Author: Rich Shupe
Publisher: Adobe Dev Library, 2009
Pages: 390
ISBN: 978-0596159764
Aimed at: Beginners at animation
Rating: 5
Pros: Good coverage of CS4 from basics up
Cons: Doesn't do justice to advanced ActionScript
Reviewed by: David Conrad

If you are looking for a basic introduction to using CS4 to create animations and special effects then this might be the book you are looking for. It starts off with the very basics of using CS4 to create graphics and implement animation. By Chapter 6 we are ready to move on to simple ActionScript and the simple introduction covers the language at the level a beginner will appreciate. From this point we move into more advanced, visually speaking, territory - filters and blend modes, 3D, inverse kinematics, audio and video. The book touches on more advanced aspects of using ActionScript including components, working with text and deployment. This book doesn't teach you everything you need to know about ActionScript but if you want to use CS4 to create animations and special effects it might be all you need.