User Manuals and Tutorial Books

• Purchase the most recent version of the tutorial books for the version of Flash you are working in. These books are expensive, but worth the investment, so be sure you have the appropriate versions for your program. If you are working with an older version of Flash, prior to CS3, you may want to consider upgrading prior to purchasing your manuals. With the introduction of CS3, Flash changed the traditional approach to its ActionScripting language, switching to an "object-oriented" scripting language.
  
  For the purposes of this article, the newer ActionScript 3.0 (AS 3.0) uses a completely different language to build projects. And if you are going to invest the time in learning this program and want to grow with each additional version of Flash, CS4 and so on, you will need to learn AS 3.0. Be sure to keep the manual on-hand when working with the program and choose a manual with a CD of exercises to walk you through the various elements of Flash.
  
  

Online Tutorials

• A variety of online tutorials exist for learning Flash. And using one, once your are familiar with the basics of the program, is highly recommended. After you have completed the exercises in your user manual and are comfortable with the user interface of Flash, find a high-quality tutorial and subscribe to the service. See the resource section for recommendations.
  
  Adobe publishes excellent tutorials, free of charge, and a database of articles to accompany the Flash program. Finding an online forum is also a wonderful method of troubleshooting individual problems using Flash. The odds are strong that someone else has encountered a similar problem and a community of Flash users has provided the solution.
  
  

Traditional Classrooms and Workshop Learning

• You may find that, as you learn Flash, you will need additional instruction that goes beyond the opportunities of self-teaching. Learning Flash from an expert and having fellow classmates to work with can be monumental in accelerating your learning experience. Many community colleges, trade schools and universities offer Flash classes in their graphics or communications programs. Be sure you have the time and monetary resources to devote to this method of learning. If time is an issue, consider attending a professional Flash workshop for a weekend or a week-long learning retreat. Adobe offers various levels of workshop situations for Flash, from beginner to expert certification. These workshops provide an accelerated learning environment, so be sure you have continued your self-teaching methods and practiced building projects in Flash prior to attending a workshop.