers and programmers are looking for the updates this book provides
* CD-ROM includes trial versions of the software, extensions, sample databases, images and applications

From the Back Cover
"If you are a developer using Macromedia MX technology, this is THE book to own."
-Brad Halstead, author of Dreamweaver MX Magic

If Macromedia Studio MX can do it, you can do it too . . .

If you want to develop Web sites that stop traffic on the Internet, this definitive guide to Macromedia Studio MX is essential. Aided by expert tutorials from some of the nation's top Macromedia developers, Web design guru Joyce Evans gives you an in-depth course in each application - Freehand MX, Flash MX, Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX, and ColdFusion MX - plus tutorials and detailed instructions for integrating their capabilities. Whether you're creating static HTML pages or interactive Flash animations and data-driven Web applications, this book will become your constant companion.

Inside, you'll find complete coverage of Macromedia Studio MX

• Use Fireworks MX to create and optimize images
• Create Web and vector graphics with Freehand MX
• Construct interactive ColdFusion MX applications and integrate ColdFusion with Flash MX
• Animate sites using Flash and work with ActionScript and Flash Remoting MX
• Develop data-enabled sites with Dreamweaver MX
• Understand how ColdFusion's programming language works behind the scenes in an application
• Integrate Flash movies and multimedia objects into Dreamweaver MX
• Apply client-side scripting and code, and use tables, snippets, and cascading style sheets

Bonus CD-ROM

• Author-created tutorials and movies
• Trial versions of Alien Skin Software's Eye Candy 4000, Splat! and Image Doctor
• Extensions, sample databases, images, and applications

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