Once you've learned HTML, Photoshop and maybe an HTML authoring tool or two (See Web Essentials), what's the next step to becoming a top-notch Web designer? Most Web design experts agree that interactive tools such as Shockwave and Flash top the list of "must-know" technologies.

Tom Pizer, vice president of creative media at FigLeaf Software in Washington, DC, calls Macromedia Flash the workhorse of interactive media. "We

Resources Online Tutorials on Web Technologies http://www.hungryminds.com/ http://www.smartplanet.com/ Builder.com Webmonkey.com Recommended Magazines Communication Arts Eyewire How (focused on traditional/print design) Web Techniques magazine Popular Web Design Books Flash Web Design by Hillman Curtis Javascript Bible by Goodman and Eich The Photoshop 5.0/5.5 Wow! Book by Dayton and Davis Designing Web Usability by Jakob Nielsen Designing Web Graphics 3 by Lynda Weinman Photoshop 5.5/imagready H.O.T (Hands on Training) for the Web by Lynda Weinman Visual Quickstart Guide to Photoshop 5.5 by Elaine Weinmann and Peter Lourekas Cutting Edge Web Shops IXL Razorfish, www.razorfish.com Agency.com Figleaf Quokka Product Overviews Macromedia Software Overview (Flash, Fireworks, Director, etc) Macromedia University Adobe Products (GoLive, Photoshop, etc) LiveMotion vs. Flash Flash Tutorials Shockwave/Flash from Webmonkey Flashgeek Moock

use Flash primarily because it's low bandwidth and ubiquitous. Around 90 percent of Web browsers have Flash as a plug-in and it's easy to use," he says. In addition, graphic artists and programmers can work well in the Flash environment, he explains.

According to Matt Galvin, a contract designer with San Diego-based MassHysteria, Flash is used for banner animation, interactivity and as a Web site authoring tool. "It draws and uses vector files (like Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand) and does not work particularly well with JPGs or other bitmaped graphics, but it can deliver impressive graphics, animation and sound over a limited bandwidth," Galvin says.

Another interactive technology is Shockwave, which is viewable by more than 140 million Web users who have a Shockwave Player installed. The only tool used to create Shockwave is Macromedia's Director. It combines graphics, sound, animation, text and video to create streaming, multi-user, interactive Web content.

Shockwave and Flash players are both free Web players from Macromedia. They bring users rich media content on the Web, and each has a distinct purpose. A Flash player displays Web application front-ends, high-impact Web site user interfaces, interactive online advertising and short- to medium-form animation. A Shockwave player displays destination Web content such as high performance multi-user games, interactive product simulations, online entertainment, and training applications. A Flash player is automatically included with any download of the Shockwave player.

How do Flash and Director compare? Pizer says that in terms of capability, Flash is to Director what television is to cable. "Flash has the core of what you want and what you need, but the spectrum of offerings between the two is vast. Director is a much more robust technology, but Flash is more prevalent on the Web." However, the gap between the two is closing steadily because Flash 5 (the latest release) is following in the footsteps of Director. "The advantage to using Director is that it has a more robust programming language, the ability to add video and a whole suite of third-party plug ins that allow you to add 3D interactivity. Director is a much more complex environment and requires a commitment to learn. It's a less standardized technology," Pizer says.

"Flash is Macromedia's most widely used and significant drawing and animation tool to date. You can integrate some javascripts and even use PHP (a database tool) with Flash, and most Web designers and developers think it will result in dramatic changes in the way the Web is used," Galvin says. To see some cool examples of Flash, check out this site: http://www.randinteractive.com/. Another piece of the Flash world is called Generator, which is a server technology that allows integration with a database in order to serve up customized Web site content based on individual user needs.

Just when you thought you had it all figured out, along comes another technology to shake things up. This time, it's LiveMotion from Adobe, a streaming application development tool used to create Web graphics and interactive animation. Download a beta version here and see what you think: http://www.adobe.com/products/livemotion/main.html. LiveMotion is a competing authoring environment for the Flash standard. "It allows you to compile your timeline animations and interactivity in a Flash 4 format," explains Pizer. It is being billed as an easier-to-use animation environment for authoring Flash interactions, he adds.

Finally, you may know just about every cool technology in the book, but if you don't pay attention to usability and design principles, you'll end up with a Web site that's more overdone than a showgirl in Las Vegas. To avoid that trap, keep your designs simple and user friendly, stick to the basics of Web design (see Jakob Nielsen's book below) and always think of your audience first.

To really learn the technologies, you need to do more than simply download the application. "People who want to be a part of the Web design community need to get involved in the Web design community," Pizer says. To do this, you might want to join an organization such as the American Institute for Graphic Arts (AIGA.org) or join a user group such as the one devoted to Macromedia technologies (http://www.macromedia.com/support/programs/usergroups/). "They are free, there are professionals from the industry on them and they are a great place to network," Pizer says.