Effective Web Animation: Advanced Techniques for the Web

Although you can find animations all over the Web, there's still no easy way to learn how to create them yourself. Enter Effective Web Animation. Written by a Web expert with several graphics books to his credit, it's full of information on the most widespread animations, those created as GIFs or with JavaScript and Macromedia Flash.

Newcomers are introduced to both traditional and new animation methods--from object-oriented to streaming animations. The book begins with a review of the best animation tools and then delves into the specifics of creating and optimizing GIF animations, manipulating color and timing, and integrating your creations into your Web page. Adobe Photoshop and ImageReady--the techniques of Flash's streaming-playback and object-oriented features--get attention too, showing you how to work with both keyframe and tweening techniques for greater interactivity.

Good writing and careful attention to detail combined with an attractive four-color layout make this book an especially useful learning resource. But be aware that the book's plentitude of scripting and other technical details make it a smart choice only for committed animators who aren't afraid of using the new technologies to bring their pages up to the best standards of the Web. --Kathleen Caster