Amazon.com Review
Fireworks, Photoshop, Fireworks, Photoshop. If you've been researching Web-graphics software, these two names are likely rattling around your head incessantly. So which program is right for you? Well, while Photoshop wrangles the title of best overall high-end image editor year after year, it's still not the most robust solution for Web graphics--that claim belongs to Fireworks 4.0. Dedicated to the Web-graphics world, each new Fireworks release strengthens its hold on its domain (no pun intended). And if
Dreamweaver is your Web editor of choice, uniting the two programs will make you a very happy matchmaker indeed.
Fireworks' strengths lie in its focus on the creation and optimization of bitmapped and vector Web graphics. Files are easily integrated into Macromedia Flash and Dreamweaver, and importing/exporting Adobe PhotoShop and Illustrator files is a breeze, especially with the program's improved layer-mask handling and a new Color Fill Live effect. Version 4 rolls out a new interface that Flash, Dreamweaver, and FreeHand users will recognize. Tabbed menus allow for customization and keep the screen tidy while organizing elements. New tools for adding interactive elements--rollovers, navigation bars, and pop-up menus--are a very welcome sight. And a Live Animation feature creates frame-based GIF animations, using symbols, instances, and tweening features familiar to Flash users. With built-in HTML and JavaScript capabilities, version 4 delivers the goods to the Web-graphics design community.
Like we mentioned, Dreamweaver users will fully realize Fireworks' full potential. These two programs assimilate perfectly, creating the most powerful Web-editing suite available today. --Eric Twelker--This review refers to the Windows version of Fireworks 4.0.
Amazon.com Product Description
Macromedia Fireworks 4 delivers a robust solution for Web design professionals who seek a standard way to create and optimize Web graphics. Quickly create resolution-independent vectors, edit bitmap images, and create GIF animations with multiple frames in a professional environment. Fireworks 4 Web graphics workflow is optimized for creating advanced interactivity. Easily develop buttons, rollover effects, and sophisticated navigation schemes with multilevel pop-up menus in a step-by-step visual environment. Support for multiple file formats and common design standards lets you quickly design and produce graphics, HTML, and JavaScript that can be moved seamlessly between popular graphics and HTML applications, such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Flash and Dreamweaver. Use accessible controls to reposition, redirect, and reanimate simple animations across multiple frames from within the Fireworks workspace. Quickly set up and execute batch processes, including commands, by using the step-by-step Batch Processing Wizard. Edit and update HTML and JavaScript code and graphics from Dreamweaver, while maintaining edits to your table. Use enhanced setup and export of HTML/JavaScript and images to customize automatic file naming, table handling, and other output options.