Flash has upped the standard for web motion graphics and has been welcomed with open arms on account of its powerful new ActionScripting capabilities. Following the phenomenal success of New Masters of Flash, the Flash Annual will bring together a new collection of the hottest Flash design talents on the planet, all of whom have grabbed attention in the preceding year.

New Masters of Flash: The 2002 Annual gives competent web artists inspiration for cutting-edge Flash design techniques, as well as hard tutorial information on how to build top class effects. The format builds on the best of the original best-selling title while improving in areas where the first volume was weaker, (e.g. generic customizable code examples), while the talents, the inspirations and effects are all of the moment and represent the mature and expert deployment of the staggering new capabilities of Flash 5 ActionScript.

The Flash Annual format: The Intro is a series of 3 "field-report" essays written by key New Masters from the previous year covering new talents, new techniques and new trends. The main body of the book is then an evolution from the original format. This time, as well as the inspiration and tutorial sections, we add a third section to each chapter, headnotes. Part summary, part chapter commentary, part code overview, the Headnotes section teases out the reusable and generic elements of the previous tutorial and suggests ways forward for the reader. What you'll learn Who this book is for

Web artists with experience in the Flash environment, and who know some ActionScript. Aspiring designers looking for inspirations and direction from industry leaders.

With the advent of Flash Communication Server MX (FCS), Macromedia believes that it's on the edge of a breakthrough in how people think about the Internet. FCS has been designed to provide web developers with the means to add polished interactive audio and video features to their sites, the sort of features that users have come to expect.

Naturally, the process of efficiently integrating rich media into applications, web sites, and web content is a complex one, to say the least. That's where "Programming Flash Communication Server" factors in. As the foremost reference on FCS, it helps readers understand how FCS can facilitate:

Video on demand

Live webcasts

Video chat and messaging

Shared desktop conferences

Live auctions

Interactive whiteboard presentations

Workflow collaboration

Multi-user games

"Programming Flash Communication Server" not only explains how to use the pre-built FCS components to construct a simple application, it also explains the architecture so that developers can program custom components to make even more advanced applications. In addition, the book explains how to truly optimize performance, and talks about considerations for networked applications as well as the media issues pertaining to FCS.

"Programming Flash Communication Server" gives developers a sorely needed leg up on this potentially intimidating technology. It lets users develop cool web applications ranging from direct dating experiences with real-time video, to pre-recorded corporate presentations, to news services with video and audio, and much more.

At last, the ability to build web sites with rich interactive features--minus the complex downloads andinstallation hassles--is a reality. And now, with "Programming Flash Communication Server" from O'Reilly by your side, you can do more quickly and easily than you ever dreamed possible.