Macromedia created Fireworks
as a complete graphics applications aimed towards Web designers. It offers more
advanced image control than existing packages, such as Photoshop or CorelDraw,
for work that specifically relates to the Internet. Fireworks enables web
designers to produce high quality images, export them in a variety of file
formats while retaining excellent file size compression.
Fireworks surpasses other rivals as it also enables you to edit text,
graphics and effects at any stage during production. Fireworks also simplifies
the process of making JavaScript buttons with mouseover effects, all combined
with automatic HTML generation.
This products is obviously aimed squarely at web designers who are currently
restricted by the limitations of Photoshop and the endless workarounds that are
necessary to convert images accurately to the web.
Fireworks, in addition to greater palette features, has well-developed type
controls and vector tools for creating and editing lines, shapes, and Bezier
paths. Fireworks goes one better than most by offering paint-style brush
strokes, texture fills and special effects such as bevels and drop shadows. All
objects can be scaled, skewed, rotated and made transparent.
Fireworks, again surpasses Photoshop by enabling you to modify effects at any
stage and update them onscreen. When you change an object, Fireworks retains and
updates the effects.
The Painting Tools are similar to current paint programs, with convenient
points and dragging control handles. Fireworks improves on the rivals, as after
you've defined a vector shape, you can select a bit-map paint style to stroke
the path. In addition the original vectors still remains editable. The paint
styles also includes oil brushes, charcoals and watercolors, as well as the
standard solid strokes.
All normal drawing functions are provided, including grouping, layering and a
snap-able grid. Missing are Boolean controls and the ability to lock or hide
individual shapes. Drawing tools include standard primitives as well as
freehand, text and Bezier pen - with a welcome modification to the Pen tool:
When you click an initial point and drag out a handle to start a curve, the
program displays a rubber-banding curve that shows what your shape will look
like when you click the next point.
In addition to fill and stroke, any object can have a Live Effect added to
it. These effects include inner and outer bevels, drop shadows, halos and glows,
each with a number of parameters that can be changed at any time. You can apply
more than one effect to an object by
Fireworks does a
very good job in converting shapes into a bit-map. It can also import bit-map
images created in another programs, such as Freehand, and edits them using
its editing tools. There are also a sleuth of brush, rubber-stamp,
graphic-primitive and bucket tools, as well as blur and sharpen filters. Any
Adobe Photoshop compatible filter can also be applied.
Fireworks shows it superiority over rival packages with its excellent image
map tools. This tools allow you to create very powerful server-side image maps.
The URL toolbar allows you to draw primitive shapes and then assign URLs to
each. Navigation images can be created in a few simple steps. Fireworks also
includes tools for creating simple animated GIFs.
Compression is well addressed
when converting images to the smallest possible file size, and still retaining
high quality. Fireworks saves the original work in a PNG format which retains
all the editable characteristics, while offering excellent export functions. The
export function offers you the choice to save as GIF, animated GIF, JPEG or PNG.
It also displays compression options for each format and the image's file size.
Images can be exported as separate files - as either split up images or as
different states of a rollover button.
Fireworks can also apply export settings to an entire batch of images. The
batch-processing tool can process six optimized graphics, including JPEG, GIF,
and PNG files into TIF format in one folder.
Fireworks can import Photoshop files seamlessly and works well with
third-party Photoshop plug-ins. Layers are preserved when importing Illustrator
and Freehand files.
Fireworks provides Windows, Macintosh, Uniform, Gray Scale, and Custom
palettes. You can then customize the palettes to optimize images, having greater
control over graphics' colors. If you change from a Windows to Macintosh
palette, both the palettes and their effect on download times are presented.
Graphics can also be controlled with the Slice feature. This allows you to
drag guides onto the image, cut the image into smaller files, and have it
reassembled in an HTML table automatically by Fireworks.
Web designers in search of a tool that offers greater control of their
graphics will be impressed by Fireworks features. Existing programs, such as
Photoshop and Equilibrium's DeBabelizer, don't contain many of its features and
will need to address these in their future releases.
The combination of excellent vectors and bit-map tools, exporting
capabilities and powerful Web-specific features ensure its success with Web
designers. Though its interface suffers from a mass of palettes and toolbars,
like Macromedia’s other product Dreamweaver, this can be easily forgiven
considering the remarkable features that it offers.