Best Places to Start Learning Flash Online

by PETER HOBBS

December 14, 2009

"Wow! So you want to start learning Flash?" My typical response to a student, friend or collegue signing up for one of my Flash classes. Before you lies a whole new adventure ... true, Indiana Jones style. You will discover a magical world in a new timeline of motion, sound and more. You will learn their culture, speak their language and decifer strange code. However, no adventure is complete without that 'pit of snakes' and yours is certainly no exception. You will need the best of every resource available to you for your journey. This list of online training has to be your key arsenal. With swift action, you will learn to read their scripts and discover new treasures. Symbols will be converted and the people will begin to talk. Then, one day, even the king will call you, "my friend".

Your Adventure

Here are some points to consider as you embark on your journey:

Start learning Flash with only the best online video courses (see below)
I find that you typically get what you pay for. Be prepared to invest in these courses
Prepare yourself for a long but exciting journey
Methodically bookmark good sites and online tutorials that you stumble across
Watch and rewatch the videos - concepts never 'sink in' immediately
Get to know Illustrator and Photoshop too - they work well with Flash
Printing out code and making handwritten notes reinforces your understanding
Set up a good filing system to organize your Flash notes
Find a good basic book on Flash (perhaps two). You won't need more than that initially
Ensure you have a comfortable work environment (with lots of free flowing coffee)
Start getting to know online support forums, however, I wouldn't recommend using them until you have developed a solid, basic understanding of Flash
Set yourself a goal (for example, build 6 portfolio files in 3 months)
Ask a friend or family member to hold you accountable. Perhaps show them what you have created each week
Delve into some HTML and CSS (even if only the basics). On the internet, Flash exists 'inside' the belly of HTML. CSS adds style to our HTML

Watch out for Snakes

Watch out for snakes; they cause us to become discouraged and give up on our adventure. Let's identify them:

Initially, stay away from advanced Flash websites and chat groups. They will actually discourage you
Like Math from school days, get to know the basics first. Don't move on until you grasp a concept, specifically, nested symbols and timelines
ActionScript will overwhelm you for some time - that's okay. Eventually, you will grasp it
Create your own parallel examples while watching videos
Flash is so 'left brain' but only looks good with input from our 'right brain'. So, discover the artist in you. Take a drawing course, pick up a camera, learn Photoshop and Illustrator. Play around on Garageband or Soundbooth. This will take your work to a whole new level
No time to study? Prioritize your lifestyle (perhaps give up watching TV for a season)

Total Training

Total Training has an incredible flash program. The cost of $24.99 per month includes their project/exercise files (for you to work alongside) and training for other software programs too. Should you choose to purchase bulk training up front (by the year), the cost comes down to $16.67 per month. Simply login and learn whenever and wherever you are.

John Ulliman's style of teaching is wonderful. His methodology is clear and succinct, approaching each topic comprehensively. His relaxed style enables us to watch his training for hours on end. I have John to thank for much of what I have learned.

Lynda

Lynda also has a tremendous program. The cost is $25 per month or the equivalent of $20.83 per month for their annual up front purchase. These prices do not include their exercise files (add another $12.50 per month for these).

The team of Flash instructors at Lynda are all great. Todd Perkins, Rich Schupe & Chris Georgines have plenty to teach us. Todd's energy will project right through your computer screen. He gets us to sit up and concentrate as he passionately gets right to the point.

LearnFlash

Don't let the less attractive look of this website deceive you. Craig Campbell is a fantastic instructor. Unlike Lynda and Total Training, LearnFlash takes a different approach. Here, we simply buy the course we want. As an example, a 7hr 'Intro to ActionScript 3.0' class goes for $47, yours to keep.

Craig is easy on the ear, knows what he is doing and has a way of keeping things truly "real world". His packages have all been excellent. That's money well invested in my book.

DevelopPHP

At DevelopPHP you will discover a bunch of highly informative videos. Although this site is not designed to teach you Flash from beginning to end, it does offer some excellent tutorials for beginners (to an advanced level).

Here you will find information not available anywhere else on the web. Go ahead, sign up and learn from Adam. This one's free (perhaps send him a donation).

TutVid

TutVid is another informative site. It too, is not designed to teach you everything from beginning to end but has excellent free video tutorials (you can also download his files for free).

Nathaniel is both energetic and passionate about Flash. He contributes much to the Flash community; I like that - it's contagious. Perhaps look out for his small, hard-to-find, donation button.

AdobeTV

Last but certainly not least, you want to visit AdobeTV. They are an excellent free online video resource for learning Flash.

Look for Flash titles that include the words 'basic', '101', 'for beginners' or 'getting started'. These are a great find for the beginner. "Thank you Adobe".

I hope this article helps you - 'happy learning'.

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